Umrah Ziarah Jordan 2010 The Series - Tour around Amman 3

Our final destination in the tour around Amman is the Dead Sea.

The best picture I could snap on a moving bus!

I did some homework before visiting this place to find out what is so unique about the Dead Sea.

 The other end of the sea is the land that accomodates the Israelis, cruelly seized from the Palestinians (I hate Israelis!) 

The 60km length lake situated at the border of Israel-Jordan, is the lowest point on earth, that is 411 metres below the sea level. It is called the Dead Sea because unlike any other seas and oceans of the world, no living thing can survive in it due to its saltiness. The sea water is too salty that if you taste it at the tip of your tongue, your tongue will immediately feel numb and thick as if it is swollen (I have tasted it myself and it’s true!). On top of that, if you wet your hands with the sea water and then rub the palms together, you’ll feel the greasy or oily texture of the water, even when there’s no evidence of oil in existence. If you jumped in to the water, you’ll float like a duck. It is almost impossible to sink here (what more to dive) in the Dead Sea!

Click on the picture to enlarge it. You'll get a clearer picture of the low land structure of the Dead Sea.

So, that’s what the Dead Sea is all about. Of course the fact is gathered from scientific point of view. Another surprising fact: scientists and researchers (such as Werner Keller from Germany) recently announced that the gap of 411 metres is gradually becoming wider that is it now reaching 415 metres or maybe more! Time is the reason this value has changed. With the low replenishment rate, extreme heat, and high evaporation and some volcanic activities, the level of the Dead Sea is lowering at a rate of approximately 1 meter every 10 years. Wow! And you know what? The floor of the sea is estimated at 400 meters deep from the sea surface, which makes the sea bed about 811 to 815 meters below the surface of the Mediterranean!!! SubhanAllah!

If you don't swim on your back, there is a chance of
getting drown though afloat!

The researchers also discover in their studies that there was (used to be) some kind of life form deep within the sea that is yet to be revealed to the world. It has not been easy to conduct investigation due to the hypersalination of the water, but they’ve started to find artifacts! So what had happened there? Let’s study the mystery from different point of view, by going through the history in Islam.

I am aware that I have non-Muslim readers here at my blog. Great! Keep reading. For the non-Muslims, perhaps I should highlight here that the history of the Dead Sea and its mystery was already mentioned in the Al-Quran, thousands and thousands of years ago (approximately at 1800 B.C.) , long before the modern technology arrived to human kind. Which means, what I am about to share with you is not something that is purposely created in the past 100 – 200 years ago to make the story sounds interesting to read. This is a true history in Islam and recent findings further confirm the existence of two cities "swallowed" by the Dead Sea. Hopefully it could convey a good message to you. Happy reading!

I have been looking forward for this visit to take place. We departed for the Dead Sea around noon when the sun was shining brightly and the cool air was so nice. All of us in the bus experienced our ear plugged as we move close to the sea (the same kind of experience when you are in a plane high up in the air. It's due to the high pressure surrounding us). The moment our tour bus arrived at the beach (the Jordanian bus driver refused to park closer, so we had to walk a long way to the beach), I was all ready to get into the water and experience myself the floating sensation that has always been told in stories. But then our tour guide, Ustaz Haji Mansur Manni, immediately refrained us from swimming. We asked why, so he told us of the dark history of the Dead Sea.

During the time of Prophet Lut A.S., he was sent as messenger of Allah to give da’awah (Islamic teachings) to a group of people who practiced homosexual lifestyle (men lust on other men in preference of women). These people lived in the city of Gomorah and Sodom, at the valley of Siddim (Well, that explains where we get the word “sodomy” from!) Unfortunately, Prophet Lut was not only unwelcomed, but also mistreated by the people. They refused to listen to him, instead challenged him to ask Allah to cast a disaster upon them! Astaghfirullahal’azim!

One day, Allah put His final test on the people of Sodom, so He sent down two angels to earth in the form of very handsome and attractive men, to visit Prophet Lut and become his guests at home.

The news of the arrival of these two men was soon spread by no other than the wife of Prophet Lut herself, for she supported and approved the homosexual life style. And so, the people of Sodom became interested and came to Prophet Lut’s house and demanded him to surrender the two handsome guests to them so they could do whatever they want with the guests. Prophet Lut refused, and gave warnings that something bad will take place if they did not stop their perversity.

When the people of Sodom could not be stopped anymore, Allah saved Prophet Lut and his ‘household’, except his wife, and left behind the people of sinners destroyed as has been described by the Qur’an. And how were they destroyed? The angle Jibrail raised the land where the prophet's people lived, tipped it upside down and threw it back on earth, causing the ground near the impact to cave in.

The holy Qur’an cites these in many surahs as:

“turned upside down” – violent earthquake

“showered with brimstones/clays” – volcanic explosion

To simply explain the dreadful catastrophe, imagine you turning upside down a charcoaled meat (caught on fire and still burning) on your grill.

More information, supported by the Qur’an verses can be found from this informative and useful site:

http://www.islamicity.com/science/QuranAndScience/destruction/GeneratedFilesNoFrame/ThePeopleofLutandTheCitywhichwasTurnedUpsideDown.htm


        That was me collecting some crystallised salts

Ustaz Mansur continued to educate us by conveying that as a Muslim, we are encouraged to visit historical places that used to receive severe punishment from Allah, on condition: the intention of visiting such place is not for sheer fun or holiday, but more towards learning lessons and the visit should assist in increasing our believe and faith in Islam. That was why he forbade us from swimming in the Lake of Lut that was once cursed by Allah and ‘swallowed’ the whole region of two cities horribly. And that was also why the bus driver refused to stop closer to the beach. SubhanAllah..!

A souvenier shop close by. Wonderful things sold here. 

I have managed to take some photos of the crystallized salt from the Dead Sea. It really looks like the salt we used in our cookings, but I dare not taste it this time!

Later we went to a souvenier shop and bought many good things for remembrance, such as brooches, bookmarks, T-shirts and many other beautiful small items for decoration.

And talking about the sea salt and the mud from the Dead Sea, though there were evidence in abundance on the advantages for skin treatment and its mineral ingredient were used in many popular beauty product, but again, for the Muslims, the salt and mud came from a place cursed and destroyed by Allah the Almighty, so, its improper to paste the ‘cursed ingredients’ on your lovely faces or body parts, don’t you think so?

We finally ended our tour in Amman. (We did not visit the Citadel or Petra, as these places are not related to Islam). So we went back to the hotel, packed our things, ate lunch and prepared for our flight to next destination, Jeddah.

Goodbye Jordan. Goodbye great country of great people. I’ve got many sweet experiences here, and some unavoidable sour faces too! Hahaha! But I’ll never forget the dark history of the Dead Sea. It still gives me goose-bumps till today.

Umrah Ziarah Jordan 2010 The Series - Tour around Amman 2

Friends and readers have been urging me to continue my posting related to my umrah journey recently, though it took place about a month ago. Thank you for reading my blog.  As appreciation, here is another posting about our tour to Islamic historical places around Amman, Jordan.


The second historical place we visited in Amman was the masjid and shrine of Prophet Syu'aib s.a.

We had never thought we could be standing here in the masjid of a beloved Prophet of Allah...
SubhanAllah... Alhamdulillah... Allahu akhbar

Such a great scenery, calm and peaceful.

Wonderful and brilliant architecture of the masjid. It's windy here, giving us the chill up to the bones. We had such an extraordinary feeling!

I found this date palm at the back of the masjid. Can you see the tree bearing fruit?

Prophet Syu'aib was the messenger of Allah to the people of Madyan who lived in Ma'an. These people worship Aikah, an open area of land (or field) that grew trees on it, as their religion. Their source of income were from trading of goods and this was their main economic generator. The Madyan people were mostly at al times cheating when weighing the goods they traded. For example, if they sell one kilogram of wheat, they actually packed and gave less than one kilogram to the buyer. On the other hand, if they buy one kilogram of the same trade from other seller, they would demand the seller give them more than one kilogram. (I hope I explain this part correctly for reader to understand) This act of cheating in weighing is prohibited in Islam. Allah S.W.T. therefore instructed Prophet Syu'aib to go see the people of Madyan and talk to them and explain that their practice was unjust and wrong. Also, to redirect them from worshipping the trees on the land to only Allah S.W.T.


The Madyan people did not welcome Prophet Syu'aib and regarded him as traitor. They started to insult him and his followers and this happened continuously, to the extent Prophet Syu'aib had to move out from Ma'an and seek shelter outside the district. Once when the Prophet and his followers were far away from the district, with the Almighty power of Allah, a huge earthquake befallen the people of Madyan. None of them were spared. All died horribly in the earthquake.

My husband took the opportunity to perform prayer at the masjid

Observing the beauty of the masjid after prayer

Prophet Syu'aib and his followers travelled until they reached a region named Aikah. There he continued his missionary to these people but again, was badly treated, despised and threatened to death. Because the people of Aikah refuse to accept and learn from the punishment of Madyan, again, Allah S.W.T.  instructed another disaster upon them, this time in the form of unbearable heat that made them wriggle like earth worm under the hot sun. They ran everywhere to seek for shelter, but nothing can help them from being burnt. In the midst of the chaos, a huge black cloud emerged in the sky. Everyone ran and took shelter under the cloud, thinking that they were save then, but suddenly it produced a terribly loud and scary sound of thunder that killed all the people instantly. That's the end of those who did not believe in the messenger of Allah.

This is the shrine of Prophet Syu'aib A.S. (peace be upon him) located inside the masjid

Outside lanscape of the masjid. Try imagine the story of the people of Madyan and Aikah that probably occured here, at the open spot. Na'uzubillahi min dzalik!

Overall journey, very satisfying!

In my next posting I will relate the history of the Dead Sea and the mystery behind it. Insya-Allah.

Umrah Ziarah Jordan 2010 The Series - A special post for benazirjb

A reader of the blog asked me about luggage during the pilgrimage. What to bring and how many pieces are enough?

Attire ready for prayer: Jubah, a pair of thick socks and telekung. Simple.

If you fancy nice jubah from Madinah or Makkah and intend to buy 1-2 pieces for yourself, then I suggest you not to bring too many clothes from Malaysia. Enough if you have 2 pieces of long pants/slacks (normally white is preferred, but black is also common), worn with long muslimah shirt or blouse (2-3 pieces), best material are those made of cotton and comfortable to be worn under hot weather. 2 pieces of telekung (top only) is sufficient, because you'll find that when you wash your clothes, they dry very fast, even if you hang them only in the bathroom.

Another option: blouse, long pants and telekung (or mini telekung). Easy for me to pray and later climb Jabal Rahmah.

Dont forget to bring thick socks, they are very useful for praying and must be worn when you perform umrah (tawaf and sa'ei). Other than that, of course yo need to have your hand socks (not gloves), nightgowns when you sleep, and sufficient undergarments. Buy your jubah in Madinah because it is much cheaper there compared to Makkah, unless you know how to bargain for very low price. They will add to your wardrobe selection. Later you can wear the jubah when you go out.

Wear a long sleeve shirt together with hand socks, long pants and don't forget socks for your feet! The weather is hot, but trust me, you'll not be sticky with sweat.

What normally happened was that at the time when you arrived either at Madinah or Makkah, your luggage is of small size and not heavy. On the contrary, when you're heading back to Malaysia, you'll find that your luggage has grown in size and weight and also in quantity! So be ready with the bags of proper size. Of course you can buy new bag in Makkah, but you can save yourself from the trouble by planning properly.

It's a wonderful moment to spend there, so do not concentrate only on religious matter at all times. You must explore the place, see the people, admire the beauty of nature, acknowledge  and admit the power of Allah in ruling the earth and its living being. You'll be calm and happy. Insya-Allah.

I wish you all the best. Have a safe journey to and fro.

Umrah Ziarah Jordan 2010 The Series - Tour around Amman 1

During our stay in Amman, we visited three historical places that is related to Islam:
1) Ash-Habul Kahfi masjid and cave
2) Prophet Shu'ib's masjid and shrine
3) The Dead Sea

The story of Ash-Habul Kahfi

Walking to the masjid, which is situated on top of a hill

Relates about seven young men who embraced Islam but then forced to abandon the religion by the kafir people. In order to save themselves and protect their Iman (faith), they ran away and ended up in a cave. Satisfied that the cave is a safe place to hide, they decided to take some rest but soon fell asleep.

The outskirt of Amman, I think Kampung Baru is 1000 times nicer...

The seven young men later woke up feeling hungry and thirsty. They thought they had slept for one whole day, that's why they were hungry. When they searched for a dog that loyally followed them from the city to the cave, they were surprised to find only bones were left of the dog, situated at the entrance of the cave. The dog has obviously guarded the seven young men from danger while they were sleeping. Thinking of the good deed made them cried. This dog is the one and only dog that Allah has promised will enter His Jannah (paradise). No other dogs in the world will ever enter Jannah but this one.

We both were standing right on top of the cave (beneath our feet)

The Ash-Habul Kahfi masjid, erected to remember the seven young men who protected their faith and iman

The seven young men of Kahfi decided that one of them should go to the city to buy some food. They chose one of them and this man, carefully disguised himself, managed to reach the city safely. To his surprise, the city and its people have totally changed. All the people has embraced Islam and there were no more evil and cruel kafir people. When he wanted to pay for the food he bought, the seller told him that the money he gave was of no value at all.

The masjid, from far

"What currency is this? Where are you from? We don't use this money!!!"

"Are you kidding me? This is pure money and it has value!!"

Later more people gathered to see the commotion, and finally one of them suggested the young man of Kahfi go see the Govenor of the city. He did this, and the Governor himself was taken aback to see the ancient money the young man of Kahfi presented before him.

"This used to be the currency of this city, but that was over hundreds of years ago!!!" exclaimed the Governor.



"How many days you said you were sleeping with your friends in the cave?"

"Only one night"

"Are you sure???"

So the young man went back to the cave to talk to his friends about their sleep.

The sepulcher of three of seven of the young men

"Dear Sahabah (friends), we have been sleeping in this cave for 309 years!!!!"

"How could that be possibly true?"

"The money I brought to the city could not buy us food. It has no value"

"No wonder only bones are left of the dog"

"What year is this?"

"While I was in the city, I have not seen any familiar faces at all. I can't even find my house and my family!"

"No one knows us!!!"

In one of the tomb. Can you see the human bones still nicely preserved after hundreds of years?

Later the Governor of the city decided to visit the seven young men at the cave, only to find that these men have died, this time for real, and this time with proper burial. For remembrance of the Greatness of Allah, the governor instructed his people to build a masjid on top of the cave. He named the masjid Ash-Habul Kahfi.

The sepulcher (stone grave)

Another view of the masjid from different angle

Allah is Great. The history of Ash-Habul Kahfi has proven that Allah can make living things die and resurrect the dead to live again, at His will, as He please. SubhanAllah...

A pose with Jordanian school girls at the age of 12 to 15. Sama tinggi dengan aku, beb!!!

Umrah Ziarah Jordan 2010 The Series - KLIA-Bangkok-Amman Journey

Betullah orang kata, kalau hati dah ke sana, yang tinggal terus dilupakan…

I cried a bit thinking that I have to leave my children behind to start the journey. But then, the moment I stepped inside the departure hall, it seemed miraculous that I instantly forgot them. First unpleasant experience we encountered at the boarding gate is the strictness of airport regulation in determining what we can bring and what we cannot bring on the plane: ever since 9/11 all types of liquid containers exceeding 100ml shall not board the plane. We have to leave all our drinking water behind. I decided to opt for “drink till u bloat” campaign, and stayed back a while to finish all my precious drinks. Later I had this devillish look in my eyes when I looked at the boarding officer as if saying to him "I have nothing to leave behind". Hehehe...

Some of us even have to let go of their beauty products such as body lotions, moisturisers and whatever they were taking with them. I know some of these products are expensive. Imagine leaving behind a brand new bottle of SK-II Miracle Water at the counter! Huaaaaa..... boleh sedih gak kalau aku yang kena..

And let the journey begin....our route:

1)  KLIA to Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Bangkok, Thailand via Malaysian Airlines System.

2)  Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Bangkok to Queen Alia International Airport, Amman, Jordan via Royal Jordanian.

Flight to Bangkok took about two hours. Since there is no direct flight from Malaysia to Jordan, we need to get on board of the Royal Jourdanian from Bangkok to continue journey. Transit in Suvarnabhumi Airport was NO FUN. Immigration was worse than KLIA. You need to take off your shoes and even belts for inspection. I became a squeezy toy during the inspection when the lady officers wanted to confirm that my brassiere is of underwired type. Haish! Angin aku satu badan dengan diorang ni!

No food sold here is halal, except for the ones sold at Ichi-Ban restaurant. My husband and I decided to window shop from one end of the terminal to the other faaaaaaaaaar end (the airport is damn big!)and ended up with both our legs sore and painful. But then we had fun spotting and counting how many transveties we saw at the airport. Well, they are easy to detect, actually. Face like beauty pageants, body solid-molid like calendar girls, but still, they can't hide their manly features. After wasting much of our 3 hours wandering, we were seated again on board, very much to our relief, but this time journey took up 8 - 9 hours to reach Amman.

 

One thing that I noticed about the Jordanians - their body frames are huge, both men and women. They are tall, fair skin and bear features like the Arabs. And mind you, they built their aircrafts to suit their height, too. We ladies found it difficult to keep our hand luggages into the high overhead compartments. Even when the men of our group offered to help, we still need the assistance of the flight attendants to put away all the the bags safely. Food served on the flight consist of spicy (using the Jordanian whatever spice, I think) chicken cooked with potato, white rice (long and fat!), fruit salad and bread. Not bad at all. It reminded me of MAS catering during the kaya-raya time in the 1990's. Heavenly. Praise be to Allah for this plenty of delicious food!!

When landed, the outside temperature was 8 degree celcius. Cold and windy. Macam kat London la pulak...

My husband, at the visa counter in Queen Alia International Airport, Amman. Later the airport authority made an announcement prohibiting the use of cameras within the area. Opps! (By the way, the Levi's jean he was wearing in the picture went missing when we got back to Malaysia. We figured out that we did not pack the jean in our bag when we left Madinah for Makkah. That's the last of his favourite RM500 jean, bought in Colorado, USA a year ago...)

These are some photos I took from the bus around Amman outskirt.

This is a residential area, for the poor, I was told by our tour guide, Achmed. They have this interesting building infrastructure where they do not build any roofs on top of the house. Reason: when the need comes and there is sufficient funding, they will erect another floor on top of the building. So a single storey house could become a five-storey apartment after several years. Wow!

 

You'll find rows and rows and rows of trees of olives along the road, as this is one of Jordan's commodity that contribute to one of the main source of income to the country. Jordan has no oil like Saudia Arabia, it is a country that exports agricultural products like corns, olives, fruits, and vegetables to neighbouring countries. Though bigger than Malaysia in terms of size, Jordan has only five millions population.

Just arrived at the hotel.

 

This is The Golden Tulip hotel, situated within the airport vicinity. To get out of this hotel and travel to the city or anywhere you like, you'll have to obtain a visa from the immigration counter at the airport, which cost you 10 Jordanian Dinars. Oh! Talking about currency, you'll be surprise to know that the conversion rate is so unbelievably high here. 1 Jordanian Dinar is equvalent to 6 Malaysian Ringgit. Wow again! Mahalnya!  

Next posting: A visit around Amman to historical places in Islam.

Rindu menyucuk kalbu...aku ingin kembali ke sana!

Rows and rows of devotees performing prayer at the mosque. Synchronized movements, all united irrespective of race or nationality. Peaceful. Harmony.

 

Click at the pic to have a bigger / better view.

A credit to Manzlie (CL) for the great picture.

Umrah Ziarah Jordan 2010 The Series - I am back!

I have started work today, 6 days after returning home from umrah. That has skided too far from my planned schedule. My target was to get working immediately after a 2-day rest. But we were taken down by flu and dry cough. My soulmate has it badly. He couldn't even get out of bed for 2-3 days. Mine was milder because I already caught flu the time we left Makkah. Anyway, alhamdulillah, we have recovered, though not 100% but manage to be at the offices again.

The experience I gained when I was there.... Masya-Allah! It was so unbelievable. Honestly, Makkah is really a place full of miracle. With hundreds of thousands of people from all walks of life all over the world coming to the same destination, I would have expected there is not enough place for everyone to pray in the Masjidil Haram. But SubhanAllah.... All pilgrims managed to squeeze themselves together in each congregational prayer, none left behind, none denied their rights. All beautifully arranged by Allah.

Superb!

Fantastic!

There's so many things to share here. But I need to give priority to the loads of assignments on my desk at the office first before I could peacefully sit down and write about my journey to the miracle land.

Perhaps in another 2-3 days my work will lessen. Then I'll  begin writing. Please have patient and bear with me. It was a nice surprise to know I have quite a number of faithful readers here. Do come back for more updates, ya.

Till then, have a good start of the week. Wassalam.

Umrah Ziarah Jordan The Series - The Big Day

Things have gone smoothly. Alhamdulillah. Packings only finished half an hour before we left home. I had not imagined receiving many visitors, especially the unexpected ones, at the final hour. But again, alhamdulillah, most of them brought good wishes and prayers for us both, so that we have a safe journey.




I am writing this at the airport, while waiting to check-in. There is this funny feelings I have inside of me - nervous and excited. My cutie pie runs here and there happily, not knowing what she will come across in the next few hours. I wonder if she would be looking for me at night once she found out her parents were not there. What ever it is, I leave everything in God's hand.

Another 30 minutes to check-in. I am leaving behind those whom I love dearly behind. Thanks to all my friends who have shown concerns, especially my best girlfriend, Rozaimah and my best boyfriend Mohd Tarmizi. Thanks, guys.

Goodbye. Insya-Allah will be writing again in two weeks time. May Allah bless us.

Umrah Ziarah Jordan 2010 The Series - The Troublemaker

2 days more to the very much awaited moment.

I’ve cracked my head in two halves. By incident. I bought too many things and tried to squeeze everything into a medium-sized bag. Some can’t be included. Too big! Too many! Oh gosh! What am I suppose to do now? I need everything but I can’t take all.


While trying to pack more things into the bag, Aliya knocked the door and informed that my BIL and his family has just arrived. Hesitating, I left my sorting and squeezing tasks behind and went downstairs to greet them. I thought no harm could be done leaving my things lying almost everywhere on the floor of the bedroom. Who would want to touch them? Besides, the door was closed when I left. But eventually, my hypothesis was proven totally wrong.

Earlier, my husband sent the youngest sweetheart to bed. Two hours later when he went upstairs to get some documents from our bedroom, he shouted hysterically, which made me drop the cracker container I was holding. I rushed upstairs just to see this….

My cutie-pie, caught red handed!!!                       

I don't think lengthy explanation is needed here. Just look at the mess! On top of everything, just look at the face of this naughty girl ....

Naughty girl!

The whole bottle of that new shower cream was a gone case. She poured every single drop of the cream on top of her head and not to forget some on the comforter. The bottle is now empty.

Shower cream the victim

And sensing that her dear father was angry at her, she tried to make herself invisible behind the wall...

The perpetrator...

 
*sigh* 
 
What a girl.... The consequence, I spent two hours mopping the slippery floor of my highly-concentrated perfumed bedroom!

Umrah Ziarah Jordan 2010 The Series - The Countdown Starts Now

Three more days to departure date.

I am running out of time. The big day is coming soon. My preparation is almost complete but there are still some personal things that I need to buy. I am looking forward for the journey. So is my soul mate. We received many advices and guidance from friends and family members who have already been to Makkah and Madinah either for umrah or hajj. I get to know that it is now 40oC in Makkah. Will hot sun and dry weather give a big challenge while we are there? I pray not.




Yesterday was the last day I came to office. My long leave starts today. I am putting aside my study matters for a while. I leave everything in God’s hand. There are so many things to do in such a short time. My scoring checklist has been completed and validated by a prominent professor from Australia and a practicing accountant/auditor from Singapore. I have completed the scores for all 48 pilot samples and calculated the compliance indices. I, too, have completed the data entry into SPSS. But the sad thing is that I did not have ample time to run the data with the application. That’s the most looked forward part in my study, but that’s the one I am going to miss doing. Oh well, looks like I will have to postpone that until I come back.

Another serious matter to think of is my sister, Lina. Where is she? She promised to come and visit me before I depart for Jordan. Unfortunately, she had not shown up. Conversations with her has been very short and limited these days. We are both busy. But in situation like this, I really expect she could spend some of her time together with me. Will she come? I suppose if she loves me then she will come no matter how late.

Despite everything, I am so eager to go and be there at the Holy Kaabah. I can’t wait another day.

Umrah Ziarah Jordan 2010 The Series - Courses

Saturday 13th March, 2010

My husband has acknowledged since the first time we set foot at the office of Andalusia Travel and Tours that short courses conducted for the pilgrims-to-be every weekend would be packed with many kinds of people from all walks of life who want to listen to the talk by Ustaz Haji Daud Che Ngah on the essential preparations before departing for umrah. We were advised to attend the course at least three weeks before departure, and our turn has come this week, so we decided to be there as early as possible to secure our seats. We thought that the office will only open at 9.00am, the usual business hour. Unfortunately we were wrong. People have been waiting since 7.00am in the morning and by the time we reached the place at 8.15am it was already jam-packed. Three floors were provided for the pilgrims-to-be during the course, two floors for men and another one for women. Anyway, men occupied only one floor, on the contrary, it was the women who conquered the other two floors. The speaker noticed this too, and nonchalantly uttered that it's the sign that the world is heading to an end soon (tanda-tanda qiamat). Na'uzubillah...

The course started at 9.00am but soon after the session was interrupted with technical faulty of the sound system at the men's floor. They can only see the speaker through the screen installed on the wall, but can't hear what he was saying. Staff of Andalusia have been very helpful. They worked hard to solve the problem, climbing up and down the stairs, running between the power room at the ground floor and the course room at the third floor. After about half an hour, men participants were seen leaving the building with disappointed faces.  One of them was grumbling, saying that he travelled all the way from far north to attend the course.

Bersabarlah wahai jemaah sekalian. Ini baru sekecil-kecil dugaan Allah turunkan untuk menguji keimanan kita. Belum lagi bertolak ke Madinah dan Mekah yang lebih banyak lagi dugaan dan cabarannya yang bakal kita tempuhi. Beristighfar banyak-banyak dan berdoalah semoga Allah membantu kita. Insya-Allah, berkat kesabaran dan sifat bertolak-ansur serta merendah diri itu pasti akan ada balasannya yang manis dari Allah.

Despite the minor hiccup, the speaker has managed to complete his talk by 1.00 pm. We've learned a lot of new things about hajj and umrah and became so eager to be there soon. My husband and I look forward for the journey to purify our heart and soul, to be able to cleanse ourselves from the sins we commited.

May Allah bless our journey. Amin.

Umrah Ziarah Jordan 2010 The Series - Ruling on conveying Salam to the Prophet

As told by Asma bint Shameem

"Please convey my salaams to the Prophet (Sal Allahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) when you go and visit Madeenah."

Thats what they said to me as I was leaving for Hajj this year.

Some even said, "Take my name personally and say so-and-so has sent you the salaams, O Prophet of Allah."

And it wasnt just a few who requested this. Many, many people asked me to do so. I also know that it was out of sheer love and utmost respect for the Prophet (Sal Allahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) that they said this. But my dear brother/sister in Islaam, I have to tell you that this is an action that is NOT prescribed in the Shareeah.

Now, I am not saying that sending blessings and salaams on the Prophet (Sal Allahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) itself is bad. Surely it is one of the best and most virtuous of deeds and one of the most beloved of deeds to Allah and of course, we should send salaams on the Prophet (Sal Allahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) all the time, as much as we can. And Allah will send blessings on you in return tenfold. That is surely good.

What is wrong is telling a person traveling to Madeenah to convey your salaams to him (Sal Allahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam).

Did you know that your salaams will reach him (Sal Allahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) no matter where you are, whether you are standing in front of his grave in Madeenah or you are thousands of miles away in the U.S.or even when you are in your room in Bombay?

The Prophet (Sal Allahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) said:
"Send blessings upon me for your greeting will reach me no matter where you are”.
(Abu Dawood--saheeh by al-Albaani)


And he (Sal Allahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) said:
Allah has angels who go around on earth, conveying to me the salaam of my ummah”
(al-Nasaai-saheeh by al-Albaani)

So, it doesnt really matter whether you are in the privacy of your home or in the midst of the market place, or if you are a bedouin living in Madeenah or an astronaut flying in space. If you send salaams on the Prophet (Sal Allahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam), he will receive them.

Besides, wouldnt you like to send your salaams personally to the Prophet (Sal Allahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) instead of sending it through somebody who may forget ? Or he may not convey the salaams with that love and respect you would like him to?

How do we know it is wrong ?

We know it is wrong because it was not the practice of the Sahaabah or the righteous people after them to convey the salaams of each other at the grave of the Prophet (Sal Allahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) every time one of them visited Madeenah. If it was something good, surely, the Prophet (Sal Allahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) would have taught the Sahaabah to do that or he would have given us instructions to do so. But the fact of the matter is that he (Sal Allahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) instructed us to do quite the opposite.

He (Sal Allahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) said,
"Do not take my grave as a place of festivity (which you visit repeatedly). Send blessings upon me for your greeting will reach me no matter where you are.?
(Abu Dawood)

Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen said: "If you send salaam upon him (Sal Allahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) from the farthest ends of the earth, your salaam will reach him, because Allah has appointed angels who travel about the earth, and if anyone sends salaams upon the Messenger (Sal Allahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam), they convey that salaam to the Messenger (Sal Allahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam). So if we say now,

“O Allah, send blessings and peace upon the Messenger of Allah,”

our salaam will be transmitted to him. In prayer we say, “Al-salaamu ‘alayka ayyuhan-nabiyyu wa rahmat-Allahi wa barakaatuhu” (Peace be upon you, O Prophet, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings) and the salaam is transmitted to him.

Shaikh Ibn Baaz said: "Sending salaams to the Prophet (Sal Allahu Alaiyhi wa Sallam) as an act or worship is an innovation (bid'ah). In fact it is not prescribed to send salaam to anyone who is deceased, rather salaams are to be said to the dead by one who visits him (his grave)..." (Majmoo Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz, 23/416, 417)

Just say Allahumma Salli ala Muhammad from the bottom of your heart.....with utter love and devotion....and the angels will be honored to carry this piece of love to him and convey your salaams to him and he will surely receive it.

Guaranteed.

Umrah Ziarah Jordan 2010 The Series- Preparation

February 27, 2010

My husband surprised me when he suggested we both go perform umrah in the very near future. He said that the time has come for us to 'meet' our Creator, Allah the Almighty.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I am ready"

That smile on his face...His eyes was sparkling when he said this. I am the happiest person in this world. I have long been persuading him to take me to Makkah for umrah, but he always said he's not ready yet.

"There's no purpose of you going there when your heart and mind is absent. It will be a great waste".


But this time it's different. I know his decision is firm. He will not change his mind. He has decided that we are now ready physically and spiritually. This is the time. My prayer has been answered. I'll soon become the Almighty's guest of honour. Syukur alhamdulillah!

We immediately searched the internet for the best travel agent that handles umrah packages. We found Andalusia Travel and Tours Sdn Bhd and my husband agreed instantly that we should travel with them. Finding the appropriate date seems not a problem at all. I told my husband that I have longed to visit Jordan and he agreed to fulfill my wish. When we enquired about Jordan package, there's only ONE travelling date left, with only TWO seats left, as if it is meant for us to be on that plane. Date of travel is from April 6th to 20th, and I have checked that on these dates, I am free from teaching workloads, my PhD supervisor should be on maternity leave therefore she will not miss me, my colloquium will be held in June, my schooling children have no monthly tests or exams, my husband should have cleared his works before the auditors come into the office and most important of all, I should be free from my menses so that I could perform my prayers without barriers. Wonderful! So wonderful, as if it has been pre-planned carefully.

Is this co-incidence? I don't think so! I told my best friend about this and she said,

"That's because you have received a special invitation from Allah to visit Him!"

Agree! I have been invited...



March 3, 2010

My husband and I settled three important things yesterday in preparation for umrah:

We went to the Immigration Department at Wangsa Maju to renew our international passports that have already expired. Arrived at 8.30 am, but the queue was already long till it reached the outer side of the building. My husband has prepared the necessary documents from home to save time and all the hassle- renewal forms filled in and signed, a photocopy of national identification card, passport-sized photos and the expired passports. These items must be ready to be submitted to the officer or else you will not be given a number, thus your application not processed. We decided to renew our passports for a period of two years at the cost of RM100 each.

Waiting in a trance gave me headache. I need to move around,  or at least do something. Simply putting both hands on the lap and daydream will cause my brain to rot. My husband yawned, and yawned, and yawned..... After three hours waiting, we collected our passports with relief  *yay!*. By the time we left, the Immigration Department was so packed up with people that I almost suffocated for fresh air.

Next stop was Zarif Clinic at Celcom HQ Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz. We went to see the doctor for our menangitis injection. This is a must for those who want to leave the country and travel to countries with dry and hot weather like Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE. You'll get a card that record the injection. Ouch! My arm hurts!

Our final destination was Andalusia Travel and Tours located at Taman Maluri Kuala Lumpur - the travel agent. We submitted all necessary documents to apply for visa, paid the remaining balance for our package, and that's it! Everything is settled. Now waiting for our turn to attend a half-day course conducted by the travel agent before we depart for Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Tentatively that will be in two weeks time. In the mean time, we will be reading more books on the dos and don'ts when visiting and performing umrah.

I pray Allah will make this easy for us both, and also protect our families that we left behind when we are away. I am so excited that I started to get sleep disorder. I am counting my days eagerly. Thank you Allah. Thank you for inviting me to Your House.