abtravels

Masjid Aisha/Tan’eem

I never in writing this, proposed for it to be of any kind of preaching but just a written account of my experience. So I’ll try not to preach but in order to explain the historical significance of some landmarks and why Muslims do certain rites, it will sound as if I’m preaching but I assure you it’s not intentional. It’s just me trying to explain the context of what I’m trying to explain/note down here. 

Masjid Aisha is a boundary point commonly referred to as Miqat before you enter the Haram area to perform Umrah/Hajj. Historically it was the point at which the prophet instructed Aisha to enter into ihram to perform Umrah. As it is about 8km away from the grand mosque, it is the closest miqat for anyone that is already residing within the Haram area in a hotel for example.

At Masjid Aisha I made my intention to God that I will perform umrah by reading nafl prayer. I made a small prayer, that God makes it easy for me and blesses me on this journey and gives mercy. I still had the constant worry of either my sugar levels going low and/or needing a toilet urgently. Before I prayed I took the opportunity to use the toilets at the mosque and perform Wudu. 

This is actually commonly recommended just to make sure or avoid any discomfort during Umrah and before you officially start your Umrah. The toilet very luckily had plenty of room to undress/dress your ihram clothes. And despite the floor being a little wet in the ablution area, it was a fairly standard process as in any mosque preparing for prayer. 

The grand prayer hall is a large area. As this was past midnight, it was not busy as such but it wasn’t empty either. There were men and women at the mosque and large groups, but there was enough space to pray without needing to really find a space. I took my sandals off and my Umrah guide was kind enough to store them in his bag. 

The one thing I specifically remember is a cat that was within the mosque grounds that coincidentally followed me as I walked into the prayer hall from the entrance. Well I say follow but the cat was probably just minding its own business and we just ended up walking in the same direction for a few seconds! 

After I had finished my intention and nafl prayer, we returned to the taxi. The taxi will normally wait for you to finish so that they can drive you to the grand mosque straight after rather than you waiting for another taxi. All in all my time at Masjid Aisha was really short, about 5-10 minutes.

A lot of the mosques in Makkah especially within the Haram area are quite large and have been funded by the government. So they are typically big with exquisite architecture that is typically Islamic with domes and minarets. Masjid Aisha was no different. I really wish that I had gone back there to pray or spend time there as it was very large and beautiful. I’m pretty sure I only saw about 5-10% of the area of the mosque just to pray but there are many other areas both inside and outside in the court areas that you can visit. 

If I do go back I will definitely spend time at that mosque after performing Umrah. Also the outside court areas between the main prayer hall and the taxi rank/car park is kind of like a small market with street vendors selling items like belts, prayer mats, qurans or small snacks. A guy at the exit was handing out bottles of water to pilgrims and I proceeded to take one to have a small sip before returning to the taxi. 

The journey either way from the hotel to Masjid Aisha and then back to the grand mosque took about 20 minutes. By the way I will include my step by step Umrah guide that I used as preparation as a reference below.

Entering The Grand Mosque

It was now approaching 2AM but I was not tired at all. I was fully awake and I think perhaps the adrenaline of everything and the nightlife in Makkah was keeping me going. I was also thankful that my sugar level (for the moment) was stable.

We reached the Haram area or the Grand Mosque and entered through Abdul Aziz Gate which as mentioned previously is the closest and biggest one near my hotel. There were scores of people that you had to walk with and past in order to go inside the central courtyard where you will lay eyes on the Ka’bah.

I was under the ceilings or entrance areas of the grand mosque at this time but just a few meters away from the courtyard. Now I don’t see very well so I didn’t immediately notice the Ka’bah that was right in front of me. I can’t/don’t pick these out unless it’s obvious or pointed out to me. 

I guess it should have been obvious but behind the pillars that were from the floor to the ceiling and the number of people, the central courtyard of the mosque looked like an open area. It was only until my guide said “Ka’bah. You want to take a photo?” I kept weaving my head between the crowds to try to see the Ka’bah and was really confused before my guide said “Look, there” with a bit of a chuckle. And there it was.

It was slightly on my right side from where I entered, not right in the centre as I expected. I made a supplication on first seeing the Ka’bah in real life as it’s recommended you do and that I had prepared for. Following this my guide recommended that I pray two raqats nafl prayer before we begin our Tawaf (Circumambulation of the Ka’bah).

Now just to explain Islamic prayer or the nafl prayer, I thought I’d just take the next few sentences to explain as simply as I can. Again this is not me trying to preach but it’s just so as I use these words and if you’re unfamiliar you can follow what I’m trying to say. 

When we refer to a raqat in prayer this is the act of standing up with your hands placed in front of you whilst you’re reading certain recitations. You then go down in a bow. This finishes one raqat. After every two raqats there is a sitting position where further Arabic recitations are read, and depending on whether the prayer is two or four raqats, the worshipper will end the prayer moving the head from the right shoulder to the left or rising.

I prayed 2 nafl raqats by the side, probably 100 meters away from the Ka’bah. Up to now this was the closest I have ever been to the Ka’bah despite having prayed facing it for all of my life.

My guide got two small plastic cups of zamzam water. I will explain what this is later. This is a small supplication to ask that God make this easy for you and grant mercy. 

For myself specifically, this was much more meaningful as I always worried constantly about my sugar levels going low or needing to use the loo in the middle of everything. So the act of surrendering myself before God and to ask for help/safety felt a lot more meaningful for me at this point. 

I was completely depending and relying on Allah (God) to carry me through with as much ease as possible. When I finished my nafl prayer it felt like complete surrender in the most peaceful and gracious way possible. The realisation that ok whatever God’s will will be, will be. 

Throughout the course of my whole medical aspect of my life I’ve tried to be in control as much as possible by following medical advice etc. But now I was in a place where there was a small lack of control in terms of what may happen. But you know what, that felt really freeing in a way. For a very rare moment personally, I had complete faith and reliance on God to carry me through.

Please please subscribe to this blog so you never miss a new post! This will help me so much. Stay tuned for next week when I describe my Tawaf experience (the ritual of circling the Ka’bah) and the enormous safety considerations in doing so