Umrah vs Hajj

It's difficult for me to write without assuming that all my readers are Muslim.

I took this into account and wanted to clarify a few things.

*What do Muslims believe?
The tenets of the Muslim faith are known as the Five Pillars of Islam.
1. Shahada - Belief in one God. The Arabic for God is Allah, but it's the same God Jews and Christians believe in.
2. Salat - prayer
3. Zakat - alms giving
4. Swam - fasting during Ramadan
5. Hajj - pilgrimage to Makkah

*What is Umrah and Hajj? Umrah and Hajj are both pilgrimages to Makkah.

*What's the difference?
-Hajj is mandatory for every able bodied Muslim who can afford it. Umrah is not mandatory.
-Umrah can be undertaken anytime of the year. Hajj is performed according to the Islamic calendar.
-Umrah is a personal journey while Hajj is an ummah (community) journey.
-Less rituals are performed in Umrah than Hajj.

*Which did you do? Umrah

Mount Uhud - Battle of Uhud

The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) led the Medinan Muslims against the Meccans at the Battle of Uhud. It seemed like a decisive Muslim victory and the archers abandoned their position on Mount Uhud to loot the Meccans; this fatal error resulted in a surprise attack by the Meccans. It was a major Muslim defeat with many casualties and the Prophet (pbuh) was injured.

Moral of the Story: Don't be greedy, fool.

The Muslims later defeated the Meccans at the Battle of the Trench, close to Mount Uhud, cementing Islam's place in Madinah. The trenches are roads now and cannot be seen.

Battle of Uhud and Battle of the Trench

Souq - Market

The picture does not do this mountain justice. It's huge and formidable!

No shortage of people.

Mount Uhud

Allah seems to have blessed the Saudis with two things and only two things: oil and dates.

Everything and I mean everything in Saudi Arabia is imported. I saw more Fords, Buicks, and GMCs there than in America.

More dates.

Toys

Mountains on every side.

Al-Masjid al-Nabawi

Al-Masjid al - Nabawi is the second largest mosque in the world and holds the tombs of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), the first two caliphs, and Fatima, the Prophet's daughter.

Al-Masjid al-Nabawi - Morning - Umbrellas open (bottom).

In the courtyard the umbrellas open up and provide shade to worshippers.

It's breathtaking when the umbrellas unfold; it looks like a flower opening.

Front view at night.


Night - Umbrellas closed

There is a constant stream of people going to al-Nabawi; morning and night.

Madinah - Call To Me and I Will Answer

From the hotel window I could see Al-Masjid al-Nabawi, which is so beautiful with its blue and white marble and gold accented doors and arches. The exhaustion I felt in Jeddah was gone, exhilaration over took me. Al-Nabawi called to me...literally, it was time for prayer and the melodic azaan (call for prayer) filled the room. I washed up and went for prayer with my parents at al-Nabawi. Ma and I prayed outside. It was dark out and the open star filled sky was above us and the cool marble floor was beneath us. I never felt so at peace.

After prayer the city of Madinah comes alive. The shops lining the streets open and the sidewalks are covered with numerous vendors selling colorful rosaries, prayer mats, and hijabs. From the hotel window, it looked like bright spots of paint on the ground.

Over breakfast, Papa told me he prayed at ar-Rawada, which is a special place in al-Nabawi. All the carpeting is red inside except for ar-Rawada, which is white. Any prayer said on this spot will not go unanswered. It's almost impossible to pray there because of all the people.

After breakfast, my parents and I went site-seeing. We went to Mount Uhud where the Battle of Uhud took place, we went to the Seven Mosques, to the Quba Mosque (first and oldest mosque built in Saudi Arabia), and a date factory.

Before we left for Makkah, we did one final namaz at al-Nabawi. A woman sitting next to us took her prayer mat and placed it sideways in front of my mother and I so we could share it. We didn't speak the same language as her, but this act transcended human communication. It was such a beautiful gesture. Such is the warmth and kindness of the people in Madinah.

I waited in the lobby with a heavy heart because I would miss Madinah, for the car that would take us to Makkah...

Our hotel room in Madinah and the beds we never had a chance to sleep in

Dubai, and Jeddah, and Squat Toilets! Oh, my!

My flight left JFK in NYC at 11 am and I arrived in Dubai at 10pm (American time) or 9am (Dubai time) by Emirates. It was a 12hr nonstop flight.

I endured the eight hour layover at Dubai airport by sitting, window shopping, eating, sitting, eating, sitting, and sitting. It took two hours to reach Jeddah by airbus. I hated standing in line for immigration; I was hot, hungry, tired, and I really needed to use the restroom. I encountered my first, cue dramatic music, ton ton tooonnn...squat toilet. It's weird at first, but not difficult to use if you have some sense of balance.

Outside, a cool breeze took me by surprise. I wasn't expecting it after roasting inside the airport. My parents and I stopped at a popular Saudi fast food place to eat. I didn't go inside, but from the car I saw separate seating for men and women and it hit me...we're not in Kansas anymore (I hope you're getting these Wizard of Oz references).

With my stomach full, I sat comfortably in the car and drifted in and out of sleep for five hours until we reached Madinah...

Dubai airport

McD's are everywhere!

I called it a "banana mobile" and Papa was like, "It's not banana mobile! It's Lamborghini." That doesn't negate the fact that it looks like a banana on wheels.

Dubai airport has so many nice shops.

Close Your Eyes and Visualize Saudi Arabia

Pet Peeve: Nothing irks me more than people who are geographically challenged. In high school a teacher asked one of my classmates to locate Iraq on one of those big pull down maps that hang from the chalkboard and this fool looked for Iraq in...South America. I died a little. Readers you don't have to be a geography bee champ like my dad, but please, pleeease know the seven continents. Please know that there are seven continents.

I included this map to give you an idea of how far the cities are from one another.
I'm going from Dubai to Jeddah. From Jeddah to Madinah and from Madinah to Makkah.

Dubai - UAE, Northeast
Jeddah - West
Medina (Madinah) - North of Jeddah
Mecca (Makkah) - South of Jeddah and Medina

Introduction

Hi! I'm Sarah. I'm from a small town and I'm leaving it for the first time in 22 years for a 15 day journey to Madinah, Makkah, and Dhaka. This isn't going to be your typical Spring Break; it's going to be a spiritual, religious, cultural, and educational journey.

In the spirit of Uncle Sam, I Want YOU, whoever you are, to join me on this epic trip to the Middle East (Holy Land) and Bangladesh (Motherland).

FYI: I'm a commitment phobe, but I will try my best to update my blog with some regularity; expect a new post every Friday.