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
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