ZIARAH / UMRAH (Feb. 2010) : HOLY LAND REVISITED 25 YRS LATER

Most Muslims are very thankful to have been able to visit the holy land once in a lifetime as required of them. Some are luckier to be able to visit almost every year or every other year, and yet there are others whose visits could be term as very frequent. In my case, I am so very thankful to be able to revisit the holy lands (Mecca and Madina) once again for Umrah and Ziarah after a lapse of 25 or so years. I did my Umrah in 1984 and Haj + Umrah in 1985 (in the 20th century). And now it is 2010 - 21st century!!!. The 1985 visit was via an Arab package organizer by the name of Aziz Khooger.

I am so thankful of this 25yr-again visit. I felt I am luckier than others in many aspects because with such a long span between visits I am able to see the differences – the then and the now – and to be able to see clearly (in my own perceptions, at least) the developments - materially and religiously. And, of course, very thankful to Saudi Govt. for allowing us to visit the many museums and to travel far inland to Al-Ula where the landscape is different to nearby deserts with its shaped mountains and the bigger town of Prophet Salleh (Madain Salle) where the reuins of carved mountain houses of the curse Thamud people lay barren in al Hijr Archeological Site (which is thousands of acres of fence up land.)

The now holy land of Mecca is very much off-targets from what I am expecting. The serenity, the calmness, the properly behaved atmosphere, the mutual respects of being in one religion, etc, etc, is almost rarely found and could be said as almost non-existent (again I felt very lucky to be able to experience the then holy land, although I was then at the ‘ignorance and tender’ age of 38 or so).

MATERIAL DEVELOPMENTS:
The material development is now vast huge and is progressing at a faster rate – pulsing day and night, nonstop. Mecca is now one huge construction site – with new ultra modern buildings coming up (mainly hotels, with numerous stars) and of course the new extension of the Al Haram Mosque. The extension is gigantic in nature and when fully completed in years to come it could accommodate up to 5 million pilgrims at a time and will be The Eye of The World (and if you have not got the chance to see the proposed plan: search in Iqracsense.com – haram mosque extension project, by Thomson or someone with an English/American name. You will appreciate the gigantic nature of the extension project where phase one have been in progress. This aspect of material development, to me, is somewhat necessary in nature and should be welcome. This goes along with new and required space and facilities – to accommodate the needs of increasing numbers of worldwide pilgrims and Islamic visitors with modern demands for facilities and ease of doing the rituals - the acquired taste and demands that came along with wealthier than before way of life.



SPIRITUAL DEGRATIONS:
The scene, physically I mean, once you are in the holy mosque, is almost a reflection of 25yrs ago. Nothing astound you, except of course the bigger than before praying floor space. The Kaabah stood as majestic and as appealing to the eyes and soul as before (and forever more). You are as then and now. Nothing changes. Nothing moves. The feelings are as then and as now. Time stood still, even after all these 25yrs, a quarter of century ago. May be these similarities are as then, as now and in as years to come, and till time ends. Only God knows. But, then these similarities encompass nothing else nearby or the surrounding atmosphere. Once you are out of the feelings, the degrading nearby features surfaces. The degrations . . .
Should any degrations be blame always on the Yahudis and their cohords? Many voices seem to be pointing to put the blame on them, on any degrations we face. E.g., the KFCs near the mosque entrance, the non-Muslims hotels like Hilton, Equatorials, etc. The serenity in the mosque is almost gone. Gone not in the sense of punctuated gone, but almost continuously going off, i.e. only puctuatingly we got back the serenity, the calmness of yesteryears. What I am pointing out here is to the disturbances, nuicences, of the noise of hand phones ringing tones, digital cameras clicking, camera flashing, and blockages of your path during tawaf by someone doing video streaming to his partners etc whilst he himself is doing the tawaf . . . . And, answering phone call in higher than normal voices, and the busy fingers on sms. A real degration to do ibadat in full concentration – with heart and souls. As compared to my 25yrs ago visit where camera is prohibited in the mosque or even in its vicinity. And now, during prayer times, it’s not impossible for you to hear your favorites ringing tones in the very vicinity where you stand to pray. And, then there are degrations too – in dress ‘code’, behaviors, mp3 emitting doas, etc, but nothing compared to the havocs cause by hand phones and its attached cameras for photos and videos. My sincere hope is that the gadgets will be banned in the mosque soon, or the very least the authority should put up deterrent signs and enforced them strictly : HAND PHONES EMMITING ANY SOUND IN THE MOSQUE OR ITS VICINITY WILL BE CONFISCATED AND SMASH AT WILL. ANSWERING OR MAKING OF CALLS IS BY SMS ONLY. If the hand phones phenomena are not check, we just don’t know what other disturbing of peace gadgets will in future surfaces in the mosque. To blame them on Yahudis too – well, we should firstly search our hearts and souls . . . .

May God continuously have pity on us Muslims.
(My regards to newfound friends in and outside Group 11 Feb, 2010 THTS)