Spiritual Enlightenment in the Holy Land

http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle08.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2009/September/theuae_September241.xml§ion=theuae

Silvia Radan

12 September 2009,
ABU DHABI — Wasel Safwan drove smoothly as he led the way to Al Jimi Mall in Al Ain.

Once there, he picked a table at one of the closed cafes and opened his laptop.

“I need to look back at the pictures to overcome my feelings and get the flow of events right,” he explained.

Wasel is one of UAE’s most prominent artists, but our meeting is not about his latest art creation, but his first experience of Umrah.

“Long time ago, when I was a child, I did go with my father to Makkah, but back then I was busier getting his attention rather than paying attention. So this time was my first proper spiritual experience of the holy land,” 
stated Wasel.

About 70 per cent of the Muslim population in Makkah is non-Arab.

Dr Deen, Wasel’s neighbour in Al Ain, is a British citizen.

Wasel and Dr Deen decided to go to Makkah together, at the beginning of Ramadan, where they were also joined by Dr Deen’s parents, coming 
from England.

Umrah (meaning to visit a populated place) is a pilgrimage to Makkah that can be performed at any time of year, although many Muslims prefer it 
during Ramadan.

Unlike Haj, which has to be undertaken at least once in a lifetime, Umrah is not compulsory, but it is highly recommended.

It all starts with declaring your intention to perform Umrah.

“When I decide to do it, I have to take a good shower first, shave, use the best perfume because once I start I can’t do any of these things. I can’t do anything, in fact, not even kill an insect – if I do, my Umrah would be cancelled”, 
said Wasel.

Like most pilgrims, he declared his intention in the aircraft, while flying towards Jeddah.

“The holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) put several stations, called Miqat, around Makkah, which are like borders for travellers coming from different directions. Once you reach one of these stations you can no longer declare your intention of Umrah – it has to be done before” Wasel said

‘‘So 15 minutes before, the pilot announces that we are going to fly over the Miqat, and all the men in the aircraft start to change into their ‘ihram’, if they are not already wearing it. This is a two-piece white seamless garment that covers the upper and lower body. It makes us all equal, rich or poor from any nationality or from any part of 
the world.Then they make their intentions by shouting Allahu Akbar – God is great or Oh God, I’m all here for you! Imagine an airplane full of people all doing this,” described Wasel.

These declarations have to be made constantly, in loud voice, until Kaaba is in sight.

“When I told my father I want to start Umrah from here he told me ‘No, go there and do it! What would people say when they see you on the street,” he remembered laughingly.

As his story gets closer to Makkah and the emotions he experienced there, his eyes started shining and his 
hands trembled.

“There it is totally different. I couldn’t find that feeling in any other mosque in my life. If I talk from here until tomorrow and make it in beautiful words and poems, you cannot feel it physically, until you are there,” he said.

The next ritual of Umrah is the Tawaf of Kaaba – the circling of Kaaba seven times in counter clockwise direction, meant to symbolise the Tawaf that runs in the Seventh Heaven, where the Arsh, Allah’s throne, is situated and where angels continuously fly around it.

“Entering Kaaba is like entering any mosque, which is with your right foot first and saying: ‘In the name of Allah, blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah. O Allah, forgive me my sins and open to me the gates of Your mercy. I seek refuge with Allah the Almighty and in His noble Countenance and His eternal power from the accursed Satan’,”explained Wasel.

When doing the Tawaf — the first three circuits have to be rushed and the following four at a leisurely walk — the praying can be for anything 
and anyone.

“Only when I reach the Yemeni corner, which is before the black stone, there is one verse I should say: ‘Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire’.”

According to Islamic belief, Kaaba was the house of Adam, later on rebuilt by Ibrahim (or Abraham). The foundation of the building is still believed to be have been laid by Ibrahim, but the walls have been reconstructed.

The door of Kaaba is locked and the key is still kept by the descendants of the same family who owned it in the times of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

Since the Holy Prophet allowed the family to keep the key, nobody ever dared to make a claim on it.

The four corners of Kaaba roughly face the Black Stone. In the eastern corner is the Rukn-ul-Aswad, believed by Muslims to be a piece of star fallen from Heaven, initially white, but turned black in time by the sins of people. Scientists agree that the composition is that 
of a meteor.

“The Black Stone is shiny and it smells of perfume. It is inside the wall and surrounded by stainless steel to protect it. When we circle around it we must touch it and kiss it. In Islam, though, we believe it is not good to push people, so those who are too far from it must just raise their right hand and say God is Great,” adds Wasel, who did just that, as he was too far away from the Black Stone.

After the evening prayers, during which everyone has to interrupt the Tawaf, people run to the walls of Kaaba, trying to touch it with their hands and body. Wasel had the fortune of reaching the Clinging Multazem, a spot between the Black Stone and the door of Kaaba, where he placed his chest, face, forearms and hands, praying for that he wished most.

“Some people were crying. Some were praying in Arabic, others in their own language. They were asking for success in life, for forgiveness. I too wished for success – everybody needs that. But I also prayed for my family and friends; I tried as much as I could to remember names,” he says.

And then a miracle started. A gentle breeze cooled his neck and as he looked up, Wasel saw clouds gathering, quickly followed by thunder, lightning and 
finally rain.

“In Islam it is said that when it rains, make prayers because rain is a blessing. So imagine the two together – you are there, in Makkah, and it rains! 
The crowd became one body – all crying Allahu Akbar and all hands were up in the sky. And the more they cried, the more it rained. It was like an answer – you call for more, you get more,” described Wasel. Umrah can be performed in less than two hours. After the Tawaf of Kaaba, prayers must be made at the “feet of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH,)” a stone on which the Holy Prophet used to stand on and where his footprints were embed, is still visible today. The next step is Zamzam, the water with healing properties, said to cure even cancer, and which 
never ends.

“How many have drank from it, not from the days of Prophet Mohammed, but from the days of Prophet Ibrahim, and the quantity has always stayed the same”, Wasel said.

After drinking as much as he could, he also got 10 litres to bring home with him. Zamzam is the only item that regional airlines carry for free, without charging passengers for its weight.

Although the water is not commercialised, at Makkah it is possible to buy it, in order to avoid the very long queues.

“You cannot be cheated because you can taste it. And Zamzam doesn’t taste of water – it tastes of Zamzam,” 
Wasel said.

The last ritual of Umrah is the Sa’i (the Run) between the Safa and Marwah mountains, about 450 metres apart. This is the place where Hajar, wife of Ibrahim, and their son Ismail, were left alone. In desperation to find water for her son, she ran between the mountains, asking God for help.

It was then that Zamzam sprang to the surface, right next to where Ismail was sitting.

Again, the run between the two mountains has to be done seven times.

“Now it is different. You don’t get 
the real feeling as Hajar did, when she ran in the heat, all alone. The area is 
now covered and it has air conditioning, so if you feel tired now, then how was it for Hajar?” Wasel asked.

Finally, when everything is done, the men have to shave their head or cut the hair on their entire body.

There are plenty of barbers around and they make sure you notice them by calling you. No matter how long your hair, the whole process is quick and cheap – Dh 1 for a head shave, done with a blade in a couple of minutes.

“I just sat down and I wanted to ask him how is he going to do it, but in 
less then two minutes he finished. 
Like ha! My hair! It’s gone! No talk, no tea, no getting relaxed,” Wasel remembered, amused by the experience. 
The next day, he, Dr Deen and his parents embarked on a new spiritual adventure, this time to Madinah, which left a different, but equally deep impact on his soul.

silvia@khaleejtimes.com