My Experience in Madinah Munawarah
The moment you step into Madinah, you’ll notice instantly how different it is to Makkah. Makkah is super busy with its everyday hustle and bustle whilst Madinah on the other hand is the total opposite. Madinah is so peaceful and calm. Everything is a lot more relaxed, even the cars are quiet and it’s no wonder as the greatest man to walk this Earth is resting right there in the heart of this beautiful city we all know and love.
Even the word 'beautiful' can't do Madinah justice. There are no words to describe how amazing and just how breathtaking it is. And when you step inside the grand Masjid, you just know where you are. Can you believe that you are just meters away from the Prophet PBUH? Can you believe that back in the day the size of this Masjid was the size of Madinah?
You're lucky to be there and to be able to send Salaam to our Prophet Muhammad saw so make it count. When you go inside the Masjid and you're standing there by the Roza Mubarak you'll notice a lot of different behaviour from others. I'm not going to go into detail but you'll see when you get there. Try to stay as respectful as possible and quiet too. I'm sure you wouldn't like to be disturbed if you were sleeping!
Going to the Roza Mubarak is the most amazing experience ever, I can’t even find the words to describe it. It is so, so emotional, you’ll have tears in your eyes when you’re there. As you get ready to go to send your salaam you can feel your heart beating, like it’s so crazy. It’s like you’re actually going to meet the Prophet saw and as you make your way inside that’s all you think about and all you want to do is be on your best behaviour.
It is so important to make sure you take everything as it comes and don't do the things you shouldn't do. You'll be rewarded for your patience. The last thing you want to do, as I said before, is do something wrong when you're trying to do a good deed.
Try not to raise your voice and talk unnecessarily about this and that. But use the time to pray and send your salutations instead. And if you do happen to take your phone in with you, then keep it on silent. The last thing you want is for a musical tune to be playing in the Masjid. You're only going to be here for a short time so it would be better to use your time wisely.
You can go from inside the Masjid to send your Salaams or from outside by the green dome as some people prefer. I prefer to go inside as you get to pray on the green carpet too. I wouldn't want you to miss out on being in Jannah, even if it is for only 5 minutes, so try to go inside the Masjid for this. Bare in mind there will be a lot of people and a lot of pushing and shoving but don't panic. Just be patient and take it slowly. You'll spot a few rebels in the crowd, but make sure you listen to the security as they'll be organising everyone into groups, so pay attention to them. They'll be more likely to help you too.
Madinah is very relaxed and since there are no Tawafs to do here, you may find that you have more time. Use this time to pray lots of Durood and make plenty of duas too. You can also take a walk to Masjid e Quba like our Prophet PBUH did. Although make sure you leave early, preferably after Fajr as it’s a long walk. We decided to go with a few others from our group and it was lovely to see the other parts of Madinah which we wouldn’t normally see. We didn’t quite know our way but we made it there in one piece by following signs and asking for directions in Arabic as best we could. We were all too tired to walk back in the cold so got a taxi back to our hotel!
Another thing that's probably on your list of things to do as well as everyone else's is the Date Market. You'll find a large variety of dates here and you'll most definitely be full on dates by the time you finish. The people of Madinah are so friendly and hospitable and you'll see that everywhere you go. They'll want you to sample their dates and you'll be eating them until you can't eat them no more! As there are plenty of stalls it can be confusing as to where to buy your dates from. But don't worry, your tour guide will usually recommend a few stalls to you. And if you're not sure how many to buy, it's worth having a chat with any of your friends or relatives that have been so they can give you an idea of how many to bring back with you.
Leaving Madinah is the hardest thing to do. Your heart never wants to leave. Our bus driver got lost on the way to the airport and kept driving round and round Masjid e Nabawi and I kept praying in my heart that we could stay a little longer. But sadly, he eventually found his way and we took one final look back and waved goodbye.Saying goodbye is definitely the hardest thing to do. I’m not ready to say goodbye, are you?
- Fahad Manzoor
