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As the hujjaj embark on their sacred journey SALEEMAH JAFFER recalls, with emotion, how she was able to be part of a multitude of women who were drawn by a deep sense of love to the Mosque of the Prophet (SAW).
WHILE sitting in the courtyard of the Prophet’s Mosque in Madina, I slowly looked around. The majestic green dome glimmered through the umbrellas, the top of the Prophet’s mimbar just visible over the barricade dividers. Everywhere, in all directions, were hundreds of women: from different countries, tall, short, young, old, niqabis, hijabis, women in burqas, women in dupattas, women in jilbab, women walking, women in wheelchairs, women crouched over walking sticks, women absent-mindedly rubbing pregnant bellies, women supporting elderly women, women carrying small children. These women, like me, had travelled to the Hijaz with the intention to perform Hajj. These women, like me, had come searching for a piece of paradise.
As I watched the movement – some walking with incredible speed, others lingering, trying to take it all in – I wished I could have asked them: ‘Why did you come to Madina tul Munowwarah?’ and ‘What do you hope to find here?’ It took me only moment to realise that their answers, while in words and languages may differ from mine, in essence would be the same: Love.
These women streaming into the courtyard weren’t just people in a crowd. They were individuals with hearts that love the Messenger and love the Message. Hearts that whisper salawaat. Hearts that yearn to be close to him, may peace and blessings be upon him and his family. Hearts that know that attachment to him is pleasing to Allah (SWT). Hearts that know that his sunnah brings us comfort and is our salvation. Hearts that understand that the Hajj we are preparing for was demonstrated for us 1400 years ago, and that without the Messenger we would not have received this beautiful Message.
Looking around, at the hundreds of thousands of hearts around me, I wondered: ‘How many of them are sending salutations on the Messenger at this very moment?’. At home, or in my local masjid, the idea that at any point millions of people could be saying ‘Allahumma Salli Ala Muhammad’ is a heartwarming notion. In Madina tul Munowarrah, days before the Hajj, it is a visible reality.
The Messenger of Allah (SAW) said: ‘There is no one who sends greetings of peace (salaam) upon me, but Allah will restore to me my soul so that I may return his salaam.” [Abu Dawud].
In our daily lives sometimes, we struggle to be heard, or recognised. A teacher may not spot our raised hand in a classroom setting. A friend may not hear us calling out to them across a parking lot. Our contribution in a meeting may be overlooked or we may not be given a fair chance to share our views.
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The beauty of our Messenger (SAW) is that not only does he receive the greeting, but he returns it. Every single person in the sea of millions knows they are heard. And they know they are being responded to. While one could feel immersed, and even overwhelmed in the crowd – one never feels lost.
Saleemah Jaffer is a community researcher and facilitator and works in the youth programming department for Madina Institute. She recently returned after performing Hajj. We beseech Allah to grant all Hujjaj Hajj Maqbool.
- This article was first published in the August 11, 2023 print edition of Muslim Views.
