Originally posted on slip-sliding away…..:
Previous posts in this series: Parts 1 to 10 A night shot of Masjid al-Haram in Makkah Not quite “three wishes” After arriving in Makkah, we settled into our hotel and had less than an hour to prepare for umrah – at 9.30PM on that Thursday night. Not only would…

Originally posted on slip-sliding away…..:
Previous posts in this series: Parts 1 to 9 Mountains between Madinah and Makkah Goodbye While I fell in love with Madinah, the truth is I eventually became too comfortable there. And because there seemed to be too few outings / tours, it actually felt a bit boring at times…

Originally posted on slip-sliding away…..:
Previous posts in this series: Parts 1 to 8 Masjid an-Nabawi in Madinah To wrap up the Madinah leg of the trip, I’d like to highlight some points which haven’t been covered elsewhere. Unlike previous posts, this one won’t follow a narrative, but will just take a point form approach.…

Originally posted on slip-sliding away…..:
Previous posts in this series: Parts 1 to 7 Janatul Baqi – the graveyard of Madinah The certainty The Prophet s.a.w. reportedly* advised us to “Remember frequently the destroyer of pleasures” – referring to death. It’s the only certainty we have in life – the fact that we will die;…

Originally posted on slip-sliding away…..:
Continuing from last time, we now look at a few other attractions in the city of Madinah. The Cave of Uhud The Cave of Uhud from the base of the mountain Related to the Battle of Uhud is the Cave of Uhud, which is quite far from the battle site.…

Originally posted on slip-sliding away…..:
Previously in this series: Introduction and parts 1 to 5 An aerial shot of a model of Madinah While Masjid an-Nabawi is the main attraction in Madinah, for now, I’d like to cover some of the other attractions in the city. There seems to be a standard ‘tour circuit’ in…

Originally posted on slip-sliding away…..:
Previous parts: Introduction | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3| Part 4 The Rawda-tul Jannah in Masjid-an Nabawi   The first 24 hours in Madinah made a huge impression on me and helped me realise why people love the place so much: it felt like the Prophet s.a.w.’s…

Originally posted on slip-sliding away…..:
Previous parts: Introduction | Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 Masjid an-Nabawi at sunset First impressions Mention the name ‘Madinah’, and the first descriptions many Muslims will use involve words like ‘peaceful’, ‘calm’, ‘tranquil’, etc. Our arrival there was anything but that – but such is to be…

Originally posted on slip-sliding away…..:
Previous parts: Introduction | Part 1 | Part 2 The Arabic term sabr is often translated as ‘patience’, ‘perseverance’, or ‘steadfastness’, and we all know its tremendous importance in Islam. When it comes to Hajj, many people tell you that you’ll need a lot of it –  because you’ll inevitably…

Originally posted on slip-sliding away…..:
Previous parts: Introduction | Part 1 How it started I’d wanted to go for Hajj for a long time – but had only planned to go two years ago, in 2009. Generally, that’s the wrong approach to take. You’re supposed to go as soon as you’re capable (physically, financially, etc.)…