Makkah Al-Mukarramah

Allah’s Apostle said, “Umra is an expiation for the sins committed (between it and the previous one). And the reward of Hajj Mabrur (the one accepted by Allah) is nothing except Paradise.”

I haven’t had the time to blog lately nor am I likely to over the coming weeks so I thought I would just post up some photographs of last week’s trip to Makkah Al-Mukarramah for your enjoyment.

I don’t think they need much of an introduction so here’s the slideshow:

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There is still a lot of demolition and building work going on around the Haram. The sa’y extension is completed and now looks considerably wider easing some of the congestion there. The area in the middle of the sa’y strip for wheelchairs is also wider. There is now a bridge over the sa’y strip where you can stand and watch the pilgrims walking between Safa and Marwa.

Outside of the Haram on the sa’y side there are many tower blocks that have been demolished and it is very dusty. New tower blocks will be built in their place. This demolition does mean that although some hotels are very close to the Haram, visitors are having to take a longer more roundabout walk from their hotels to the Masjid as they have to make deviations to get around the demolition work.

The Abraj Towers look to be almost complete – the shopping mall has been open for well over a year although not everything inside is complete. The finishing touch of a huge clock atop the tower is halfway to completion.

Kids at Taraweeh

Are young children allowed inside the masjid you attend for Taraweeh prayer?

I have been along to Taraweeh with my husband twice so far this Ramadan to one of the popular masjids in Riyadh – it’s the King Khalid masjid where Sheikh Khaalid Al-Jaleel now leads the prayer.

I left my older children at home since I am lucky enough to have a responsible teen and another who is almost a teen but I couldn’t leave the newest addition (8 weeks old) at home since she is breastfed.  I discovered at the first Taraweeh of this Ramadan that children are not allowed inside so I stayed in the courtyard of the masjid and prayed there and when baby wanted to be held or fed I just sat and quietly listened. I had the baby in the carseat so she was comfortable and so I could join in some of the prayer. I think she was mesmerised by the Qur’an as she was very settled! She’s probably used to the sheikh’s qira’ (recitation) as I have playing some of his Qur’an cd’s in the kitchen while I cook!

I have been to the same masjid before for other daily prayers and there was no problem taking children in but since this is Taraweeh prayer and the masjid gets very full and too many people take along small, unruly children, there is this rule for the month of Ramadan. Understandable really when you see the unruliness of the children – running around, throwing dirt, kicking and throwing water bottles and leaving the litter for others to pick up and so forth. It makes me wonder why people take such small children along to such a long prayer. The children will inevitably become bored and won’t be able to keep still – their antics only serve to distract their mothers and others from their prayer.

Eid and Jumu’ah

Eid was good alhamdu Lillah. Not that we really did a lot but going along to Eid prayer made a huge difference to me. It gave me that Eid feeling and set me up for the day so everything just went swimmingly.

I haven’t been to Eid prayer for a few years due to having small children but felt that this year, since we would only be gone about forty-five minutes my eldest daughter would be able to keep the youngest (nearly 2 years) occupied. And she did alhamdu Lillah.

I woke for fajr at 5am, prayed and then proceeded to get ready to leave the house. I had a shower as is sunnah before going to Eid prayer and since I have a new abaya I decided it would be appropriate to wear that, (pyjamas underneath but, shhhhhh, don’t tell anyone. It was a clean pair!) We had to leave the house by 5:45am as here in Saudi Eid prayer is performed immediately after Shurooq (sunrise). We arrived at the mosque at 5:55am just as the Imam was making the first Takbir. It was a really beautiful, calming feeling being in the mosque, praying behind the imam, listening to his recitation and then after the prayer quietly listening to the Eid khutbah and trying to pick out parts that I might understand.

For the rest of the day, I felt so contented all due to the fact that I had prayed in the mosque so I talked to my husband about going to Friday prayer (Jumu’ah) a few days later and we agreed that I would go and my eldest daughter would again keep my youngest daughter occupied.

Friday came (yesterday) and I woke up a bit later than planned but I jumped out of bed, took a very quick shower and got dressed and was ready to leave the house within ten minutes. We decided to go to the same mosque that we had visited for Eid since we knew that there was a ladies’ section, we parked and walked around to the entrance. I said salaams to my husband as he went in the main entrance and I proceeded to walk around to the side entrance… locked. I couldn’t believe it, I really was devastated. My husband was already inside the mosque so there was no way of calling him. I didn’t have my mobile phone and assumed his would be switched off anyway. I never felt so marginalised and unimportant; I just sat on the marble step to the ladies entrance and the tears flowed. I listened as the imam made his khutbah and then I heard the shuffle as all the men stood up to begin prayer. I listened as the imam recited Ad-Duha (surah 93)… “Maa wadda’aka rabbuka wa maa qalaa” (Your Lord [Oh Muhammad] has neither forsaken you nor hates you). I truly felt forsaken by men at that moment though.

After the uplifting Eid prayer that had made my day, the experience of going to the mosque for jumu’ah was such a kick in the face and made me feel low for the rest of the day. I just ask myself why?? It doesn’t take that much effort to unlock the door for ladies even if it turns out that no ladies come. Two minutes extra time if that.

We will have to go to a more central mosque next time and I will ensure that I do have my mobile phone with me!

Ketchaoua mosque

I have posted photographs of various mosques in Saudi Arabia and UAE but none of any mosques in Algeria yet so here are two which are very close together and both in the capital, Algiers. We went to Algiers during the week and our walk started from the Rue de la Lyre where the Ketchaoua mosque is situated.

Ketchaoua mosque (pronounced ‘Ketchowa’) which is at the foot of the Casbah has quite an interesting history. It was mosque then cathedral and then later, mosque once again. Originally it was built by the Ottomans but was coverted into a cathedral during French colonial times; it was restored back to a mosque in 1962.

“The Ketchaoua mosque (Djamaa Ketchaoua جامع كتشاوة), at the foot of the Casbah, was before independence in 1962 the cathedral of St Philippe, itself made in 1845 from a mosque dating from 1612. ” *

The mosque has some very beautiful architecture as can be seen in the photographs I managed to snap.

You can just see the mosque in the picture below; there are crowds of people because the street just near to the mosque is the site of a popular market selling dates, clothing and other items.

Looking in the other direction you can see the Masjid El-kabir; it is the oldest mosque in Algiers apparently dating back to at least 1097.

Cherchell

Cherchell Port

We took a drive along the coast to Cherchell during the week. It was a two and a half hour drive through some beautiful scenery: the Mediterranean sea to the right and fertile, green hills to the left. After Tipaza the road to Cherchell turned inland and the landscape became more lush: fields growing tomatoes, figs, plums and lots more besides. There were children at the sides of the roads selling baskets of freshly picked produce such as prickly pears and tomatoes.

My 4 year old son was delighted every time we drove past donkeys which are used quite a lot for labour in the area.

The actual town of Cherchell is quite old and run down like most towns I have visited in Algeria but it has a long and rich history dating back to 1500BC and the Ancient Egyptians. However it is best known for it’s Roman ruins and the modern name Cherchell is the ‘Berberisation‘ of the Roman name for the town, Caesarea.

The Masjid Er-Rahmane is quite a strange building built in the style of the Pantheon complete with Romanesque pillars.

We also drove past a Roman aquaduct coming back out of Cherchell going back to Tipaza but I missed the opportunity to photograph it. See a photograph here. Amazingly intact piece of architecture.

Some mosques… Saudi Arabia & UAE

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

A quick photo post of some of the mosques I have photographed recently in Saudi Arabia and UAE…

Small masjid near Riyadh centre … I just loved the simplicity of this masjid and the figure of the man who can be seen praying

Big masjid on the road out of Riyadh towards Kharj. This masjid has all the space and facilities for washing the dead and performing janazah prayer.

As before

Masjid towards the north of Riyadh… sandy skies in Riyadh!

Sharjah, UAE (next to Radisson hotel)… the masjid, carpark and road which is not in photo were jampacked with worshippers for the Eid ul-Adha prayer

Sharjah, UAE

Umm Al-Qaiwaim, UAE

Village mosque, Ramss, Ra’s Al-Khaimah, UAE

Part of Masjid Al-Nabi, Madinah by night

Looking down an alley towards Masjid al-Nabi