MY mild gallivanting ways - compared to some of my more adventurous colleagues - has brought me to Medina; or as my kampong folks back in Melaka would say; Madinah.
It is the second most holy city for Muslims after Mecca (or Mekah, as my kampong clan would also say). After spending 10 days in the city that is also called the Prophet’s City (because it was where the Prophet Mohamad - peace be upon him – lived until he died aged 63), I can understand why some visitors want to live, and be buried here.
Come to Medina and you’ll see why. But oh..sorry, the city does not admit non-muslims. I remember seeing on the Net a gantry straddling a highway which had a sign that showed non-muslims the way – away! Now I know the exact location of that gantry.
It is an acknowledged fact amongst world weary travelers that Mekah and Madinah are two destinations where you will not find Lonely Planet wielding, unkempt couples weighed down by heavy haversacks poking their cameras into a local citizen’s makeshift loo.
Why this need to restrict entry, and by religion too? Firstly, limiting access is a matter of practicality. Mecca and Medina are the focal cities of the yearly pilgrimage – what my orang kampong say; “…pergi kerjakan haji…” (…to go and perform the haj..).
Indonesia alone has 1.5 million registered pilgrims on its waiting list while only 210, 000 are given visas to do so. This means there is a 7 year waiting list. China, which has more Muslims than the entire population of Malaysia would have a similar queue if its populace were released totally from the twin clutches of communism and commercialism.
TOURISTS IN THE WAY
Then there is the deeper need for muslims to undertake this most arduous of their religious duties without the added pressure of unnecessary interest – and therefore detract them from concentrating on the pursuit of devotional duty.
Just imagine the utter chaos if tourists were allowed to roam free to photographically document each of the three basic rituals connected with the performance of the umrah (minor haj) or the actual haj itself.
Have you tried to undertake the tawaf? Have you tried to perform the sai’e? If you have not, then you are not best placed to understand why such intrusion is most certainly not in the best interest of anyone. It is the size of the crowds – so many people, in such a concentrated spot that unfettered movement is an impossibility.
The tawaf is the circumambulation seven times round the Kaabah that has to be done in proper order, while the sai’e involves walking (at at a certain location, to jog lightly) between the hillocks of Safa and Marwa.
It is sufficient for a pilgrim to undertake the ritual at its basic physical level but, having come so far and made untold financial and personal sacrifices, pilgrims would want to be able to concentrate on undertaking all the supplementary requirements with full observation of even the minor rituals which are considered supplemental and not vital.
This they won’t be able to do if tourists and their inquisitive nature start to intrude – where’s the space for solitude and soul searching?
UP GOES THE BAR
So now that it is established that the presence of foreign visitors with little understanding and certainly lacking empathy with the strictures attached to these religious rituals are quite undesireable, the Saudis have cordoned off both Mecca and Medina.
But judging by the amount of heavy duty construction work being done in both Medina and Mecca, it is quite likely that a few of the technical manpower would certainly include the consultancy services of non-muslims.
A big part of Medina is a virtual construction site with the major one being the high speed rail link with Mekah now under construction. The existing hotels and buildings in the immediate areas around the quadrangular-shaped Masjid Nabawi (Prophet’s Mosque) are being earmarked for demolition to make way for further expansion.
Over in Mekah, the building works has to be seen to be believed. The Saudis, being the keeper of two of the Muslim world’s most holy sites have undertaken the unenviable task of reshaping the area around the holy mosque of Baitullahiharam in its effort to accommodate.
Just look up the Net and you’ll find artists’ impressions of what the surrounding area will look like. Certainly, if our mums and dads were still alive (and had they performed the pilgrimage back in the days of the steamer from what was then Port Swettenham , aka Port Klang) , they’d certainly be bewildered by the transformation – or more accurately, the orgy of construction in progress.
Back to Medina. I am in this region at the height of summer where temperatures can hit anywhere between 41 Celcius and 42 Celcius.
Its denizens – visitors and locals alike, who are muslims; are united in the desire to want to spend as much time as possible in the Prophet’s Mosque which is more popularly known as Masjid Nabawi. It is so awe-inspiring to see people walk on foot or drive towards the mosque each time the Azan (call to prayer) is heard. You detect a unity, a common sense of devotion as well as a duty where men or women of whatever creed or colour share.
It is every muslim’s wish to be buried either in Mecca or Medina. That wish was fulfilled by one pilgrim who was the first recorded death among Malaysian pilgrims. He died at 9am on Saturday after arriving a few days earlier and was buried at the Baqe’ cemetery next to the sprawling Prophet’s mosque.
RAZAK Chik feels a growing affinity with Medina. Having set foot in Mecca he is torn between two cities – is it possible to have the best of both worlds?
It is the second most holy city for Muslims after Mecca (or Mekah, as my kampong clan would also say). After spending 10 days in the city that is also called the Prophet’s City (because it was where the Prophet Mohamad - peace be upon him – lived until he died aged 63), I can understand why some visitors want to live, and be buried here.
Come to Medina and you’ll see why. But oh..sorry, the city does not admit non-muslims. I remember seeing on the Net a gantry straddling a highway which had a sign that showed non-muslims the way – away! Now I know the exact location of that gantry.
It is an acknowledged fact amongst world weary travelers that Mekah and Madinah are two destinations where you will not find Lonely Planet wielding, unkempt couples weighed down by heavy haversacks poking their cameras into a local citizen’s makeshift loo.
Why this need to restrict entry, and by religion too? Firstly, limiting access is a matter of practicality. Mecca and Medina are the focal cities of the yearly pilgrimage – what my orang kampong say; “…pergi kerjakan haji…” (…to go and perform the haj..).
Indonesia alone has 1.5 million registered pilgrims on its waiting list while only 210, 000 are given visas to do so. This means there is a 7 year waiting list. China, which has more Muslims than the entire population of Malaysia would have a similar queue if its populace were released totally from the twin clutches of communism and commercialism.
TOURISTS IN THE WAY
Then there is the deeper need for muslims to undertake this most arduous of their religious duties without the added pressure of unnecessary interest – and therefore detract them from concentrating on the pursuit of devotional duty.
Just imagine the utter chaos if tourists were allowed to roam free to photographically document each of the three basic rituals connected with the performance of the umrah (minor haj) or the actual haj itself.
Have you tried to undertake the tawaf? Have you tried to perform the sai’e? If you have not, then you are not best placed to understand why such intrusion is most certainly not in the best interest of anyone. It is the size of the crowds – so many people, in such a concentrated spot that unfettered movement is an impossibility.
The tawaf is the circumambulation seven times round the Kaabah that has to be done in proper order, while the sai’e involves walking (at at a certain location, to jog lightly) between the hillocks of Safa and Marwa.
It is sufficient for a pilgrim to undertake the ritual at its basic physical level but, having come so far and made untold financial and personal sacrifices, pilgrims would want to be able to concentrate on undertaking all the supplementary requirements with full observation of even the minor rituals which are considered supplemental and not vital.
This they won’t be able to do if tourists and their inquisitive nature start to intrude – where’s the space for solitude and soul searching?
UP GOES THE BAR
So now that it is established that the presence of foreign visitors with little understanding and certainly lacking empathy with the strictures attached to these religious rituals are quite undesireable, the Saudis have cordoned off both Mecca and Medina.
But judging by the amount of heavy duty construction work being done in both Medina and Mecca, it is quite likely that a few of the technical manpower would certainly include the consultancy services of non-muslims.
A big part of Medina is a virtual construction site with the major one being the high speed rail link with Mekah now under construction. The existing hotels and buildings in the immediate areas around the quadrangular-shaped Masjid Nabawi (Prophet’s Mosque) are being earmarked for demolition to make way for further expansion.
Over in Mekah, the building works has to be seen to be believed. The Saudis, being the keeper of two of the Muslim world’s most holy sites have undertaken the unenviable task of reshaping the area around the holy mosque of Baitullahiharam in its effort to accommodate.
Just look up the Net and you’ll find artists’ impressions of what the surrounding area will look like. Certainly, if our mums and dads were still alive (and had they performed the pilgrimage back in the days of the steamer from what was then Port Swettenham , aka Port Klang) , they’d certainly be bewildered by the transformation – or more accurately, the orgy of construction in progress.
Back to Medina. I am in this region at the height of summer where temperatures can hit anywhere between 41 Celcius and 42 Celcius.
Its denizens – visitors and locals alike, who are muslims; are united in the desire to want to spend as much time as possible in the Prophet’s Mosque which is more popularly known as Masjid Nabawi. It is so awe-inspiring to see people walk on foot or drive towards the mosque each time the Azan (call to prayer) is heard. You detect a unity, a common sense of devotion as well as a duty where men or women of whatever creed or colour share.
It is every muslim’s wish to be buried either in Mecca or Medina. That wish was fulfilled by one pilgrim who was the first recorded death among Malaysian pilgrims. He died at 9am on Saturday after arriving a few days earlier and was buried at the Baqe’ cemetery next to the sprawling Prophet’s mosque.
RAZAK Chik feels a growing affinity with Medina. Having set foot in Mecca he is torn between two cities – is it possible to have the best of both worlds?
