Circling….the moon circles, the sun circles, the entire Universe circles, the earth circles, the blood circles, the breath circles, the time circles, the water circles, the reproductive system circles, the seasons circle, the electron circles, all manner of waves circle, the Angels circle, the entire Creation circles.
All a synergetic rhythm; a perpetual swirling to the Will of The Creator, Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala.
How does one then articulate the sensation of joining the circling around the House of the Lord? Al-Bari’, the One Who orders His creation with perfect harmony. Not only each component of the whole is harmonious within itself, but is simultaneously in accordance with everything else.
Each circle eroding the self, melting into the one of humanity, each circle submitting more, each circle affirming the One, each circle acquiescing, each circle enhancing the love, each circle repenting more, each circle supplicating, each circle reaching out to the Right Hand of the Merciful, each circle dissolving the detritus, each circle crying for forgiveness, each circle relinquishing hindrances to Him, each circle walking in the footsteps of our Beloved Rasulullah SallAllahu alaihi wassalam and his Sahabah RadhiAllahu anhum and the Taba’in, the esteemed Imams, the Ulema, the righteous, each circle surrendering…..surrendering….surrendering …..
Surrendering to the current reality of the construction surrounding the House of the King. Whatever may be erected in the vicinity of the Haram, the ultimate will always be His House that magnetizes all who are called to visit.
One of the older streets leading to Haram, the new towers dominating the skyline from every direction, as seen in the following photos.
From the top of Jabal Khandamah, the mountain referred to in the previous post.
A zoom of the previous photo.
A slightly different angle of the Abraj Al-Bait project still from Jabal Khandamah. The terrain is extremely rugged and steep which is lost a little in the photo. Spring grasses and native flowers were in bloom!
Looking down from the Ajyad side of Haram with the tower complex on the left.
The grand entrance, a mere few meters from Haram. Five levels of shops and restaurants are already operating. One immediately enters a world of glamour and glitz. THIS is an interesting site about the project. Go to King Abdul Aziz Endowment, then click on location map, and comparison of all towers worldwide for an amazing presentation of the worlds architectural "greats".
We drove to Mina to see the progress on the Jamarat bridge…..
and the newly painted Masjid Aqaba, shining radiantly as an island in asphalt. How beautiful it would be with a garden surrounding it!
Surrender….in the knowldege that Allah Ta’ala sees what is inside the hearts, Alhumdulillah.
All good is from Allah Ta’ala whereas mistakes are from this humble speck. May Allah Ta’ala Bless all readers, bringing you all closer to Him and His Rasul SallAllahu alaihi wasallam. Ameen.
This Dunya is a mirage. All dust taking different forms and shapes. All are into destruction except the knowledgeable people. Knowledgeable people are into destruction except the practicing. The practicing are into destruction except the sincere. The sincere are in danger. Sincerity is the key to Jannah. When dust becomes the focus, sincerity is far from achievable. Sahaba lived in houses that were sufficient for the purpose; a shelter. One of the signs of end of times is the excessive heights of buildings. May Allah Ta’ala keep us focused, as Muslims, on Akhirah.
Comment by nq — February 26, 2007 @ 9:52 pm
Good photos, and a little sad. So much worldly affluence makes it more like a tourist resort.
Ya Haqq!
Comment by Irving — February 27, 2007 @ 1:32 am
Assalamu alaikum, So true, nq, we as Muslims need to be so diligent in maintaining our focus, but the temptations of Dunya seems to be blinding our vision more and more. And brother Irving, once inside some of these lavish places one feels as though one could be in any of the major capitals of the world, questioning why one has traveled to the Haramain. May Allah Ta’ala save us all, Ameen.
Wassalamu alaikum
almiskeenah
Comment by almiskeenah — February 27, 2007 @ 9:12 pm
Asaiyah and all at Darul Khair have enjoyed looking at these pictures,Jazakallah and Maryam said she especially likes these types of photos (taken a bit further out)from the city.Perhaps one could get an idea of what Makkah and Madinah used to look like by comparing them to some places in Yemen which still have many of the old Mud brick traditional buildings.
Wassalam, Umm Yusuf
Comment by Maryam — February 28, 2007 @ 2:00 am
It is very sad, especially seeing Masjid Aqaba all alone in that concreted floor. I am very sad and disappointed I was not able to do more to bring awareness of these problems and to try and stop them but Allah ta’Ala is the best of planners. Amin.
Comment by Tahir Khan — May 26, 2007 @ 9:35 pm
Assalamu alaikum dear brother Tahir, as you say Allah Ta’ala indeed is the best of Planners, nevertheless many things seem heartbreaking and overwhelmingly sad. Sometimes in my sadness I wonder if this is one of the ways Allah Ta’ala is testing our hearts. And as I have said many times no matter what so called developments may occur, the Ummah will continue to be drawn to the Haramain seeking nearness and offering Salam and Salawat to our Blessed Nabi till no human is left to do so. Though the way things are heading, this seems only for the rich, Astaghfirullah. And the other consolation regarding Masjid Aqaba is that at least it is still there, even though in horrid starkness. Maybe it is not too late to campaign for a garden to be established around it?
Wassalamu alaikum
almiskeenah
Comment by almiskeenah — May 26, 2007 @ 9:54 pm
Wa Alaykum Salaam wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakathu dear sister.. I want to thank you for the pictures and for your post. I think a new campaign would be an excellent idea and insha’Allah will be in a better position to make it more effective this time with careful planning. Please do dua for this humble servant of Allah and lover of Habib’Allah
Comment by Tahir Khan — May 26, 2007 @ 10:52 pm