A Common Man’s Hajj – Day to Day Recount of Hajj 2019 – Asrar Qureshi – Part 13

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This is a special series of Blogs which describes my time and experiences during Hajj this year.

DAY 10 – 30 July 2019

Madinah Munawarah

Everyone has fallen into a routine. Everyone is offering all prayers in Masjid Nabawi diligently. A portion of time is regularly spent on shopping also. Women are more interested in Gold, Gold Jewelry and other household kind of gifts. Men’s focus is on buying dates.

The compound or Sahn of Masjid Nabawi is usually filled with people. Families sit there. Adults chat and children run around in the huge open space. Sometimes they also eat there. No one is in a rush; everyone is relaxed.

Mobile photography is a full-time activity and all nations do it. They take pictures, make videos while keeping Masjid Nabawi and the Dome of Roza e Rasool (Peace be upon him) in the background.

I want to especially draw your attention toward a very serious matter.

As I said earlier, people queue up in order to pass by the Roza e Mubarak. They keep moving slowly, reciting Salam and Durood. Some, in fact, several people get busy in making a video, either of their own, or the Roza e Mubarak, or both.

Some others take some relative, friend or acquaintance on a video call and show him/her the proceeding of passing by the Roza e Rasool. All the while, they are talking also, doing commentary.

There are two extremely serious problems with this activity.

One. That other person(s) is relaxing somewhere. They have neither prepared for it by getting clean and doing ‘wuzu’ (ablution); nor are paying respect as it should be done. Because they are simply watching a movie.

Two. You were supposed to pay your respects to the Prophet (Peace be upon him). You had to be highly respectful, reciting Salam and Durood all the time. Instead, you wasted this precious time in adjusting the angles for video and doing live commentary.

You committed disrespect and the people on the other end of the line committed disrespect because of you. To me, it is such an act that it is akin to Blasphemy. I understand that as a devout Muslim, no one will even think of committing Blasphemy against the Prophet (Peace be upon him). However, in your zeal to show off or share your good moment with someone, you came very close to it. Who knows if you lost all your good deeds due to this? In any case, you squandered away one of the greatest opportunities of life.

For the love of Allah and His Messenger, please stop doing this. Tell your near and dear ones that you will not do it, if they ask you or even insist upon it. I pray that Allah Grants enough wisdom to all of us so that we understand what is right and what is wrong. Aameen.

Saudi TV has two channels which telecast Harmain Shareefain live. One channel is for Ka’aba tul Musharrafah where you can see live whatever is happening. The other is for Masjid Nabawi which gives live coverage to Roza e Rasool (Peace be upon him) and Masjid Nabawi. Hajj proceedings are also shown live. If the Ultimate Purpose and Gain is a VIDEO, then why bother to come here? Sit home and watch high-resolution, multi-camera videos any time you wish. You can probably perform Umrah and Hajj also vicariously in this way.

I understand you will consider this suggestion to be absolutely idiotic.

My dear brothers! Forgive me, but coming to Harmain Shareefain and living and praying in videos? Isn’t it the same thing?

There is a barber shop in our building at Aziziya. He has a large TV running Ka’abatul Musharrafah channel all the time. And remember, these channels also continuously run recitation of Qur’an in the background. In his shop, no one is listening or even paying attention. They are busy in their own talk with customers which could be anything. Do you seriously think that running this channel shall bring ‘Barakah’ to business?

In all the buses, which we used for going to Haram, an FM channel was always blasting with recitation of Holy Qur’an. No one listened. Our people mostly did not understand Arabic and the Egyptian drivers were busy on phones. What is the purpose of this activity?

Surah Al A’raaf; verses 204 & 205. “So when the Qur’an is recited, then listen to it and pay attention that you receive mercy. And remember your Lord within yourself in humility and in fear without being apparent in speech – in the mornings and evenings. And do not be among the heedless.”

These are the worst forms of being heedless.

Allah! Please forgive us for our sins committed in lack of understanding; and save us from indulging in such acts in future. Aameen.