My Umrah experience Part 1

This is an overdue post im supposed to write a lot earlier

Its been almost two months since I left the holy land. Jasad je yang pergi, tapi masih ada serpihan hati yang tertinggal di sana and probably will stay there forever.Kalau teringat pengalaman berada di Madinah dan Mekah, hati mesti rasa sebak.Rindu serindunya.

I was told by my mother that we're leaving on the 18th of December. Namun beberapa hari sebelum tarikh tersebut confirmation Visa still tak dapat. Mama je yang dapat confirmation on the 15th. Saya dan abang tak ada khabar berita. Hati dah rasa risau sangat. Berdoa je agar redha just in case bukan rezeki untuk pergi dengan mama kali ni. On the 16th saya pergi ke pejabat travel agent untuk confirmation. Subhanallah, rupanya confirmation yang mama dapat kelmarin termasuk kami berdua. pekerja travel agency tak bagi maklumat dengan lengkap. Gembira tak terkata. Informed my brother asap as our flight diawalkan sehari which was the next day! Alhamdulillah dah packing awal-awal =)

Masa berangkat saya uzur hari kedua. At first tak nak telan pil, but then saya ingat yang saya kena 'usaha' walaupun dah berdoa. But I dont think that pills worked pun. Still had my period as normal (-_-") Dalam plane sat with my brother since he's my mahram. Lawan main sudoku dengan abang and end up getting really really sick (pening)

Sampai di Jeddah, the feeling still neutral walaupun rasa agak surreal. We took the bus, theres more than 100 of us under one agency (Harmony Excellence). I am bus no 1 and i think we were blessed with the best mutowif there were =)

Few kilometeres from Madinah we selawat all the way in the bus. The lights from the prophet's mosque welcomed us that morning. Subhanallah, my eyes watered with joy. I am finally here, the land where my beloved prophet is. Oh how merciful is my lord.

That morning around 2am, the temperature was freezing cold. My teeth literally cluttered out of coldness.Our mutowif took quiet a time to sort our rooms. I of coz,same room with my mother and another two makcik. My brother with other boys almost his age.

That morning I didnt go to the mosque yet. It was too cold for me to stay outside.I sat inside the room and watch live telecast of Masjid Nabawi on TV. I cried and prayed that Allah will give me the chance to step inside the holy mosque, went inside raudhah and pray in there.

During Zohor I finally went to the mosque but I only stayed outside. Eventho the sun was rising, it is still so cold. I was accompanied by this one cat that probably lives there all his life.Such a lucky kitty. Get to be with prophet Muhammad SAW everyday.

Didnt take much photo while I was in Madinah. My hp went out of battery and I thought I didnt bring the charger with me. Only realized I has it while in Mecca.

Next day we went to masjid Quba. The mosque where our prophet wont fail to go every Saturday. I of coz, just stayed outside admiring the view.I also made friends with a super sweet doctor who loves to photograph.

At Masjid Quba with mama. Didnt bother to put on any lipbalm or foundation (-_-")

Most of my time in Madinah were spent outside the mosque alone with the same cat. Theres this one night I was surrounded by Arab kids who find it amazing that the cat likes me.Its quiet difficult to communicate with them coz I dont know arabic that much.Made me wanna learn arabic =/ and that night too I took a stroll outside the street alone (looking for food actually for I was hungry) and had the chance to witness the night life of madinah poeple. Madinah is such a wonderful place to live in. The people, the environment the weather. Everything about Madinah is wonderful.I told my mother this and she said its probabaly because our prophet is here. i couldnr agree more =)

A photo before battery went dead

And I seldom ate with other jemaah dekat dewan makan. Theres a reason to it. I was 'hurt'. I was offended by this one particular person. I hope Allah forgives him for what he had done towards my feelings. I didnt go eat with other jemaah coz I wanna avoid him.I was tested the other day and my mother too.Only Allah knows how difficult it was for us the first few nights.I pray for forgiveness and that Allah will make my umrah this time a pleasant one. Alhamdulillah, I no longer met that person in Mecca.

And Alhamdulillah too, I finally get to pray inside the mosque. On the second last day of our stay in Madinah.Tears wont stop falling as I entereed the mosque.I felt so near to you my beloved prophet. I felt your presence, I do =')

I decided to stay the whole day inside the mosque since tomorrow Ill be leaving to Mecca. I saw all the Arab people come in and out the mosque casually.How lucky are they?Get to stay here for as long as they want, at any day of the week.

That night, I finally get to step into Raudhah.It was quiet difficult for me I wont lie. Too many poeple that night and some werent following the rules making the entrance into raudhah quiet difficult for others.For me its quiet simple. If its written that you're going to enter raudhah, then by any means you will enter raudhah, theres no reason to berebut whatsoever. I just sat there waiting for my turn and cried thinking that beloved prophet is just a few steps away from me. Probably the first time I cried that much in front of mama.

As I was given the chance and space to pray inside raudhah, tears kept flowing like waterfall!The feelings once you're in there, Subhanallah. Undescribable.I took a long time praying in there that i didnt realized mama had been waiting for me for quiet some time

The next day, my last day in Madinah....

to be continued =)