Farewell to Baitullah

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FAREWELL TO BAITULLAH

By Ninie G. Syarikin

Alhamdulillah wasyukrulillah

All praise is due to Allah,

I’ve managed to do my tawaf wada’.

I cast my last glance at the Ka’bah,

full of untold gratitude.

Wahai, Allah!

Had it not been because of Your mercy

and generosity,

I wouldn’t have been here.

Had it not been because of Your protection,

destruction and calamity might have befallen me.

Your simple house draws worshippers

from all corners of the universe.

Its simplicity generates greatness, love and respects.

Indeed, I‘ve been blessed and fortunate

beyond recognition, to witness it.

Words are insufficient to express my true feelings;

tears and silence may even describe them better.

Oh, Baitullah!

Seeing you

Looking at you

Gazing at you

Hearing you

Listening to the mumble around you

Smelling the aura of your nobility

Kissing you with my tears falling

Feeling you with my laden forehead

Touching you with my palms

Sensing the veneration surrounding you

Praising you and your Lord endlessly

Circling you

Being close to you

Staying and praying near you

have restored my faith which was eroding,

have invigorated my spirit that was dying,

have strengthened me who was weakening,

have renewed my energy that was fading.

Your quiet vigor

will sustain me a life time.

Your calm stature

will assure me in times of trial and turbulence.

Now, allow me to bid farewell.

I don’t expect to see you again soon

So many plans I want to execute

Life priorities may put you aside,

but you will stay in my heart

like an eternal flame.

Now that I have visited you

for Hajj and Umrah,

I feel free to explore the earth,

without guilt.

So, let me go and wander

to the other parts of the globe

to see His other Houses

and admire His worldly creations.

“Have they not traveled in the land

so that they should have hearts with

which to understand,

or ears with which to hear?”

I’ll go to Al-Andalus, the Muslim Spain,

to witness the grandeur of the Moors:

Seville, Cordoba, Granada and Al-Hambra;

I’ll travel to Uzbekistan

to see the beautiful mosque of Samarkand,

to make ziyarah to historic Bukhara,

the home of the most respected Imam Bukhari,

may Allah be pleased with him;

I’ll ride train to Xin Jiang, China,

to trace the Silk Road

and meet with my Muslim brethren

who have full cheeks and slanting eyes;

I’ll dare Palestine to worship at the Masjid Al-Aqsa,

and touch the footprint of

the most beloved Prophet Muhammad,

peace be upon him,

at the Dome of Rock,

prior to his Mi’raj to the Sidratul Muntaha;

I’ll sail to Senegal to reflect on

the GoreeIsland's infamous Slave House,

the point of no return for

countless Muslim villagers,

when centuries ago,

had been ruthlessly kidnapped

and brought by force to the Americas

into the slavery;

I’ll cross to Mali’s Timbuktu

to witness the unique masdjid, built of mud;

I’ll go on safari to South Africa

to greet and meet with

the Muslim communities there;

I’ll return to Southeast Asia

to visit the Malay kampongs

and chat with the Champa Muslims

in Cambodia and Vietnam;

then cross the Straits of Malacca

to the Indonesian sunny archipelago,

the home of the largest Muslim population

in the world.

I’ll traverse to India to admire the Taj Mahal;

fly over to Iran to wander in Isfahan;

then continue flying to Iraq

and land in historic Baghdad,

to look up at the amusing Statue of Abu Nawas

in the center of town,

whose stories in my father’s collections

used to delight me during my childhood;

then from there,

I’ll survey the Mediterranean,

strolling in the vibrant bazaar of

Souq al-Hamidiyah of Damascus,

and continue roaming to

the ancient magic of Istanbul and

stop to offer my salat at

the magnificent Blue Mosque;

then leap to Sarajevo in Bosnia

to envision the city of a thousand domes

and journey to numerous other adventures

in all exotic Muslim lands.

Then maybe, some day, in my old age,

if Allah continues to bless me,

I’ll return to visit you, again, ya Baitullah!

As an old mother accompanied by

her pious sons,

walking hand in hand with

her righteous daughters in-law during the tawaf,

or as a sa’i worshipper,

pushed in a wheelchair by

her devoted granddaughters and grandsons,

gratefully treading back the path of Hajar!

May Allah be pleased with her!!

Insya Allah!!!

For now, let me say farewell.

Until we meet again,

you will stay in my heart

like an eternal flame.

NGS

Masjidil Haram, End of Ramadan, Tuesday, December 26, 2000

GLOSSARY:

1. Alhamdulillah wasyukrulillah: All praise and gratitude are due to Allah,

2.Tawaf wada’: The last or farewell circumambulation around the Ka'bah.

3.Ka'bah: a large cube, a cement block structure the size of a tiny house, covered

by black velvet cloth with gold thread scriptures, situated in the city of Makkah,

Saudi Arabia. It is the center of direction for prayer for the Muslims all over the

world, five times every day.

4. Wahai: An exclamation of wonder in Indonesian and Malay languages, both for

happy and sad feelings, equivalent with 'oh,' 'lo' or 'hi,' used to show surprise

or call attention to something or someone.

5. Baitullah: Another name for Ka'bah, a large cube, a cement block

structure the size of a tiny house, covered by black velvet cloth with gold

thread scriptures, situated in the city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia. It is the

center of direction for prayer for the Muslims all over the world, five

times every day.

6. Hajj: Visit to the Ka'bah, the House of Allah, during the prescribed

season, and perform some rituals. It is the fifth pillar of Islam. This

worship is required from every Muslim, at least once in a life time.

A Muslim man who has made his hajj is called 'Hajji' and a Muslim

woman who has made her hajj is called 'Hajjah.'

7. Umrah:A lesser Hajj, a pilgrimage that a Muslim can do,but not required.

It can be done throughout the year, except at the prescribed time of Hajj
in the month of Dzulhijjah, the 12th month in Islamic calendar.

8. Ziyarah:Pilgrimage or visit

9. Mi’raj to the Sidratul Muntaha:

10. Masdjid: An Arabic word for mosque.

11. Souq al-Hamidiyah:A market named Al-Hamidiyah in Damascus, Syria

12. Salat: Prayer in Islamic religion, with certain movements and

recitations, performed 5 times a day.

13. Sa’i: Walk briskly between Safa and Marwah hills for 7 rounds, symbolizing the

treading of the path of Hajar, the second wife of Prophet Ibrahim (AS) and the

mother of baby Ismail who later became a prophet.

14. Insya Allah:An expression in Arabic, which means ‘on God willing.’ When a

Muslim intends, plans or promises to do something, he or she would add this

expression, at the beginning or at the end of his or her sentence, to indicate that

may God be willing to give him or her, life to fulfill his or her intention, plan or

promise. In Islam, life and death belong to God;aside from human efforts,

everything happens on His will.

FOOTNOTE:

“Have they nor traveled in the land

so that they should have hearts with

which to understand,

or ears with which to hear?”

(Page 2: The Qur’an, Surah Al-Hajj -- Chapter The Pilgrimage -- 22:46)