Pilgrimage
When the spirit soars . . .
All journeys have destinations both to and from. There are physical and emotional aspects involved in all such journeys but when added to those is yet another aspect, that is, the spiritual, that makes all the difference. Such a journey that is wrapped in an essence of metaphysical or transcendental realm does not have a full stop. It keeps on calling the seeker time and again. An ecstatic state of the mind is felt, a state of unfulfilment stirs up an urge to make one's purpose more meaningful by repeating the path not only to make it more in terms of mere number but also to make it better, to make it near-perfect, which can very well be described as the best way of elevating oneself spiritually. After all, are not we all spiritual beings? The Holy Kaabah as it stands in the middle of Masjid al-Haram as an epitome of highest level of spirituality, bears witness to an expression of intense urge of human hearts converging there from all corners of the globe round the year for centuries together. The feeling that it arouses instinctively on having a glance of the majestic cube covered in a sheen of black and dazzling gold is overwhelming awe that renders one speechless and motionless for a while, when one loses one's sense of time and place. All these years for all these times, while offering one's prayer, one has uttered," …. Kabahtish sharifate …" while at that very moment, the holy Kaabah itself is right in front of one's view. It is unbelievable as one stands face to face to the most ancient house of Allah Subhanuttaala and almost pinches oneself to make sure if one is dreaming or one's long cherished dream has eventually come true. A thing nourished so long in the imagination at last materializes. The experience is simply ethereal as one is engulfed by the awareness of a timeless gift to mankind that makes one connect oneself not only to the life hereafter but also to Allah's grand plan to give us a taste of a promised place called heaven. And this first-hand experience is absolutely heavenly! Ecstasy knows no bounds. Thus a spiritual bridge is built between two lives, accentuating the immortality of the soul. Death ceases to be a phenomenon of loss and grief. At this stage the nimbus that is there in the eyes breaks down into endless tears that do not know when to stop. One's vision remains misty in a complex fusion of emotions. As I stepped in the 'mataf', the compound around the Holy Kaabah where ritualistic circuits are performed, I lost connection with my group that was led by a designated Imam. For a few moments I felt a kind of nervousness but soon after plucked up courage to go ahead with all the steps of Umrah all by myself. And this was all the more triggered by the Bangladeshi cleaner's suggestion, he having heard my story of getting separated from my group and that also having reached Mecca only the night before, that I go back to our hotel. Undaunted, equipped with my preparation for performing Hajj and my basic nature of feeling much less hesitation and fear in work compared to average people, I completed the steps enunciated. Seeing me back at the hotel in one piece, some group mates exclaimed, "You were lost. We waited for you for quite a long time!" I replied that from my end, they were lost as I could not spot them. Only thing that I kept to myself for the sake of keeping my image intact was the number of times I had to ask the police, para police, volunteers and others for the correct door number and its location to get out of Kaabah Sharif as it has as many as nineteen doors. You take a wrong door and you end up finding yourself in an unfamiliar part of the city and that also as a pilgrim for the first time! I felt Allah's mercy on me as I was able to find my way to where we were housed. Although it was within walking distance from the Kaabah, yet given the initial setback, it could have been hazardous. One of the most striking features at the Holy Kaabah as well as at the Mosque of the Prophet (Masjid-e-Nabbi) is the ever glorious, all-pervading call for prayer the Azan. Each time one hears it, it ennobles the heart obviously carrying the message to the listener and at the same time filling the earth and every particle of things contained therein, ascending to the sky reverberating in its tone, tune, melody of bliss tinged with a kind of agony as if the human soul in its endless journey is striving to meet its Maker. The heart feels it and the eyes get moistened lost in an unknown horizon. Even the best quality of Azan that we hear in Bangladesh is no comparison with any of those that we experienced there. Another remarkable aspect of both Azan and Salat that I noticed was the sharing of some lines by two imams or muezzins that created an atmosphere of high exaltation through perfect team work. And the control of voice and corresponding use of breathing is simply amazing! This reminded me of Karen Armstrong's assertion as to the necessity of breath control that is "crucial to most of the contemplative traditions" and, likewise, she brings in the example of reciting verses of the Qur'an the way it is done in her highly scholarly book, Muhammad: Prophet For Our Time. One feels like hearing it for a much longer duration as through these heartfelt renderings of invocation, Allah's mercy, are surely to bear fruit. The human spirit is once again elevated to hope. The poignancy felt in the Azan evoked memories of some lines in the poem Azan by the nineteenth century epic poet and writer Kaikobad: "Ke oi shonalo more azaner dhoni / morme morme shei shur bajilo ki shumodhur / akul korilo pran nachilo dhomoni." The lines are most touching. One feels when going through these lines that not only one's mind but also one's soul is responding to the azan. Perhaps the most beautiful part in their recitation of Surah Fateha is the last line when mastery of breath control is exemplified in uttering "….. walad dwa lin …… ." An unusually sweet, long drawl is put on 'dwa' before connecting with 'lin' and the voice waits on the same note, mesmerizing the listener. Such an experience is simply esoteric for a heart to melt. An abundance of tears is the most befitting reward that tells everything. While on sight seeing in Mecca, it was most elating to notice the names of Jabal-e-Rahmat (Mountain of Mercy) written in about six or seven different languages that included Bengali as well on a big signboard as Rahmat-er Paharh. History has it that Hazrat Adam (Alaihessalam) and Bibi Hawa met at this place after a very long period of time of their separation and also at this place that is situated on the plains of Arafat, our beloved Prophet (pbuh) delivered his farewell speech on performing holy Hajj to the multitudes of people that has remained a watershed in the history of mankind. Equality of all was emphasized. Universalism was established through the religion of Islam. A view at Jabal-e-Noor (Mountain of Enlightenment) kept us captivated as the history of revelation of the first verses of the holy Qur'an in the cave of Hera, the first encounter of the Prophet (pbuh) with Angel Jibrail's voice and Bibi Khadija's carrying food for her husband climbing up the mountain, all came alive to our vision. Memories were no longer memories only. The next trip to Medina was long-cherished in terms of my earnest desire to be there, a dream nestling in my heart for ages. I always felt an irresistible attraction to Medina, the city that gave shelter to our beloved Prophet (pbuh). It set the process of healing his heart from the mindless trials and tribulations that were inflicted on him for the cause of carrying the message of Islam and disseminating them to those who opposed him virulently. One can imagine his plight and at the same time the intensity of his responsibilities and feel a profound empathy for the greatest man on earth. His Rawza Mobarak, his mosque (Masjid-e-Nabbi), Riazul Jannat, Masjid-e-Kuba that he started building with his own hands soon after coming to Medina, all stand there not as silent witnesses but as living witnesses to the measure of the man that he was, remains and will remain so. Medina is much more peaceful and tranquil than Mecca. And the reason most probably is the Prophet's (pbuh) holy shadow all around from which springs blessings for all those who seek them. In other words, by staying in Medina one feels much closer to the Prophet (pbuh) than what it has been by only reading on him. Certain socio-cultural elements manifested themselves in the course of this sojourn and put me in dismay. The manner in which the sacred ritual of tawaf (circumambulation) is mostly done by many from across the globe is the use of muscle power to get one's way at the cost of others. It is strictly forbidden to cause annoyance to others while on Hajj let alone follow the policy of might is right. Jostling takes place literally more often than not. Offering prayers at any place obstructing the course of tawaf is another irritant that occurs quite frequently. It is only natural that people get anxious to seek Allah's mercy. Nevertheless, in so doing, much essence of a convention is lost. As it is, both around the holy Kaabah and Masjid-e-Nabbi, the landscape is lined by high-rise buildings, classy hotels and shopping centres that mar the serenity and sanctity of the surroundings of such holy places. The act of supplication and hustle and bustle of business activities are made to co-exist. Perhaps some naturalness could have been preserved within a certain radius to uphold some traces of the old world that would have been more fascinating and reverential for all in terms of an unfolding of the history of Islam. Another thing that hurt me was that the walls of the adjoining residential buildings to the Mountain of Enlightenment were defaced with graffiti. Perhaps the younger generation is not aware of the fact of its being invaluable and immutable. On a personal note, I experienced something which was a bolt from the blue at the mosque of the Prophet (pbuh) and that also standing very close to his Raowza Mobarak. When I sought a little help from one of the female doorkeepers for a job that she is supposed to do at the Masjid, it is not only that she asked me for a bribe of money but also a group of them became suspiciously cheerful at the thought of earning some extra money illegally at the expense of some trouble that I faced temporarily. My heart sank both in disgust and pain. Notwithstanding the oddities created by human beings, I remained engrossed in my purpose. My imagination took me back to a journey in the sixth and seventh centuries --- as if I could see the Prophet dispensing his duties and responsibilities ordained by Allah, in the midst of a mostly volatile situation prevailing at the time, with exceptional patience and rare piety. One imagines sitting at his feet for the whole time he deliberated on problems and issues of all kinds. And then he comes alive on one's mental screen. He has been a gift to us, to mankind from Allah, the Merciful, the Beneficient. I have brought back fond memories that are rich and most fulfilling and I shall preserve them in my heart as long as I live. At the same time I keep looking forward to another journey to the same destination that beckons.
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