Dear Jane,
I came back at dawn ( 5:30 am Malaysian Time) on Sunday, the 29th Disember 2007, the flight by Saudi Arabia Air from Jeddah had been delayed for 10 hours. My beloved Dad and family members waited for me patiently at the KLIA. Immediately when we reached home, a small thanks giving feast (called kenduri in bahasa melayu) for immediate family members and neighbours was held at my Dad's place at Teluk Intan, Perak (one and a half hours journey drive from Ipoh). I still had a bad cough since three weeks ago so I decided to take another day rest at my Dad's place to allow the rest of my family members to visit me. Drove to Ipoh with my car loaded with my 46 days belonging, yesterday. I took almost one whole day to get "acquainted again" with my "slumber zone" that I have missed for sooooooo long! When I opened my 2, 900 ++ emails, after mid night yesterday or rather this morning, your ecard was top of the list....thank you for keeping in touch, for the gesture and the most important thing is you still remember me.
Hope life treating you very well. Please tell me more on your daily experiences. About your studies and your community activities in Beijing, I just love to learn about it.
Allow me to share some of my wonderful,fantastic and beyond words explanation. ... life experience for the past more than a month or so.
My spiritual journey was so demanding and very hectic. It was a balanced of physical, mental, spiritual and emotional strength. On top of that, one also need to be well read or equipt with some knowledge of what one need to do, suppose to do and have to be compliance with the teaching of prophet Muhammad (May peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) as inspired by Allah through His revelation/Qur' anic teaching. I had done my best to maximise the activities and enjoyed my stay at the two sacred cities namely Madinah Al Munawarrah ( Madinah, The City of Light) , the chosen city and the burial place of our beloved prophet Muhammad ( May peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) and Makkah Al Mukarramah (Makkah, The Sacred City), the city built by the prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) and his son, prophet Ismail (Eshmael), may peace and blessing of Allah be upon both of them. Prilgrimage in Islam or Haj activities are more practical physical activities and very personal in nature. It is a matter between you and Al Mighty Allah. Nobody knows...just you and Allah! So sincerity and accountability are very crucial in your presentation of good deeds. The whole journey gave you an experience of how Islam was first established by doing a series of well planned and systematic physical activities at the historical place/sides. By doing so, one have to do a lot of reflection and repentence (seeking forgiveness of your sins...either your are aware or unaware of it). Most of the time I cried out of happiness (for given the chance by Allah to experience this spiritual journey this time round), fear ( that the possibility Allah don't accept all my good deeds and repentence of all my sins) and hope (that Allah listens to all my prayers, accept all my good deeds including the haj activities and rewarded me accordingly after that) as you feel so dwafted, humbled and very near to Allah in these two holy cities (even though you feel the present of god everywhere).
When I first saw the ka'abah, the oldest sacred sanctuary on earth, the reference point of prayer ( called kiblat) for every muslim....The first encounter with the ka'abah...it was just like meeting someone that you never meet before, you adhore that someone every moment of your life from far but dying to meet that someone...now that someone is just right in front of you..., Jane!..how do you describe yourself at that particular moment?! It was a mix feeling...joy, happiness, sad, greatful etc etc. Ka'abah is just a cubical construction with nothing inside, just three main pillars but which there is historical record as The Qur'an says,
" Most surely the first house appointed for men is the one at Bakkah (Mecca), blessed and a guidance fot the nations." ( Ali Imran: verse 96)
" And when Abraham and Ishmael raised the foundations of the House: Our Lord! accept from us; surely Thou art the Hearing, the Knowing," (Al Baqarah: verse 127)
Ka'abah is the symbol of unity, the manifestation of the oneness of god and reflects the beauty and the universality of Islam as The way of life. Muslim from eveywhere, poor or rich, white or coloured, all type of physical sizes, speaks different kind of languages ( some of the languages are alien to you and yet you understand the gesture...), raised from different communities, from all walks of life.. prays the same ways, prostrate to Allah...The Compassionate, The Merciful,The All Aware and The Forgiving, at the same range of time, facing the ka'abah alone...be it from the city of Makkah or from anywhere on earth.
Jane.... 2008 and beyond ( till the time I am call to meet Allah The Al Mighty..) is always going to be very special. I will try my best within my ability and capability to be a good muslim @ practicing muslim, to be good to everyone regardless who there are..only Allah knows what promised I have made to Him at The Arafat Valley on the 18th Disember 2007 as the starting day of the Haj activities.. .may Allah help me and guide me always.... to fulfill my promise to him...ameen.
Happy New Year Jane, ...Lets together make a new start, a new chapter, a new beginning, forget the BAD and cherish the GOOD. Please send my warmest Happy New Year greeting to your parents too. Do keep in touch.
Love,
Hayati Haji Sidek @ Yatty
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