Holy journey

I am very excited today. Not just because holidays are going on and I am promoted to a new class. I am going to Makkah to perform Umrah and will also visit Madina as part of the pilgrimage.

I am happy because it is like a dream come true. I always asked my parents to take me for Umrah or Hajj.

I am waiting eagerly for the trip as I will be visiting the significant places of Islamic history. We have been taught about Islamic history in the school and learning through books as well as the Net. I always wanted to see those historic places and battlefields.

We keep learning for years about them and imagine them but it is a rare chance to see them. I think that books can enhance our knowledge about historic places or monuments but we get full knowledge when we see them. It is the same feeling like when you see the monuments or places in Delhi. Apart from being a holy journey, it is also like an educational trip where I will learn more about Allah and His Messengers (PBUH) and his struggle.

We should take advantage of living in a place near these cities and visit Makkah and Madina frequently. We can go and perform Umra or Hajj. It is a chance that we should not let go.

(Published in The Gulf Today on April 6, 2013)