Journey of Ghuraba' to Tur Sainaa'

Salam,

Late post. Sorry, Afwan. /swt

Lately my time and schedule weren't carefully managed. Well, my fault then.

Especially for my family and friends, and loyal common readers. Hope you all enjoy this boring and so-late post.

7 Feb 08

We arrived at the R&R station at about 9-10pm before we started climbing the 2km and more Mt Sinai / Mt of Moses / Jabal Musa. We were separated by groups, and were ordered to do some ‘smart-circle’ or halaqah in our own groups, to taaruf, sharing feelings, and anything, especially about the story of Musa A.S. and so it on ..

Some talked about the lesson given from the story of Harun A.S (Aaron) as he did not prohibit the Bani Israel many times (from worshipping the golden-made calf), just to prevent the division of them. You can see it in Surah Taha 90-94. It tells us the Fiqh Awlawiyat or The Understanding of Priority ; either the division of Bani Israel, or the SYIRIK ? So it must be the division of them, is worse than the SYIRIK itself. Why ? Think.

We started climbing to the top at about 12.30am with the Uncle Muhas’has, who was our Tourist Guide and at the age of 45. Guiding us without torchlight (OMG), he smoothly walked on the rocky mountain, so expert. It’s just like any other mountains you can see in desert, very less trees to see, it’s rocky all-around.

The air was so cold. Maybe it was 1-10 degrees Celsius. I wore about five layers (/swt). The walking or climbing was tiring and exhausting. We stopped at all check-points. There was one of us, who got his asthma in that time, hardly breathed. But never mind, everything was then okay. Many of us were already exhausted in the halfway. We got ourselves at the last check-point at about 4am. We then had a little nap before Fajr.
At 5pm, we were at the peak of Mt Saina’.

Well, let’s see what I feel and get, maybe not so many to tell . . just to share.

Feelings

I could feel the hardship of our Prophet Musa A.S, as he walked alone, just with Allah be with him every moment, and he had only Allah in his heart. There was no sweater like we have now, that could be in 3-4 layers, compared to that time. I couldn’t imagine how he could hardly walk, alone, in the winter night, just to obey Allah’s order.

I could certainly feel how our brothers in Palestine feel, how cold it was, (though I wore five layers /swt) but I mean it. Well, trying to feel the way they feel is one of our ways of concern rite?


This journey made me know where ukhuwwah is shone, and taking place. We could feel someone’s heart in the hardship, everything was shown. Haha. For the conclusion, whose ukhuwwah is just for Allah, he could be consistent, and whose was not.. it may fall. ~

Never give up. If you give up before you get to the top, then you don’t get to the top. /swt. Really. No things to tell, if you don’t pass the test.

One of ikhwah said “We rest while walking” to us. Just to have our mind-setting set to the positive. Good idea, because many were so FLAT.

What I got :-

1. The first thing you need, to start your Journey to Allah, is the proper provision (bekalan). It was shown while we climbing the mount. We have to supply our own stock (like chocs and sweets - while climbing). Who have many, will get energized many times. Who don’t have, will easily get exhausted on the way. So the best provision for Mukmin is Taqwa, so that will energize him whenever he faces the challenges in the path. Wanna give it a try? Why not?

2. It is not easy to fulfill the obedience to Allah’s order or in easy words, not easy to go to Heaven / Paradise there MUST be trials. Allah said in Surah Al-Baqarah 214 : Or think you will enter Paradise without such (trials) as came to those who passed away before you? They were afflicted with severe poverty and ailments and were so shaken that even the Messenger and those who believed along with him said, “When (will come) the help of Allah?” Yes! Certainly, the help of Allah is near. And one from Surah Al-Ankabut 2 : Do people think that they will be left alone because they say “We believe,” and will not be tested?. It shows us that the path to Allah is not easy, and full of any kind of challenging test. So, good luck in your tests. If we feel we were not tested, let’s check our faith to Him, maybe it is so weak that could not put into trial, for He is Very Fair. /sob

3. Empathy is something you really need, to understand how others feel. Then it will lead you to carefully behave, choosing words, and do your deeds carefully and perfectly in the situation where others stand. With empathy, you can feel how our brothers in Palestine live in cold, without thick sweaters or else. Then maybe it will make you donate more, because people have to do what they want others do to them. Give what you want.

4. Set your mood, start your step with the name of Allah, pace with Allah be with you, continuously zikir within your heart. Be with you Allah’s will in everything you do, because everything happens by His wills. Set your mind that what ever happen, it is always good. Change your world into positive. And the most important is, just don’t think bad of Allah (suu’udz dzon), because Allah never wrongs His creatures. And Allah is in the thought of His slaves – according to Hadits Qudsi.

5. In the journey, you will need friends and team – made of friends. Friends are very useful, they energize us, remind us of our mistakes, give us our needs, help us with everything they have. But there must be one condition to feel the real sense of relationship, it is the one thing that related you with your friends is not anything, not money, business, classmate, roommate, but Allah. We have the same mission, same vision, we get together for Allah, we separate for Allah, because ONLY for that reason, your ukhuwwah will last forever, because everything will perish except Him. (surah Al-Qasas : 88).

6. Victory, only rise after the trials and hardships. So do you want it? Make yourself in the platform. As recorded in one of beautiful Malay songs :-

Perjuangan itu gerun dan mengerikan
Hebat dan dahsyat menggerunkan hati
Bagi mukmin di sini harga dan nilainya
Bagi mukmin di sini harga dan nilainya


And last but not least, some common poems, my tradition /swt.

Mt Tursina we walked on,
Feeling the hardships of this way,
Prophets had their paces on,
Choose others then will lead you astray.

Love for Allah is expensive,
For it is the way to Heaven,
Understanding is one of the alternatives,
Because we could never get every people’s satisfaction.

Being with Allah is for everything,
He knows all things that we know not,
Se beware of your steps from the beginning,
Or else that you don’t mind what will Atid jot.

The victory of Islam is a promise,
From the beginning to the ending,
Hurry up, take the train that you don’t miss,
For the one who left behind will regret never ending.

It starts from a man, and the whole world will come.

Salam.