Medina

The distance between Mecca and Medina is the same as the distance between İstanbul and Ankara. Busses run on the route of the hijrah (emigration). The Prophet and Abu Bakr, the first caliph of Islam, covered this distance in 12 days during their emigration. It’s obvious that it was a difficult journey. One remembers the emigration of the Prophet and the believers all through the journey. Maybe one of the reasons for visiting Medina is to have a chance to contemplate the emigration. There are three sacred mosques according to Islamic belief: the Kaaba in Mecca, the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina and al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. The spiritual rewards for prayers performed in the first one are multiplied by 100,000 times, in the second one the rewards are multiplied by 1,000 and in the third one the rewards are 500 times greater. Supplications made in these mosques are more likely to be accepted. Turkish pilgrims in particular believe that praying in the Prophet’s Mosque 40 times will grant them the Prophet’s intercession. This belief is also held by Indonesian Muslims and the Azeris who live in Iran. Although it is true that praying in these places will earn one great rewards, the hadith (saying of the Prophet) that says it is necessary to stay in Medina for eight days (five prayers a day, which makes 40 prayers in eight days) cannot be found in the most famous and trusted hadith collections. Some scholars say that this hadith is mawdu’ (fabricated). The commonly held opinion amongst scholars is that it is a weak hadith. Going to the Prophet’s Mosque for eight days is not an easy task, particularly during the hajj season. After the pilgrimage is completed, Medina is packed with pilgrims, making vehicular transportation impossible and obliging everyone to walk anywhere they may want to go. Depending on the distance of their hotel from the mosque, they all have to walk an average of five to 10 kilometers a day. This can be considered a hardship in itself. However, it is almost impossible to come across anyone who complains about this situation.

Medina is a truly beautiful city. It has a balmy air and it is famous for its dates and vegetables. Its people are kind, loving and amiable. They call the pilgrims “the guests of the Beneficent One.” Its population is estimated at 1 million. It was 750,000 as of the last census. The number of the people in the city doubles during the hajj season. Medina is an orderly city in terms of city planning. According to the original plan, the buildings closest to the mosque were to have one floor, those a little further away could have two floors and those farthest away could have three. However, the modern hotels are too high and, although the situation is not as bad as it is in Mecca, the hotels completely surround the Prophet’s Mosque here, too. Yet they don’t look ugly. You can sense a slight Ottoman atmosphere in Medina.

Pilgrims spend nearly all their time in and around the Prophet’s Mosque. There are hundreds of shopping centers around the mosque. Everybody buys something. The part of the mosque where the Prophet is buried never ceases to teem with visitors. Entering and leaving that spot is extremely difficult. Visitors try to make two cycles of prayer in the place between the tomb of the Prophet and his pulpit. The place is really congested at certain hours. Right next to the mosque is Jannat al-Baqi, the most famous cemetery in Medina. Many well-known companions of the Prophet lie here. Of course, this place, too, is filled with visitors.  Despite all the hardships and some organizational shortcomings, the hajj is a pleasurable, exciting and joyful worship. Seeing millions from different races and regions of the world who speak different languages move together and engage in the same worship awakens one to a different dimension of conscience. Leaving Mecca and Medina is sorrowful. You always feel like leaving a piece of you behind. Any time we leave the places we were born into and where we grew up, we feel like strangers. However, this is absolutely not the case in Mecca and Medina. Everybody, without exception, feels at home while in these two holy cities.