Road Trip through Saudi. Destination: Amman, Jordan

Excitement grew as the road trip grew closer and closer. Sure, we had been on many trips before, but never in the middle east.
We ended up leaving our home in Doha after dhuhr and crossing the Saudi border at about 3 pm. Alhamdulillah, we had no problems at the border and before we knew it we were being welcomed to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia!
The drive from the border to Riyadh was about 5 to 6 hours and it was a delightful drive, surrounded by deserts on either side. We arrived in Riyadh at about 8 pm that evening and had some time to eat and rest. The next morning we were up early and ready to hit the road again. On to Mecca!
We were very excited about this, as none of us, except Ovaise, had been to the holy city. Again, the drive to Mecca was beautiful, mixed with deserts and various mountains. Travelling through Saudi was also amazing because at every reststop there was a masjid and we didn't have to worry about the food, etc., which was very helpful. The only downfall were the washrooms (which were not western style), and seemed as if they had not been cleaned for centuries (as someone told me before)! My trick was just to hold it in and Asma opted to plug her nose to get through it. But alhamdulillah, it was not that big of a problem.
The drive from Riyadh to Mecca was about 8 hours and we reached the miqat around Asr time. Ibrahim and Ovaise put on their ihrams and the rest of the way to Mecca we all chanted the takbeerat: LabakAllah humma labayk, labaykAllah shareeka lakalabayk, innalhamda wani'mata, laka wal mulk, la shareeka lak. It was amazing and again the scenery was beautiful. The kids were really getting into it and the mountains of Mecca were majestic, subhanAllah.

We finally arrived in Mecca and it was a city of hussle bussle from every direction. You could feel the excitement in the air as you saw Muslims from every corner of the world. I could only imagine what Mecca would feel like during the time for hajj! We drove around in circles for sometime and passed the haram a few times...every time we passed it, the excitement would build as we knew that the kaba lay inside those walls.
We eventually found a parking spot and a decent hotel near the haram. Allah had ordained that I would not be able to perform umrah this time, so Ovaise got us some dinner, we ate and he took Ibrahim to perform umrah. As I heard the the adhan for maghrib, I watched them walk hand in hand towards the haram with many other Muslims from the hotel window. It was a magical moment for me to see everyone rushing towards the kaba for maghrib salah.
I stopped and made dua to Allah in that instance, to thank Him for allowing us to be able to travel to Mecca and to give us the opportunity to come back soon. I also made dua for all the Muslims.
Ovaise and Ibrahim did not return from umrah until late that evening, well after Isha salah. I don't know how Ibby had the energy to perform the whole umrah with very little sleep for the past few nights and being in travel, but mashaAllah, he was able to do it. They came back exhausted and went straight to bed. However, I had to enquire about Ibrahim's reaction to seeing the house of Allah for the first time. He was bubbling with excitement still, through weary eyes and he told me that it was HUGE! He said he had to walk a lot to get there and he started seeing the blackness of it little by little, until he was standing right in front of it and he never realized that it would be so big. Ovaise said he just stood there frozen, staring at it for several moments, until he was reminded to make dua at that particular moment. Alhamdulillah, since it was not too busy at that time, they were able to get up right close to the kaba and touch it.
The next morning, after taraweh, fajr salah and some rest, it was time to set off again. But first, Ovaise took both children back to the haram to see the kaba. Asma had been waiting patiently and it was finally her turn. They managed to go there and do tawaf and again, Asma was awe struck by the sheer size of it and was overjoyed that she had seen the house of Allah for real and not just in pictures. They came back barefooted to the hotel as their shoes had been misplaced or thrown away. So they first had to wash their muddy feet and thankfully we had an extra pair of shoes in the car for everyone.
After grabbing some quick breakfast in the busy streets of Mecca, it was time to leave. My heart did not want to leave the city, especially after not being able to see the kaba, but qadr Allah and I was still excited since I knew we were heading to Medina next.
The drive from Mecca to Medina was about 4 hours long and very nice mashaAllah. The mountains once again, were simply majestic and the whole drive was very peaceful.
We kept reflecting on the hijra of the Prophet (salAllahu alaihi wasalam) and how the Muslims travelled the same distance to Medina. SubhanAllah.
We arrived in Medinah just in time for dhuhr and it is true that the city is so peaceful and tranquil. I could sense it as soon as we entered. The streets were lined with date palm trees and a feeling of calm was eminent.
Parking in Medina was much easier than Mecca as Masjid un Nabi has underground parking. We quickly found a spot and Ovaise and Ibrahim rushed into the masjid to catch the dhuhr salah.
Me and Asma were sitting in the courtyard and we found a shady spot as it was extremely hot that day. It was beautiful mashaAllah and again, very peaceful. When they came out, we walked around the masjid to the other side, where the original masjid of the Prophet (salAllahu alaihi wasalam) is and where his grave is located. It was a feeling I cannot put into words, to be right there at the masjid of the beloved Prophet (salAllahu alaihi wasalam). We walked across to where some of the other sahabis and wives of the Prophet (salAllahu alaihi wasalam) are also buried and we made dua for all of them. SubhanAllah, I couldn't help thinking that these early Muslims had done so much for the deen and alhamdulillah now, we have the blessing to be Muslim. It was an emotional moment.

I sat down in the courtyard again and took a few shots of the masjid. I felt that I could sit there forever. But of course, we had to run. Right after that we had some lunch and the best orange juice I have ever had, it was time for Asr and it was time to hit the road again.

Before the adhan for Asr, I remember just sitting in the shade in the courtyard of the masjid, feeling so at peace and really just wanting to stay there forever. SubhanAllah, when the Prophet (salAllahu alaihi wasalam) and the Muslims migrated to Medinah in the beginning, they really missed their home, Mecca. The Prophet (salAllahu alaihi wasalam) made dua that they love Medinah more and his dua was answered such that even after the conquest of Mecca, many of the sahabis continued to reside in Medina. It truly is a blessed place.
We left Medina at about 4 pm to head off to spend our last night in Saudi with my brother, who lives up north in Saudi. After a very long, tiring drive and stopping a few times to ask for directions (all in Arabic!) we reached my brother's home close to 2 am. Needless to say we were exhausted but excited to be there. The kids woke up due to the excitement of seeing their cousins and stayed up until fajr! We did the same thing and alhamdulillah, it was nice.
After a few hours of much needed sleep, we got ready, had some breakfast and headed out. My brother wanted to take us to a masjid in the area which was built by Omar bin Al Khattab (radhiaAllahu anhu) after the Muslims conquered the land from the Jews. It was amazing to see this masjid, knowing that the Khalif had been there and prayed there. Not only that, but the masjid had not been re-done, so it stood looking as it would have in the past. The kids followed the guys and prayed 2 rakahs in the masjid, we took some pics and I decided to try and climb up the minaret, where the muadhin would have climbed up to call the adhan. I didn't make it all the way up, as the climb to the very top was a bit narrow, but it was still amazing to get up there and look down. We weren't sure if we would get time to go here, but alhamdulillah, we did and it was well worth it.




After this, we said our salams and were off to the Jordanian border. We made it there in about 3 hours and alhamdulillah, had no major problems at the border, even though it did take a while.
It took another few hours to drive from the border to Amman and once we reached Amman, my first impression was just...wow! Amman is a very hilly city and is built on mountains, so it was gorgeous. We had to meet a brother at a masjid close to where we'd be living and getting to that masjid was quite the adventure! First of all, Amman is quite crowded, so driving there was a totally different level. The lanes are not clearly marked, and for good reason, since no one stays in their lane anyway. The sound of car horns can be constantly heard and yet, this is just life to the people who live there. I only once saw a driver get upset at another driver. Otherwise, they will just look at you and apologize, or smile.
After driving around for about 2 hours and asking many people (again, in Arabic) for directions, we reached the masjid and were led to our apartment for the summer.
That is when the travelling stopped and the studying started. The real adventure begins....