I would see vision of main road, highway and the side of a flyover whenever I recited my selawat and salam.
Whenever I feel like wanting to be close to Prophet Muhammad sollallaahu 'alaihi wasallam, beside selawat and salam, it would be the last two verses of Surah At-Taubah
Verily,
there has come unto you a Messenger (Muhammad 
)
) from amongst yourselves
(i.e. whom you know well).
It grieves him that you should receive any injury or difficulty.
He (Muhammad ) is anxious over you
) is anxious over you (to be rightly guided, to repent to ALLAH,
and beg HIM to pardon and forgive your sins,
in order that you may enter Paradise
and be saved from the punishment of the Hell-fire),
for the believers (he is) full of pity, kind, and merciful.
is) full of pity, kind, and merciful.But if they turn away,
say (O Muhammad ):
): "ALLAH is sufficient for Me.
La ILAHA Illa HUWA (none has the right to be worshipped but HE),
in HIM I put my trust and HE is the LORD of the Mighty Throne."
. ******
My late sister never failed herself to recite Maulid every Monday, and everyday when Rabi'ul Awwal was around.
She stood up when she reached the marhaban page, to welcome Rasulullah s.a.w., even when she just recited it all alone, just by herself.
Maybe that's part of the reason why she could sense the time had come before her final day.
She was all prepared to meet Izrael, the death angel, asking to be bathed with Zamzam water a day before her death.
At any time of the year, Zamzam is well stocked at our homes.
******
I used to increase my selawat and salam when there was sudden urge is in me to visit Baitullaah and Rasulullah s.a.w.
As usual, I did what I usually did last year, increasing the frequency of selawat and salam.
But the vision of main road, highway and the side of a flyover kept recurring.
What was really happening?
When I was in 'Arafah in 2001, after reciting Maulid, the smell of fresh citrus engulfed the whole tent.
There were only two jema'ah in the tent, myself and another sister, a new Chinese Muslim.
The rest of the jema'ah went to the washroom preparing for Maghrib.
The Chinese sister, just two years into Islam, was amazed by the new experience.
The tent openings was as if blown with misty air fresheners.
But that was not the case as we were in Ihram.
No perfume what so ever.
It was only after the swish swashing of a person wearing a like long robe walking past inside the tent, then could the sister refreshed what she had just recited in the Maulid book.
******
On another occasion, while waiting for Subuh, sitting outside Masjidin Nabawi in 2005, I took pity of an old Turkish pilgrim who was massaging her legs with crucial pain shown on her weathered face.
Using lemon grass oil, minyak geliga I brought from home, I massaged the old woman's legs.
She kept praying, lifting both hands high up, thanking GOD of lifting the pain she had to bear.
At last she could smile.
Very soon, one after another old Turkish women, a small pre-dawn crowd outside Masjidin Nabawi was built in no time.
These old Turkish women, old they were, but definitely they were raring for a quarrel.
I was not used to the scene of pushing and shoving their way for just an ordinary massage.
I just pushed the minyak geliga into the hand of one of them, then I exited out of the scene.
The quarrel intensified as I left the scene.
Now, who has had the right to the small bottle of ointment...
I used to bring many bottles of local ointment for my Haj and Umrah.
But on that morning, there was only one bottle in my bag.
I thought nothing of the pre-subuh incident.
But the dream I had that night, carved an eternal memory in me.
Three men, one of them with henna red beard, were searching for the person who massaged the legs of an old jema'ah.
They were hurrying to the person who massaged the legs of an old jema'ah, infront of Rasullah s.a.w. in the early morning...
******
It was only after I walked down Suqul Lail, the night market, [but Malays usually called it Pasar Zink (?)] last Syawal, I could fully understand my dream of main road, highway and the side of a flyover.
The first time I was in Mecca in 1996, we stayed at Ar-Reem Hotel in the area of Suqul Lail.
It was the place where day or night, we could see men eagerly volunteered carrying dead bodies on their way to Ma'la cemetery.
We never fail to pass by Ar-Reem whenever we were in Makkatul Mukarramah.
But walking down memory lane last year, we were not able to find the place, due to the many constructions took place all at once around Masjidil Haram.
Even to Pasar Zink was no easy access for us.
There were just too many blockages.
But we were sure that the access to the library of Makkatul Mukarramah was not blocked.
But we were sure that the access to the library of Makkatul Mukarramah was not blocked.
It is now a very big open space.
To safeguard the historical place from being neglected, a library was built, but now demolished.
The library, located on Al-Qashashia Street used to be in the Maulid District, is the birth place of Muhammad.To safeguard the historical place from being neglected, a library was built, but now demolished.
Photo Source: Panoramio
The small library was the original home of Sayyidina Abdul Muttalib's foundation.
We had many times tried to visit the place since 1996, but it was closed most of the time.
My eldest sister told me, before the sacred place was made a library, Maktabat Makkatul Mukarramah, the house in which Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. was born, it was razed and turned into a cattle market.
In 1990, the matrimonial home of Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. and his wife, Saiyidatina Siti Khadijah rodhiallaahu 'anha was paved over.
It was the spot where the Revelation descended upon The Prophet s.a.w. from GOD.
The site was buried in concrete and covered in marble.
Enough indication of the demolished blessed house with just a public toilet now stands nearby!!!
