A Trip to Remember

Bismillahirrahmaanirrahim

This was not merely a bland and boring trip.Last year it was to Islambol or,currently known as Istanbul after the secularization of the state.This year,we chose Al-Andalus.Land of the conquistadores.Or more precisely,land of my forefathers;the muslims.I had a different set of people going this time.8 of us.8 different people.Overall experience?Fantabulous!

It was a place that totally went against my expectations.Indeed,Allah has His own plans.I went there,to see the glory of Islam.It was nothing close to glory.Perhaps on the other end of the spectrum.Turkey fulfilled my expectations.I saw how tall we stood.I saw how powerful we were.I saw how gigantic and mighty our empire was.Turkey is still ruled by Muslims,and that is expected of them;to preserve our once glorius past.

Spain on the other hand,is not.Sad thing eyy?Probably you wont get what I'm saying now.There is only a minute amount of our glorius past on those lands.I'm exaggerating.Here's the truth;there were just collapsed brick walls on mountain tops.And churches converted from mosques.But again,I told my friend,that that is expected of them.Why should you expect an enemy of the muslims,to preserve our glorius past?Obviously they would've loved to rewrite history in a way that displayed their superiority,and that is what they did.Murals on Plaza de Espana mostly displayed muslims bowing down to Christian soldiers.Although there is that small possibility that it could've happened,I find it hard to believe what is painted.We muslims,we either win,or we die as a martyr.

Alhamra' on the other hand,was our main source of frustration.The symbolic lion fountain was totally dismantelled.Nothing is more frustrating than failure to capture pictures of the fountain.History has it that those lions spurt out water everytime the Azan was called;a feat that up till this day,the West has failed to emulate.They took out one of the lions for research,and it broke the whole thing!

So what was special about the Jaulah (trip)?Cross out the historical part.Cross out the hostels.One of the hostels we stayed at had no windows,and we had to pay 10 euros for air conditioning.I slept on the floor,smelling the dampness of the wet floors of the toilet.Cross out food.We had kebabs for 8 days straight.So what is fantabulous about the Jaulah?

It was the values behind all the obstacles and drawbacks we faced.All has been lined for us by Allah SWT.Would you think that Allah makes useless of what He has destined?It was,by His will,a journey that forced us to think and reflect hard.

On the history of Spain,in the absence of records of our glorius history,we saw emptiness.Not the emptiness of Spain,but the emptiness within our Ummah.As I strolled down the beaches of Malaga,I said to a friend,when the seawave brushed the sands

"Look at those foams.The prophet said that at one point,our number will be as great as those foams.But of no value"

My friend replied "Yes.It goes away quickly"

Indeed without even a substantial amount of force,the foams vanished to thin air.It had no value.It was empty.Our presence was not felt in Spain.Take a step back and look at the bigger picture;our presence on Earth,has it made any difference?Allah says in the Quran,that we are the best of all ummah.How can the best ummah,their presence is not felt on Earth?Look around us.I am not going to write down on how many atrocities we have currently on this planet.But are we muslims making the world a better place to be in?What have we missed out here?

When we stepped our foot on Medina Az-Zahra, a city built during the reign of Abdul Rahman 3, my eyes were fixed on the greenery around the area.The city was built on the foot of a hill.I imagined that years before the city was found,the whole area was a green hill.Grass atop.No one had an idea what was underneath.Obviously those who learn science would understand the value of the greenery in preventing corrosion.Allah made the grass grow on top of this huge city for a reason.It was to preserve it.Why is it that it is just as recently,that the city is unearthed and preserved well?Why has Allah preserved that city for this generation to see?Why wasnt the city unearthed during the 1700 instead?Why now?Subhanallah,He is the most Knowledgeable,the most Wise.

History aside,lets talk about personal experience.Sometimes what you learn need not come from books or history.It can simply be from observing a person.I had 7 great people with me.All with different and unique values.I observed how ithar this one guy was; despite being hungry and thirsty,he offered his food for the friend first.I saw how calm and proactive they were,when the ticket machine swallowed our 60 euros and not giving us the tickets we wanted.Problem resolved,we got our 60 euros back despite the trouble of having to draw to make the Spanish people understand what we were saying.I witnessed how simple and laid back one guy was,never objecting when someone asks something of him.I observed how calm,collected and patient these lot were.A few minutes before the departure gates were closing,and although we were still stuck at the security gate,all they said were 'Pergh.Macam movie'.No one got angry nor were there any sort of tantrums.

These people became my teachers during the trip.I learnt a lot from them.And I hope they get the same as well.

On the bus to Cordova,I read the translation of one of the verses in Surah Al-Qasas.It explained how the prophet Musa,during times of hunger,what he did was he asked food from Allah first.Things made sense when we arrived in cordova.Our meal composed of small baguettes.That was for lunch.At 10 pm,we were starving.A few of us went out in search of halal food or a supermarket,but all was in vain.The shops were closed.Searching for halal food in Cordova was like looking for a needle in a haystack.It was almost impossible.

Reflecting on how in need we were,I am sure those with me turned to Allah,asking from Him some food for the night.On our way back,we passed by a closed supermarket.Next to it,was a bakery.With pizzas!3 euros,and it seemed enough to make you full.Alhamdulillah,that was what Allah had in store for us.We went out of the shop,and miraculously the supermarket was opened (Spanish people have a habit of opening and closing their shops sesuka hati diorang).We bought a bottle of mayonaise and water,and that night,we had pizza with tuna sweetcorn.For 3 euros plus.I could not have thought of a better bargain at a place as expensive as Cordova.Allah is indeed the best Provider.

To sum it all up,I learnt a lot during the jaulah.Alhamdulillah.I hope that those with me also learnt a lot.All 7 of you were fantastic.You people will be part of the dream to reconquer Spain.You people are assets to our dakwah.

Remember,that we are muslims.And Allah has promised for us,victory.

Wallahu A'lam