As I prepared to leave the sacred city of Madinah Munawwarah, my heart felt heavier with every passing moment. It was time to bid farewell to the Roza-e-Pak of our Beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) and his noble companions Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (RA) and Hazrat Umar ibn Khattab (RA) resting in eternal peace beside him in Masjid an-Nabawi.
With each step toward the Green Dome, my chest swelled with a unique blend of reverence, devotion, and love that words can scarcely express. The atmosphere was soaked in divine tranquillity — a noor (spiritual light) that seemed to descend from the heavens and embrace every pilgrim present. Though I was physically preparing to journey toward Makkah for Umrah, my soul felt tethered to the serene, sacred calm of Madinah.
As I stood in front of the Roza-e-Rasool (SAW), I offered my final salaam with tear-filled eyes and trembling lips, reciting:
As-salāmu ʿalayka yā Rasūl Allāh, As-salāmu ʿalayka yā Nabiy Allāh
The tears rolled down unstoppably, as if my soul wept for the separation from the one whom Allah sent as Rahmatul-lil-‘Aalameen, the Mercy for All Worlds. I poured out my heart, offering salutations not only from myself but from countless friends and family who had entrusted me with this sacred task. Their names echoed in my soul as I stood before the Messenger of Allah (SAW), presenting my love and reverence:
Dr Eqbal, Dar Aijaz, Bilal, Nissar Ahmad, Mohammad Eqbal, Muzamil, Dr Syed Aijaz, Hilal, Altaf Hussain Razvi, Nizam Wani, Tariq Wani, Tariq Ahmad, Haroon Sheikh, Parwaz Dar, Ishfaq Noor, Nazir Lone, Ishfaq Lone, Bashir Ahmad Mir, Sofi Tahir, Asif Wani, Raja Ishfaq, Showket Beigh, Irfan Nazir, Shabir Ahmad and so many others whose names reside deeply in my heart. Their salaams were delivered with the utmost sincerity, as though each one reached the noble presence of the Prophet (SAW) with the love they entrusted me to carry.
Before departing, I stood in silent awe at the gates of Jannat al-Baqi, the sacred resting place of so many of the Prophet’s (SAW) beloved family members, companions, and martyrs. As I gazed upon the humble graves unmarked, yet majestic in their honour, a tide of emotion overwhelmed me. Here lie Hazrat Uthman ibn Affan (RA), Hazrat Hassan ibn Ali (RA), Hazrat Abbas (RA), the noble Mothers of the Believers (RA), and countless others whose closeness to the Prophet (SAW) in life and death is a legacy of unmatched devotion.
The silence in Baqi speaks louder than words, a silence that whispers stories of sacrifice, piety, and unshakable faith. I stood with bowed head, tears welling again, feeling like a humble speck in the presence of such divine history. To stand there was to feel the pulse of early Islam, to walk among legends whose footsteps built the foundations of our faith.
Madinah is unlike any place on earth. Even as the temperature soared past 42 degrees Celsius, I felt a soothing calm, as though the winds of Jannah whispered through the streets. The heat didn’t burn instead, it comforted. The coolness in the soul was unexplainable, an experience beyond logic, as if the very soil and air of Madinah exude the mercy of Allah. It was a living miracle, a sacred mystery enveloped in love and light.
The peace, the noor, and the serenity of Madinah clung to my heart as I walked away, turning back again and again for one last glimpse of the Green Dome, reluctant to leave. A part of me will always remain there in the city of the Prophet (SAW), where every breath is a prayer, and every heartbeat echoes with Ya Rasool Allah.
Though my physical journey turned toward Makkah, my soul lingers in Madinah. And I pray Ya Allah, call me and my family, friends, relatives, near and dear again, and again, and again to this garden of divine love, where the heart finds its true home.
The writer is currently on the sacred journey of Hajj