Some pictured from our journey

Departing Cape Town at 13:30 and arriving Dubai at 1:30am after a ten hour flight (dont forget the time difference) left us exhausted. The kids werent too impressed with the food served on the plane and thus our first mission in dubai was to get food (after salaah of course).

Our flight from Dubai to Jeddah at 6:55am so you can well imagine we were all in need of sleep and took every opportunity we could get.

Finally we arrived at Jeddah International Airport only to be faced with long queues, frustrated traveler from different nationalities and the language barrier. With all my travels I have noticed that we take for granted that everyone should speak english.

We got thru imigration with only a small incident with some arabic speaking persons expecting me to wait until they are done but the Saudi official let us thru first as he saw we were waiting longer.

We got got our bags and stepped in the arrival hall only to have our passports taken away. This is the new procedure for this year as it was returned when our Saudi travel operator arrived with the bus. Then we were on our way to Madina.

Algamdullilah, journey went well.

Then the first sight of Madinah Haram.

Then we finally arrive at hotel to prepare for greeting our beloved prophet.

The first thing I get told to do "take pictures of rooms before we take our bags in" and then Bilqees sits to down to read all info about hotel and especially the menu.

Some of pics were taken from inside the bus hence pics appear yellowish ( those pics were taken by Mogamad Waathiq).

Please leave your comments as it is much appreciated.

Week 4 - Masjiedul Nabawi, Madinah

I have yet again been blessed by the Almighty to perform my second Jumah in Madinah and I pray that the Almighty grant you also that honour and grant me to return here once again with my family.

At this time Madinah is very full and extremely hot thus the crowds and heat is not something I can get used to but Algamdullilah we have managed.

Jumah message was simple and yet so apt - BE MINDFUL OF YOUR 5 DAILY PRAYERS AND PERFORM IT ON TIME.

Having gone to mosque at 10:30 already and they only start jumah proceedings at 12:25 we got relatively good place inside. Arriving this early gives you plenty of time perform sunnah salaah, recite quraan, make thikr and observe the people. People from all walks of life are congregate here all for one purpose, to perform Jumah in the mosque of our beloved prophet pbuh.

Time is precious here and I will upload some pictures soon in order to share my experiences and the beauty of the city.

And the journey begins

Algamdullilah - I am blessed with being able to perform umrah with my wife and children. For the next 2 weeks we will be visiting the holy cities of Madinah and Makkah and there is no other people on this earth I would want to be with on this journey.

Departure from home. As you know we muslims of Cape Town are very unique with our local customs and traditions. Everything from the "greeting" from family and friends to the "leaving of the house" is an emotional yet uplifting experience. An experience that we will remember and that will carry us thru this journey.

After an emotionally draining morning comes the excitement of our kids first air travel. The excitement, the curiosity this is all overwhelming to us all. There was a time that Bilqees was leading the way like a well seasoned traveler that knows the way.

This is the kids first journey by airplane and are super excited of what to expect. Having said our final goodbyes and clearing security and immigration we enter the international departure lounge. As we sit down to relax for the first time in a long time the exhaustion kicks in but the excited and anticipation of the journey is greater.

Week 3 - Home

Performing jumah in my hometown is always special to me as it means I am with my love ones. However being home always leave me with the dilemma - which mosque do i attend?

Having lived in Belhar for 37 seven years, in close proximity to two mosques i always left with the choice of which mosque to attend. Be it the Owal Mosque - first mosque in Belhar, the mosque I attended madrassah or Nurul Huda moque where i met my love, mosque where I got married, mosque that houses the school where all my children attended - I guess you guys can probably figure out by now which mosque I most often attend.

Having traveled home from Paris via Lisbon, Luanda, Johannesburg - a total of 32 hours and reached home at 11:30pm. A word of advise - if you gonna arrive home to surprise your family try to arrive home at a decent hour as they were more shocked than surprised to be woken from the sleep at 11:30pm.

Its always good to be home.

Week 2 - La Defence, Paris, France

From hot humid lands of Africa to the freezing temperatures of mainland Europe. It is a freezing week here in Paris the kind of temperatures that a cape coloured boyjie from Belhar can never get used no matter how much clothes I am wearing. The lowest temperature for this week was -5 and maximum is sunny 9 deg C.

Paris is one of the most beautiful, vibrant cities in the world full of history and interesting people but if you cannot share it with the person you love then its a cold boring place.

The jumah is performed in a marquee as the mosque is under construction. Word of advise to anyone ever attending jumah in La Defense - coming early as this mosque gets full very fast. I have never in my life been to a mosque that is this full. It is so full that once you have performed your prostration / soejud your body aches as you have twist your body to get on the ground.

The entire jumah was in French and Arabic and it shows how amazing our religion is because what they recite here is being recited at each and every mosque in the world.

Probably at every mosque there is always appeal for financial support - well i take my hat (or beanie that substituted for a fez) off for these guys because they have bank machine so you can swipe your bank cards and as the imam said in French "now you have no excuse" and believe me after jumah the people were queuing to swipe their cards.

Enjoying the privileges for business class lounges at Orly airport.

Next stop Lisbon and the onto Luanda and beyond.

Au revoir Paris jusqu'à notre prochaine rencontre.

Week 1 - Malongo, Angola

There is no official mosque at the base in Malongo and thanks to initiative of brother Hossam who has booked a training room for the entire year that we use to perform Jumah but as this is a training room first preference is given to training and sometimes we are left with no venue. Thanks to brother Ilkin who make his rooms available for us - it is always a tight fit but we always manage to squeeze in.

This once again goes to show that if your intentions are true then the Almighty will open the doors for you.

This week the there was once again training in the CAIO room and brother Ilkin made his room available. This time the jumah was led by brother Ahmed , muathin duties performed by myself and brother Ilkin made the third person in order for us to qualify for jumah.

I have previously compared performing jumah in Malongo as being in Makkah as we have various different nationalities standing shoulder to shoulder all with same purpose - people from Egypt, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Pakistan, Indonesia - oh and of course South Africa.

There has been a request from an anonymous to post pics and I will do but unfortunately dont have pics for Malongo and will get it next time I am there.

It all comes down to intentions.

I am blessed with many good people and things in my life.

From parents who nurtured, cared and loved me, siblings that shaped my life that helped me become the person I am today. Then my wife and children - they are the love of my life and my reason for going on and  pushing forward and enduring our sacrifice. I praise and thank the Almighty everyday for these people enriching my life.

I am fortunate enough to have a job that took and still takes me to the four corners of the world. I have visited various places from the exotic cities of Bangkok and Dubai to the first world of USA, Europe and to the depths of the third world countries of Mozambique, Uganda and my "other home country" Angola.

Of all my travels nothing is more exciting than the upcoming 4 weeks as I will be privileged to perform Jumah not only in four different mosques but in four different countries. 

For this I thank the Almighty for blessing me and thru this blog it is my intention to inspire people to make their intention to undertake their ultimate journey of Hajj - Insha Allah. 

Week 1 to follow .....