The incomparable charm of Madina
ISLAM is a lifelong journey, but it begins with a first step. I entered the door of Islam at an American mosque on September 18, 2003 after I heard the words of one Hadith: If you walk toward Allah, He comes to you running. This was my Islamic moment, and I never looked back. Yet, at that time, I could not anticipate the surprising destination that lay ahead of me Madinah, Saudi Arabia.
I arrived in the holy city of Madinah on December 17, 2005 to begin teaching English at Taibah University. This was my first trip outside the United States (except for Canada). In the months before my arrival, I scoured public libraries in Michigan for every book I could find on Saudi Arabian culture and history. Many authors I consulted were balanced and thorough, such as Princeton s Bernard Lewis and John Esposito of Georgetown University. However, others were hopelessly biased against the Kingdom, especially Stephen Schwartz, author of The Two Faces of Islam: The House of Saud from Tradition to Terror (New York: Doubleday, 2002).
In the United States, there is a great curiosity about the Islamic world, but it is a Herculean task for an American layman to differentiate between real experts and pamphleteers.
Books and newspapers can open windows to the world; they inspire curiosity and wonder. But a monastic reliance on these sources may be like studying the menu in a restaurant without tasting the food. This was my first lesson in Madinah. Neither photograph nor paragraph could really capture the preternatural beauty of this sacred space. As I approached the magnificent Mosque of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) for the first time, it appeared as if it had been lowered straight from Heaven. The beautiful Adhan for Maghrib prayer sounded angelic. Thousands upon thousands of Muslims hastened their steps to heed the call to prayer inside the Mosque and outside in its large exterior plaza. It was a sight to behold.
To be in the Prophet s (peace be upon him) Mosque is to witness the Islamic world in a glorious miniature. It is egalitarian and embracing: every nation is represented, many in vibrant colors. This is a vision that all visitors to Madinah surely must carry within their hearts the rest of their lives. It is also a poignant reminder of the words the Prophet (peace be upon him) delivered in his Final Sermon: O people! Listen to my words. Know that every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim and that all Muslims constitute one brotherhood.
A spirit of brotherhood is the hallmark of Madinah. The people of Madinah take special pride in hospitality and gentleness. As the Prophet (peace be upon him) advised: He who is deprived of gentleness is deprived of good. It is a pleasure to live in a city, where the reigning ethos is not competitive profit. I lived in 13 states throughout America, from Cambridge, Massachusetts to San Francisco and California. However, nothing in the United States can quite be comparable to the tranquility found in Madinah.
It is a rare privilege to live in the City of the Prophet (peace be upon him). This is the heart of Islamic history. As I travel the streets of Madinah, it is very humbling to know that I am walking in the footsteps of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and his Companions. Millions have come before me and millions will follow. Nobody remains untouched by the spiritual power of Madinah.
Madinah is a unique international city. Unlike New York and Las Vegas, it has no need for fluorescent advertising. It is subtle and comforting like a wise grandfather. Madinah is a symbol of the faith because Islam is an invitation to peace, not a declaration of force. This essence of Islam should not remain opaque to the world. The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah addressed this important topic in a keynote speech at a recent conference organized by the Muslim World League:
We have to tell the world through our words and deeds that we are a nation that, in its heydays, promoted a culture of science, knowledge, truth and justice, and protected human rights, keeping away from extremism, terrorism and violence in dealing with others.
Islam is peace. By spreading this message to the world, we Muslims can become ambassadors for the faith we love and cherish.
Joseph Richard Preville is an American Muslim writer living in Madinah. His previous works appeared in San Francisco Chronicle, Christian Science Monitor, Harvard Divinity Bulletin and many other USA publications.
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