A verse to reflect on
﴿رَّبَّنَا إِنِّي أَسْكَنتُ مِن ذُرِّيَّتِي بِوَادٍ غَيْرِ ذِي زَرْعٍ عِندَ بَيْتِكَ الْمُحَرَّمِ رَبَّنَا لِيُقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ فَاجْعَلْ أَفْئِدَةً مِّنَ النَّاسِ تَهْوِي إِلَيْهِمْ﴾“Our Lord, I have settled some of my offspring in a valley without cultivation, near Your Sacred House, our Lord, so that they may establish prayer. So make the hearts of some people incline toward them.”
Ibrahim 14:37 · translation of the meaning · Quran.com
Ibrahim (peace be upon him) prayed that people’s hearts would incline toward that valley, meaning yearn for it and hurry to it. Your longing for Makkah today is one of the effects of that prayer, answered thousands of years ago.
Notice that he said “hearts”, not “bodies”: longing begins in the heart.
Today’s hadith
“By Allah, you are the best land of Allah and the most beloved land of Allah to Allah. Had I not been driven out of you, I would not have left.”
al-Tirmidhi (3925), narrated by Abdullah ibn Adi ibn al-Hamra’; he graded it hasan sahih
The Prophet ﷺ said it standing at al-Hazwarah in Makkah. He left it because he was forced to, and his love for it stayed in his heart. You will walk on the land that the Prophet ﷺ loved and that Allah loves.
Today’s story: the longing of Bilal
When the Prophet ﷺ and his companions emigrated to Madinah, Abu Bakr and Bilal fell ill with fever. Whenever the fever left Bilal, he would raise his voice wishing he could spend one more night in the valley of Makkah, among the plants he knew, and drink from its waters once more.
Aishah told the Prophet ﷺ, and he prayed: “O Allah, make Madinah beloved to us as we love Makkah, or even more.” (al-Bukhari 1889)
The lesson: even in sickness the companions yearned for Makkah. Ask Allah to fill your heart with this longing, and to make it a longing for Him before the place.
Today’s task
Review your first week: read what you wrote over the past days, and check the tasks still open (forgiveness, debts, your parents).
Then pray two rak‘ahs in the depth of the night or before Fajr, and renew in them your intention to make the journey for Allah.
Today’s dua
اللهم إني أسألك حبّك، وحبّ من يحبك، وحبّ عمل يقرّبني إلى حبكO Allah, I ask You for Your love, the love of those who love You, and the love of deeds that bring me closer to Your love.
al-Tirmidhi (3235), narrated by Mu‘adh ibn Jabal; he graded it hasan sahih
You ask Allah for three kinds of love: His love, the love of the righteous, and the love of the deeds that bring you closer to Him. Umrah is one of those deeds.
A question for self-reckoning
What changed in your heart this week? And what still needs effort from you?