Discerning readers might have noticed that GALLERY was taken off the blog, FREE PALESTINE was resurrected. Perhaps resurrect was the perfect word. Goodness gracious it was, it just came to me, unbidden. Meaning: revive the practice, use, or memory of (something); bring new vigor to.
That is what is happening to Free Palestine (not in actuality unfortunately but at least on Alexis’ blog). It has been revived, restored, revitalized, breathed new life into, given the kiss of life to, given a new lease of life to, reinvigorated, renewed, resuscitated, awaken, re-established, relaunched.
What you need to do now is go to the menu, click on Free Palestine and read to your heart’s content. You shall see a photo of Fatimah (my Muslim name), my hair covered in a hajib which is a Palestinian Scarf. In the background are pilgrims worshipping at Mt. Hiro, which houses the cave where the Prophet Muhammed ( PBUH) received the first revelation from the Angel Gabriel. It is a holy site. I was on the outskirts of Mt. Hiro in December of 2022. My left knee, needing replacement surgery to match my right knee replacement, prevented me from climbing to the sacred site. I am returning to Saudi Arabia in two weeks but such a clim is still impossible. My Muslim physician has advised that I undertake a Hajj in two years. .
The Hajj is the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca that takes place in the last month of the year. Hajj literally means “to set out for a place,” and every able-bodied Muslim with the means to do so is expected to make the pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime, traditionally after first settling all their wordly affairs. The Hajj has huge significance, it is one of the pillars of Islam. It is a physically demanding journey that Muslims believe offers a chance to wipe clean past sins and start anew before God.
My health is excellent, my physicians predict I shall live for at least two more years so that I can go and settle my worldly affairs. In the meantime, there are many tasks to perform, particularly in preparation for my Saudi sojourn in two weeks.
I am making lists – certain ‘accessories’ must be taken with me: 1) a prayer rug, 2) my favorite Quran 3) my computer which provides the source of much knowledge of the Islamic Faith 4) my iPhone to take photos.
This is difficult to explain but packing some knowledge into my brain is also a prerequisite: a necessary condition, an obligation a essential, requirement, requisite, necessity, proviso, qualification, imperative, obligation, sine qua non, a must. That list has only one item at the moment.
- Learn as much as possible about Medinah which is an absolute MUST on this itinerary. For complicated reasons my prior trip did not include nearly enough time in this vitally important and vital place.
I leave you now to learn more about Medinah.
Photos are of the few days spent in Medinah. The little boy and I were at the Mosque together. That is me looking most Muslim The other is proof that the sun does set in Medinah. The former railroad station is now a museum. I will definitely return. I can now climb the stairs to the second floor. My physiotherapy and leg exercises are working.
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