My Small Andalusian Planetarium

I am really sorry for the long silence that elongates almost few incessant sennights already. It is unpredictable and works double as my second term starts. Living as a student demands full commitment to both my responsibility as an ummah and also as a learner, which means unbearable burdens. In the same vein, I must find a way to balance my life by not only focusing on one area only and starts to vie in making good deeds (fastabiqul khairat).

Up, up in the air

The calendar marked 1^st January. Whilst everyone was enthusiastic that the New Year was approaching, I was troubled and more than busy preparing for my jaulah (trip) to Andalusia, Spain. In truism, I knew little of this place. None that I knew that it is a place pocketful of Muslim Histories. None that I knew, it once held the key to world’s most influential knowledge centre, which I doubt I would even bother to appreciate when I was the defiant form five student. In essence, Andalusia is a must visit place. It will evoke the missing “izzah” (proudness) of being Muslim among us, whom day by day is swept away, swayed by the hectic life that world offers. Now, there are three essential places one must visit when in Andalusia – Gibraltar, Cordoba as well as Granada.

Huzzah! Overzealous, as usual

The view from the place we're staying

To write the whole excerpt of my six day journey to Andalusia is one cumbersome thing to do especially when we’re talking about someone who tends to write descriptively. Hence, I’m not planning to do that. Nonetheless, I will touch and scribe some of the intense feelings that I felt throughout the journey.

Paella that tasted exactly like seafood stir fried rice

My body and soul, no doubt was oblivious during the first day. I was shaken up at the airport when we were almost denied from boarding our plane due to identity crisis. I was accused for having two passports and even told to have the same face like my friend’s who obviously is a lot more shorter and thinner than me. Well, enough of the silly moment. Things always happens when you less expect them to be. Nonetheless, the point I want to make here is that I found myself in dire nervousness. I really found myself praying and even submitted to Allah and hoped that everything will settle with ease. My heart thumped wildly and my mind played games and even made ridiculous hypotheses: I might end up behind the bars for attempting passport fraudulence. But Allah knows better. Someone had helped us, then. Pheww!

Malaga Airport, welcome to Spain

Being in a complete different place from the UK really had opened up my eyes. I missed UK completely as I put my feet on the ground. I missed the grim and cold air in the UK and the sense of civilisation – English as native language. Walking around in here was not as easy breezy in the UK. Not everyone knows English and more importantly, people tend to stare at us for wearing hijabs and of course, Muslim. As I was day dreaming, I pondered and wondered how it would look like if everyone in Andalusia is still Muslim. Easy to say, innit? But it worth imagining. It was unimaginably awkward because, this place used to be inhabited with Muslims and it served as the pivoting point for the spread of faith and knowledge where great scholars were born and Plato was not deem as blasphemous.

Some of us, if you're wondering

Touched by the documentary “Empire of Faith” that I watched previously, it did enhance my determination in seeking the missing traces of Islam in this apparently now known as the  complete foreign land to Muslims. Cathedrals replace mosques and chimes of bells replace the azan (calling for prayer). Tears almost struck my face when I discovered most of the cathedrals previously were mosques that had been converted. There is no use of hating the Christians, since the problems lie in the ummah. When Islam was at the precipice of the world, our main aim was diverted though to trifle matters. We were proud of our achievement and starting to put Islam as second. The effects are devastating and still visible till now. When the doom of Andalusia was taken for granted.

The pauper kitten that's well-fed

The Tom cat

 

The black cat

And finally Yuna the cat

When I was in the Great Mosque of Cordoba, the place I was coveting the most literally during the trip, I was only displeased and completely shivering to see the remnants of the “Great Mosque of Cordoba”. The place was nothing like what I had imagined, like what I had seen in movies or documentaries. It was converted and refurbished to suit the Christendom. Choking incense filled the place with insecurity. The place was really dark and gloomy and only the lights from the chandeliers and the flickering candles illuminated the room. It was an eerie atmosphere and I didn’t feel the sense of comfort in the religious place. Most of the scriptures were filled with sadness, anger and contempt. I was freaking out. Maybe to the Christians, the church will remind them of repentance. I don’t know. I’m not an expert.

My favourite photo, indeed

One of the places that was illuminated with real sunlight. Alhamdulillah

Moving on to Alhambra, I was feeling slightly empty. I wasn’t stunned by the beauty of the palace. It was a very large place that took our whole day to completely explore the place. It was magnificently built. My main concern when going to this place was to look for the “Lions”, again I was aghast to find that there were removed for “preservation”. Anybody who had delved into the history of Alhambra, will anticipate to see the “Lions” that were believed to spout water as the time for prayer reached.  From the mouth of my seniors, some people had damaged some of the “Lions” by dissembling them for the sake of “discovery”. Whatever the reason is, it is utterly stupid to continue “dissembling” the others.

No "Lions". Roar!!!

Right, where’s Gibraltar? I don’t think I have any interesting experience worth sharing for Gibraltar. Less history of the Muslims was told here. Only the apes and fish and chips filled most of my memories here. Wait, it's a part of UK. Now, we're talking!

Us...

Top of the World

To sum it up, I regarded this as one of the most eventful moment in my life…for the most, learning more about the girls from Birmingham =)).

Now, before I end my post, let's delve into this ayat:


Whose migrateth for the cause of Allah will find much refuge and abundance in the earth, and whoso forsaketh his home, a fugitive unto Allah and His messenger, and death overtaketh him, his reward is then incumbent on Allah. Allah is ever Forgiving, Merciful. (4:100)