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Friends have invited me to give a talk on Madinah, describing what I saw there, and I have readily agreed. As a Persian poet has said: “To talk of the beloved is no less pleasant than to meet him.”

I do not know when I first heard of Makkah and Madinah. Like all Muslim children, I was brought up in an environment in which Hijaz (Arabia) and Makkah and Madinah were household words. I, distinctly, remember people saying Makkah, Madinah together as if these were the same. When they took the name of one of them, they, generally, mentioned that of the other as well. I, thus, came to imagine that Makkah and Madinah were not two different places, but one, and learnt to appreciate the difference only as I grew up. It, then, became clear that these were two different towns separated from each other by over 300 kilometers.  Read more... (1760 words, 6 images, estimated 7:02 mins reading time)

One day a man came to the Imam and said: “I kept some money somewhere in my house, but do not remember exactly here. I now need the money badly. Please tell me how I can find it.” Brother,” protested the Imam, “do not find this kind of problem mentioned in fiqh. Why have you come to me for advice?” but on further entreaty by the man he advised him to pray throughout the night. The man, accordingly, went home and started praying, he had prayed for a little while when he suddenly remembered where he had put the money. So he ran to the Imam and told him of the efficacy of his advice.  Read more... (472 words, estimated 1:53 mins reading time)