The Serenity of Makkah and Madinah are second to none

Every year, millions of pilgrims from around the world visit Makkah and Madinah, the two holiest sites in Islam, for Hajj and Umrah. This year, from the 14th to the 19th of June, about 1.83 million Muslims worldwide and more than 85,000 Muslims from Bangladesh alone performed Hajj.

Despite the arduous journey, the pilgrims end the procedure with extreme satisfaction and tranquillity, which can largely be attributed to the divine aura that both these cities exude and finally being able to perform one of the five pillars of Islam. The same is true of Umrah, which doesn't have as many rituals as in Hajj, but the pilgrims end with similar peace of mind.

Makkah, the city where the Prophet (PBUH) was born, is the place where the Masjid Al Haram, as well as the Kaaba, are situated, and it is the pivotal location when it comes to the conduction of most of the critical points of Hajj.

Makkah is a city in the extreme western corner of Saudi Arabia, near the Red Sea coast border; hence, the city has a tropical climate, with extreme heat waves being the norm most of the day.  

Near Makkah, there is Muzdalifah, Minah, and the field of Arafah, all of which have extreme religious significance to the devoted Muslims and ritualistic worthiness when it comes to the performance of Hajj.

The climate, as well as the overall ambience of the city, exudes seriousness and calmness at the same time, and for the pilgrims, there is no place in the world as holy as Makkah, the place that accommodates the house of Allah.

While Makkah certainly has greater religious significance, it is Madinah where the pilgrims go to heal their hearts; the city emanates calmness and tranquilly, and being on the premise of the Prophet's Mosque can be nothing short of a therapeutic experience, with the water sprinklers in the premise being a physical manifestation of that serenity.

The premise of the mosque also contains the tomb of the Prophet (PBUH), the place with its surrounding areas being known as Riyajul Jannah, or a garden of paradise, and the pilgrims can only visit the place for about half an hour.

Being inside the place can feel like being inside a piece of paradise on earth, with pilgrims getting overwhelmed at the sight of the place way too often. 

For most pilgrims, the entire premise of the Prophet's Mosque and the act of praying inside it is a journey towards healing and purification of the soul, an experience unparalleled by any other place in the world.

Madinah, in addition to the Prophet's Mosque, has many other places of religious significance, such as the mountain of Uhud and the mosques of Qiblatain and Quba. The city's milder climate compared to Makkah adds to its peaceful ambience, making it a more serene place for spiritual reflection.

For able Muslims, visiting the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah to perform Hajj is an obligatory duty. From the spiritual perspective of a devoted Muslim, the cities have immense palliating power, as being in the cities is the most transformative experience in the lives of almost all the pilgrims.

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