The major attraction in Medina is visiting Roza-e-Rasool (S.A.W). The Roza-e-Rasool (S.A.W) was actually Hazrat Ayesha’s chamber where the Prophet (S.A.W) was buried after his death. The graves of Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (R.A) and Hazrat Umer (R.A) are also located in the same chamber.
Visiting the Roza Mubarak is a difficult task due to the huge number of people coming to the mosque. Men can visit the Roza almost any time except at the time of prayers. There are specific times for women to attend and present salam at the Roza. Women can go after sunrise, after Duhr, and after Isha. At all other times, women are not allowed in that segment of the mosque. Women may enter through gates number 27 and 29 to visit the Roza.
When the time comes for opening the doors towards Roza, women gather around the gates with in the women’s sections. Female organizers from the mosque give a small lecture called Ta’aleemat to the attendees in the attendees’ languages. Once the gates open, it is a race so as to who reaches first. Women are gathered in groups by volunteers and organizers from the mosque near the Roza and are sent in groups to the limited space near Roza Mubarak.
It is a tough task to maintain discipline. Every woman wants to visit the Roza in the limited time assigned to the women, and thus it creates, at times, an air of lack of manners.
I remember from my previous visits that there was no such thing as ta’aleemat. There were specific times for women, but there was no issue of opening and closing of gates and women visited as they wished during the assigned time. In the current scenario, most women are not able to go near the Roza, and feel unsatisfied with the visit.
There are multiple notices and instruction of not photographing near the Roza, but many people live through the lens. It seems disrespectful at the sacred place. It is the place where one feels the humblest, and making movies, pictures and taking selfies kind of ruins the moment.
Near the Roza are pillars that mark events of historical importance. These include the tree that Prophet (S.A.W) leaned on while delivering the Khutbah, the place where the Prophet (S.A.W) sat for I’tikaf and slept during the same, the tree to which a Sahabi tied himself after an incident as a token of repentence and other pillars.
Riyadh-ul-Jannah is the place between the Prophet’s (S.A.W) mimbar (the place where he delivered the Khutbah from) and the Prophet’s house (Hazrat Ayesha’s (R.A) chamber). It is an important place about which it is said that it is a garden of paradise.
Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) said:“Between my house and my pulpit lays a garden from the gardens of Paradise, and my pulpit is upon my fountain (Al-Kauthar).” [Bukhari]
It is customary to maintain a humble attitude inside Masjid-e-Nabawi (S.A.W) and specially near the Roza Mubarak. It is place where extreme respect should be practised. Some behaviors exhibited by people are disconcerting. It is a dire need to teach people the respect and manners for visiting this extremely exalted place.
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