Umrah Ramadan : Raudhah at Masjid Nabawi

Previous read: Masjid Nabawi

Raudhah is a small area inside Masjid Nabawi, which extends from the tomb of Rasulullah to his pulpit. Also called the Garden of Paradise, it is the most sought after spot in Masjid Nabawi where everybody wants to be in. Muslims believe that prayers offered at this spot will most probably be granted, that Raudhah is among the few places that is mustajab.

"Between my house and my pulpit, there is a garden from the gardens of Paradise." [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

There are limited times for the ladies to visit Raudhah, which is after Subuh until about 10am (last entrance at 9am, then you can wait inside), after Zohor until before Asar and then after Isyak until midnight. I think after Subuh is the best time to visit Raudhah as during this time, it is open for the longest time.

Ladies can enter from the east side, Gate 25. And then just follow the corridor which has been prepared. There are separate exit and entry point to ease the flow of pilgrims, everybody needs to walk in one direction from the entrance to the exit. 

We gathered for Ziarah Dalam in front of Gate 25 at about 8am. Our Ustazah shared some stories on Masjid Nabawi, Raudhah, Jannat al-Baqi' while we waited for the green light from the guards to enter Raudhah. 

If you go alone, you can head straight to Raudhah. But because we were in a rather huge group, and morning is the busiest time in Raudhah for the ladies, we had to wait for a while as I think they want to ease the congestion inside. 

So after a while, the guards signaled us to go in. Just followed the corridor until we reached this courtyard. 

courtyard nearby Raudhah

Under the green dome lies the tomb of Rasulullah and Raudhah is just next to it. At this point we can go in already but Ustazah asked us to be patient as she wanted us to be the last group to go in. 

We did sunat prayers and read Quran here while waiting. 

queuing to enter Raudhah

Then, just before 9.30am, Ustazah signaled us to get up and followed her. As we were queuing, the guards were also calling out all pilgrims at the courtyard to go in and starting to move the barriers surrounding Raudhah which means it's almost time to close Raudhah for the ladies.

Slowly we were moving (or was it being pushed forward haha.. seriously some of the ladies can be rough sometimes sabar je lah) towards Raudhah.


inside Raudhah

Anyway, how do you know you're in Raudhah?

 

the green carpet inside Raudhah

You know you are in Raudhah when you stepped on the green carpet, while the rest of the mosque is covered by red carpet. Also the pillars in Raudhah has gold trimming and decorations as below picture.

Raudhah borders



Behind the green fence is the tomb of Rasulullah. The first two caliphs, Abu Bakar and Umar are buried next to him. Guards watch this area closely as they prevent anyone from touching the fences, as it is considered idolatry.

When you enter this area, don't forget to give salam to Rasulullah and his companions.

As we were the last group to go in, we had ample space and time to perform the sunat prayers and doa. Semoga all my doas dimakbulkan..

Alhamdulillah, I felt so peaceful here. I don't want to leaveeee so I continued doing the sunat prayers and doa, wishing the time move slowly... until the guard chased me out.

GO OUT HAJJAH EXIT EXIT hahaha.

Thanks to our Ustazah for the guidance. I went to Raudhah again on my own a couple of times at the same timing, and got to pray with ease. Oh I always hear people say you should wear black telekung just like the Arabs, so that it will be easier for you to go in. Not so sure but I did wear black telekung during all my visits. But I think whatever color you wear, it all depends on rezeki. If ada rezeki, you will have the chance to visit our Prophet and pray inside Raudhah.

Next read --> Buka Puasa & Terawih at Masjid Nabawi