First Time Seeing the Kaaba: Stories from the Haram

And proclaim to the people the Hajj [pilgrimage]; they will come to you on foot and on every lean camel; they will come from every distant pass 

That they may witness benefits for themselves and mention the name of Allah on known days over what He has provided for them of [sacrificial] animals. So eat of them and feed the miserable and poor.

(Quran 22:27-28)

The Hajj is an integral part of a Muslims life. If one is physically and financially able it is one of the five mandatory pillars of Islam. The Hajj which includes the visit to the holy city of Makah is for some a once in a lifetime experience, and a journey which is sometimes eagerly anticipated for decades. 

For a Muslim growing up in a land far from the Hijaz, the Kaaba and its beautifully ornate Kiswah (Pall) is a sight limited to photographs and video footage. Its mere image becomes entrenched in the mind. When we see the Kaaba we are reminded of the most high.

But after many years the opportunity will arise, in whatever form it may be, the call to visit the beloved city will come. For some, it's an incomprehensible thought. A life-long devotion to the most beloved has sent us to the City of Makkah and to the Kaaba itself. What will be our initial emotions on that day? Will we feel anything? Will the anxiety overwhelm us? 

We have collected anecdotes from a number of Hujjaj in order to share the experience of a debut Hajj or Umrah experience. These anecdotes are from a variety of people from varied time periods and regions of the world. May we all have the opportunity to visit the house of Allah SWT. 

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 I was blessed to do Umrah in March of 2016 as part of the Qalam Institute Seerah Umrah. 

Sometimes it's so easy to seem insignificant. Imagine being surrounded by hundreds of thousands of people calling the same Lord at the same time. You feel little, but at the same time for those few minutes you're calling out to Him and it's like no one else exists. You stand in front of a black box, in the middle of the world, away from your comfort zone, but somehow feel more at home than you could ever imagine. At that time, no one else matters. The world around you that is spinning, stops. It's just Allah and you. You think of all the good you may have been blessed to be a part of and all the ugly you may have committed. It's as if you call and He is waiting to answer and grant. For when you walk away, there's completeness. A sense of security. A moment of strength. A sign of lifted spirits. You leave the Holy cities physically exhausted, but spiritually uplifted It almost a sense of understanding on your relationship with Allah SWT, it gives you the strength to carry on and you leave with images that serve as a reminder that will make you long to be back, over and over again. 

It helped me gain a stronger grasp of Allah SWT when he says, "I answer the call of the caller; whenever they call." He responds to whoever you are. He doesn't mention wherever you are because you could be standing steps away from the Kaaba or continents away, but He will always be with you. 

When was the last time you called upon The Most Merciful? Know that it is never too late to reach out. Speak to Him even if you have a silent conversation for surely He hears even your hearts whisper. Truly He knows what you reveal and what you conceal.

Being in Makkah helps bring this to life because once you leave you always have the Kaaba engraved behind closed eyelids. That first glance when you return is like seeing a beloved once again, a true sight for sore eyes, an image that can never be replaced.

Marium - USA

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The first time I went for Umrah was in 2005. My Mum and Dad told us over dinner that we would be travelling to the cities of Makkah and Madinah in Saudi Arabia to perform the lesser pilgrimage. As a 10 year old I hadn’t thought much of it, yes I had heard my parent’s stories of when they went for both Umrah and Hajj but little did I think of how different it would be for me as a child.

The first memory that comes to mind was the heat. A blazing heat that was relentless and one that made no room for a cool breeze. It now makes sense as to why the air hostess gave us sunglasses to wear. Entering the city of Makkah was an experience I will never forget. Throngs of pilgrims making their way to the Masjid while cars and motorcycles jostled for space on the clogged roads, all the while construction workers laboured away in the blazing heat. And then came the Adhaan. This melodious, soul penetrating call, had instantly distracted me from the colourful chaos that surrounded us. It was time for Dhohr, the midday prayer, and soon after we would perform the lesser pilgrimage. Stepping foot on that white marble floor of the Masjid was a unique experience.

My Dad told us to not look at the Ka’bah and to keep our heads down. At the time I didn’t understand the emotion I was feeling but I felt it for sure. It was exhilarating and with every step, a raw sense of happiness had gripped me. Finally, we had reached the inner courtyard of the Masjid and alas we were able to look up and there it stood, al-Ka’bah, the 4 walled black structure that stood out from the whiteness around it. Peering at the majestic sight, I was left in awe. All of a sudden I had become numb to the crowds that were jostling and bumping into me and in that brief moment, it was just the Ka’bah and I, At last, I was able to feel what my parents felt when they performed their first Umrah and now I understood what my Mum meant when she said that the first time is a life-changing experience.

Performing the different acts of Umrah was for sure an enlightening experience, from Tawaf to the running between the mountains of Safa and Marwa and finally the shaving of the head. My first pilgrimage was an utterly unique experience and one that will always stand out for me.

Mussa - UK

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I felt like my soul stepped out of my body and performed tawaf. I don't think I was the only one feeling like that because people were crying, making dua out loud, they simply didn't care what people would think of them. I felt like we were all walking as one unit as if we were all linked somehow.

Every time I looked at the Kaaba, I got the feeling that it was witnessing people, their dua, their thoughts and their feelings. The thought of Angels doing the same thing in the sky around البيت المعمور the house of God himself Subhanallah.

Lobna - Egypt

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I remember walking in Masjid al-Haram in excitement to finally see the Kaaba. Walking past pillar after pillar while there was a rush all around me, feeling the breeze across my face as I quickened my footsteps & there it was. My eyes filled with tears and I was truly humbled to have finally witnessed the beauty of the Kaaba myself.

Aisha - UK

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One particular experience that stands out was reciting the Talbiyah on the way to Umrah. It's a very emotional statement and it's meaning is very powerful as well because it's like you're telling Allah right then and there that you are about to conduct Umrah just for him. Another one would be doing Tawaaf, retrospectively I feel honoured, that I had the opportunity to do Umrah. A great honour and privilege is how I would describe it in hindsight.

Ismail

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Share Your Story

When was the first time you went on Hajj or Umrah? We would love to add your contribution to this ever-growing article. Fill in the form below to share your experience of visiting the Kaaba for the first time.

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Shizuoka Japan Is Home to a 700-Strong Muslim Community

Japan’s 17th most populous city is home to a thriving Muslim community. Muhammad Shuwekh speaks with a local Muslim community leader to learn more about life in the Japanese prefecture.

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The tomes of history seldom touch upon the interaction between the Islamic world and Japan. The earliest records narrate the rare interactions of a sole Muslim proselytiser and diplomatic missions sent from the Ottoman Empire. But among the dubious and dramatic tales of Japans interaction with the Muslim world, one quote stands out.   

“East of China are the lands of Waqwaq, which are so rich in gold that the inhabitants make the chains for their dogs and the collars for their monkeys of this metal. They manufacture tunics woven with gold”   

The words of Muslim cartographer Ibn Khordadbeh paint a dreamy picture of what may be 9th century imperial Japan and while carrying out research for this article, I often contemplated what Ibn Khordadbeh would have made of Japan’s ultra-modern society centuries later. Unlike neighbouring nations such as China and Indonesia, Islam has never found a native footing in the nation, perhaps owing to its isolated geography.   

Despite this it has developed into its own uniquely wondrous community - a nation transformed post WW2 into a technologically advanced, vending machine obsessed, world-leading G20 economy. Whether Ibn Khordadbeh’s descriptions were tinged with a hint of hyperbole remains to be seen but his vivid narrations caused me to reflect on what he would have made of Japan 2020, or moreover what he would have made of the possibility of his brothers in faith settling down in the land of the rising sun. 

Khordadbeh was an ethnic Persian from what records can tell, a land around four thousand miles from Japan, however, three thousand miles further west in the North African state of Morocco - my present-day interlocutor was born. In the process of learning about Islam in Japan, I came across Yassine a Morrocan born resident of Shizuoka.

Yassine moved from the US to Japan with his small family for slightly different reasons to roving explorer Ibn Khordadbeh; he is a professor at a university and also serves as the lead representative of the Japan Dahwa Foundation. I was keen to speak with him about his community’s experiences in Japan and what life was like for the estimated 40,000 minority Muslim population. Family commitments and new job opportunities lead him to the land of the rising sun, he explains:   

“I have been living in Japan for 13 years now, you never quite get the language down you get the basics but it’s a very deep language you’re learning every day. To read the newspaper, you need to learn at least 4000 kanjis! The Muslims in Japan are first-generation we aren’t into the second generation yet. We are mostly made up of Indonesians, Pakistanis and Turkish among other nationalities, Arabs are perhaps the smallest number and we have a small portion of Japanese converts of whom most are women I would say 90% are women converts.

Most of the Muslim community in Japan are blue-collar workers, they were brought to work in factories and you have a small portion of business type people; Pakistanis dealing in the used car business. The issue is that the job profiles are not as diversified as in other places, when Japans economy is not doing so well it reflects on donations in the mosques [laughs].”  

The Muslim community praying in congregation while on a trip to a local park.

With an emerging population of Muslims both native and ex-pat the future of Islam in the country is still in its earliest phases. The city of Shizuoka where Yassine is based is the seventeenth most populous city in Japan and so in a country where Islam is even alien in the capital; Tokyo one can appreciate the unique challenges his community may face.

“The number of Muslims in the whole country is about 100,000, in a population of about 26 million people, it’s not even a ‘minority’. In some cities in Europe, you have over 100,000 Muslims. The Muslims of Japan live in three major cities, Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya. In the case of Shizuoka, we have around 700 Muslims.”  

The Japanese Muslim experience is one that is a ‘minority within a minority’ meaning assimilation can be a difficult task. Due to a strong push for secularisation after the fall of the Japanese Imperial state religion has often been understood as a private matter among the Japanese. This can pose a challenge for adherents of the Islamic faith who still consider their religion as a guiding principle in everyday life. Muslims understand the importance of Dawah (proselytization) but considering cultural sensitivities are also very important.  

“In Japan religion is something taboo, they don’t feel comfortable talking about it in public – so the way we do our Dawah activities is we try to represent the cultural aspects of Islam, we invite them for a Halal cooking or calligraphy class. Once they make that first step, they feel more comfortable to take that second step and learn about our religion. But when you do a seminar about Islam (or religion in general) people are a bit reluctant.”

Japanese women trying on Islamic garments at a stall.

“After their defeat [in WW2] they wanted to remove religion from all parts of life. The most important thing was to work and build. Although Japan has a lot of good things, they also have a lot of issues too like suicide; they have one of the highest rates of suicides in the world almost 30,000 a year, they have the issue of villages being deserted and elderly people being neglected, these are issues we think Islam can definitely bring some solutions for. “

Japanese culture also brings up various other challenges, including the tendency of Japanese people to be reserved when expressing their disagreements.

“Privacy is something important for Japanese, even modesty is a part of the culture. You never know what they truly have in their mind. Whenever we have a seminar at a university, we always try to present them surveys at the end to get their true feedback and the reaction you get from the seminar and the surveys are always different”  

“The struggle is to dine out, it’s very difficult to go with our families, so usually, we are stuck to one or two spots.”

Our conversation naturally swayed towards the great equaliser, the desire for good food. I wondered how the 700-small community stuck by Halal dietary guidelines in the land of Kobe beef and delectable sushi.

“When I came here 13 years ago, it was a huge problem, it was like a desert! But alhamdulillah little by little we can buy halal food not only in halal places but also in Japanese supermarkets.”

But finding a good Halal restaurant proves to be a tougher proposition: “The struggle is to dine out, it’s very difficult to go with our families, so usually, we are stuck to one or two spots. But with dining at home, it’s not an issue. Our organisation also helps to certify organisations as ‘halal friendly’ but it’s quite an issue, especially for visitors who can’t read the language. That’s the reason why we want to open a halal restaurant in our Islamic centre, InshaAllah.”  

There is also strong progress being made in providing public places for prayer. Yassine expounds further:   “There is a huge effort in Japan to make Mussalahs (prayer spaces) all over the place, there are prayer spaces at the local airports, even businesses try to open a few prayer rooms to attract Muslim tourists.”

The mediums in which the Muslims of Japan deliver the message of Islam is also something Shizuoka’s Muslim community has to consider. Our conversation eventually turned to Manga ‘comics’ or ‘graphic novels’ a niche hobby in the western world but an art form that has existed in Japanese popular culture for millennia. Yassine explained to me that till this day they influence how Japanese citizens take in information.

“A lot of our elders try to translate [Islamic] books, but somehow it doesn’t click. The way they [Japanese] learn things is through manga. In Japan, Manga is something that people from all ages not just kids but also adults use, if you want to give them a better understanding of Islam we as Muslims must think about entering this world of manga and introducing Islam through this vehicle otherwise it would be very difficult to reach the Japanese public.”

Referencing his youth in North Africa watching the famed ‘Captian Majid’ known as Kyaputen Tsubasa in Japan he seemed to value the importance of creating engaging educational content for his newly adopted countrymen and how the creation of a new genre could benefit the entire Ummah. As he described his long-term vision for their projects, my mind swayed towards envisaging the immense benefit a Muslim run manga industry could bring.  

“We have already made our first attempt, it’s another reason we want to build this Islamic centre, we want to make sure it has a Waqf (charitable endowment) and income to work on projects like this. We believe it will not only impact the Japanese but also on our kids back home in the Muslim world.”

The mosque project he mentions is ambitious, but one that would transform the lived reality for the 700 strong Muslim community in Shizuoka. The idea began when members of their community began realising that Muslim prayer spaces were often divided in terms of nationality, the ‘Shizuoka Muslim Association’ was formed in 2010 with the main aim of unifying the Muslims within the city.

A diversity of Musiims attending congregational prayers in Shizouka.

“Little by little we collected some money to build a masjid and during that process, we rented office space for use as a prayer space. We also went around Japan to learn about other mosques and the challenges they faced. We realised that most of the mosques are built by first-generation Muslims and we realised that the mosques are built in a way that reminds them of mosques they have back home so if you’re a Pakistani you want a mosque that reminds you of Karachi or if you are Indonesian you want to build a mosque that reminds you of Indonesia. Unfortunately, those kinds of mosques don’t work in Japan it’s very difficult to invite Japanese to them.”  

“We hope to include masjid facilities for brothers and sisters and alongside that, we will include a halal restaurant, some shops, a conference room and also rooms for residents and visitors as well as a kitchen studio. That will be a source of income. We want this place to not only be a place for Muslims but we want it to be a place that is constantly busy”

Islam is like water - any container can hold it. When it comes to Islam in Japan the way I see it is that we as Muslims have a huge responsibility.

Concluding our cross-continental conversation, as a “Western” born Muslim I was interested in understanding how Muslims were viewed by the wider Japanese population, do the Muslims of Japan face the same stigma that many European Muslims feel?  

An Iftar event explaining the meaning behind Ramadan to Japanese attendees.

“Because of our small numbers they don’t see us as a threat – they see Islam as a foreign thing that’s why we insist that this will be the first Japanese designed masjid because we want to show them that the message of Islam is like water - any container can hold it. When it comes to Islam in Japan the way I see it is that we as Muslims have a huge responsibility. Our role as Muslims is to convince the Japanese that they don’t have to fear us.”

“Muslims can be of added value so if they decide to open immigration to Indonesia, for example, the numbers will increase and the numbers of Muslims will grow exponentially InshaAllah. Once the Japanese get to know Muslims we can become good friends, but the first hurdle is talking to a Muslim. One we break that wall we can become good friends, so that’s what we try to do we show them they don’t have to fear us.”

After ending our call on an optimistic tone and gladly noting Yassines warm invitation to visit Japan, I felt a sense of connection with his community, they were undoubtedly a part of my global Muslim family but were situated in a totally foreign part of the globe.

Our interview was conducted quite a while back and it seems the community has made strong progress on their plans, you can check out all their latest developments over on their Facebook page and help support their work.

Japan Dahwa Foundation

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Author: Muhammad Yousuf Shuwekh

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