The One Where I Was Impressed With Mohammad's Hospitality

Hey all,

I have to share with you about my recent trip to Medina. I last went to Medina back in 2002. That was over two years ago. Somehow, I always liked going to Medina more than going to Makkah. I think it has to do something with the fact that whenever I go to Medina I spend a night there. I also think that it is a more relaxed trip than a trip to Makkah, where one usually has to perform the pilgrimage or circumambulating around the Kabaa and walking seven times between the two hills.

We left on Thursday morning, and I had taken a day off from work. Six people packed into the Nissan Patrol: two in front, two in middle, and two in the back. My mom and I were in the middle. We also got our usual stick of water, drinks and other snack items. I also got several pillows which were rotated amongst the passengers.

The landscape evolved from flat barren desert to mountainous and green regions. It was so amazing to see such a transformation. I had forgotten that there were huge mountains. Someone one pointed out that the mountains are volcanic, and that was the reason why they were so black. Medina is towards North-West of Jeddah, and this particular region received rain in the last few days, which was why we were able to see more natural greenery than in Jeddah. Since we were all fasting we could not stop at a convenience store to get chocolates and soft drinks.

I am not going to bore with every details of the trip, but would rather tell you the highlights.

Medina has been historically known as a friendlier city than Makkah. Every one of the guests that we have received who went to Makkah and Medina, have said that they felt more welcome in Medina, and saw a definite change in the attitude of the people. History also testifies that when Prophet Muhammad had to flee Makkah, it was the people of Medina who received him with a warm welcome. It is interesting to note that among the early people of Medina, there were also some several tribes of Jews. How ironic that today Muslims are so anti-Jews.

On Thursday night at 330am, we were all invited to a Saudi’s family house for early morning breakfast (Suhoor). I was not in the mood, nor was my friend. The parents had to go. I was so glad I went. Upon entering the huge compound, which consisted of several houses, which we later realize were guest houses, we were driven into the main house. The women were whisked away to the side, and I was guided towards the main entrance. I met Mohammad at the main door, and talked to him in Arabic, asking him how he was doing. Inside the main entrance, there was a huge round table with flowers on top of it. I was led into the golden living room on my left.

In typical Saudi fashion, all the men were seated along the sides of the room, on chairs and sofas. I shook my hands with each one if them, saying Assalam-u-Alaikum, and Kayf Halak (Hello, and How Are You?) There were 12-13 people. The room was painted in yellow, with exquisite attention paid to the details. With the gypsum plaster décor on the ceiling, even some of that was painted in Gold. I was served the Qahwa, which I always take out of courtesy, because it is impolite to refuse, and just had a sip. The coffee tables were covered with golden covers, complete with golden accessories. The carpets were of several different kinds strewn about on the floor. The cushions were decorated with huge ribbons and bows, all of golden color. I was so thankful I was not going to be in this room the whole time otherwise I would have started seeing golden and yellow everywhere. The host said that the meal was ready, and we all walked out of the room into the huge lobby beyond the smaller lobby at the main entrance. From here there were huge staircases leading up to the first floor. We went into the small passageway, which opened up to a big bathroom, where the host asked if we wanted to wash our hands. We all did that.

Walking through the bigger lobby, around the staircase, I paid attention to the details. There were chairs place around the edges of the room, and even the chairs were decorated as if it were a piece from some antique museum. The huge dining room had a dining table for about 24 people. There was also a small comfortable sitting area at the end of the dining room. The tables and chairs and the shelves around the room were all ordered from Egypt. They were very loud and garish, and started to hurt the eyes after a while. The side tables were decorated with salads and desserts like one would see at a hotel buffet. The dining table itself was set out with all kinds of cutleries and glasses, as well as the food. Yes, the food!

There were two huge round plates, with a lamb in the middle surrounded with yellow rice. The smaller dishes included okra, appetizers and salads. The host, who went out of his way, served the main meal to everyone. He would always put more than one could eat. He made sure that we were well fed. That was how hospitable they were. I became impressed. No matter how much I refused to eat more, my plate was being filled up with more and more, so much so, the host put the entire brain of the lamb on my plate! Feeling so full and bloated from the main meal, we were offered desserts and juices and fruits. Most of the food was homemade and it was rather quite delicious. My favorite dish was the dessert which was the kunnafah. They even got us lemons, which they said was of the best kind and sliced it up for us. After the dinner, we went back to the golden living room, where we were given repeatedly more tea. There was only so much one could take, but the host felt it necessary to offer the tea.

What may seem overwhelming to you all, I was certainly impressed by the level of hospitality shown to me. I strained to remember when the last time was when someone really looked after me like the way Mohammad and his family did tonight. I could not think of anything. I felt so welcome, and I began to feel like as if I knew this family for a long time. Despite my broken Arabic, I still managed to get along with his conversation. I felt so welcome, I wanted to go to sleep right there on the sofa. Time came for us to leave. Mohammad kissed me on my cheeks, like the Arabs do as a sign of friendship and close relations, and said to me, “Mansur, we are like your brothers. Anytime you need anything, please let us know.” I was impressed. Here I am, visiting this house for the first time, and already I was offered so much friendliness. Sure, some people say nice things, but tonight, I knew that whatever Mohammad said, he meant it from his heart. And that is precisely what prompted me to write all about this.

On a more unfortunate note, my mom fell sick from the food. Everyone one else were ok.

The following day, we left Medina and went to Yanbu, which is a coastal city north of Jeddah. I slept for most of the way, but the drive was really interesting, with roads curving around the mountains. Fortunately, I was able to see some of the old ruins, which were abandoned and derelict houses from years ago, made from square stone blocks. IN Yanbu, there was a dinner, where I ate too much.

In Jeddah, the next day, before I could go to work, I threw up the entire meal I had eaten in Yanbu.

Yours having recovered now,

Mansur