As you sit in the blessed Rawḍah (the space between the Prophet’s pulpit and house), close your eyes and imagine that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is ascending his pulpit before you. He looks at you; not past you, but directly at you. He smiles his blessed smile, an expression that fills the room with light and uplifts the heart: he is overjoyed to see you. Then he begins to speak, and for the first time, you hear these words from his own blessed lips:
What lies between my house and my pulpit is a garden from the gardens of Paradise. – The Messenger of Allah ﷺ (Bukhārī)
Let yourself feel, as you hear this ḥadīth in this very place, that you are hearing it for the first time. Let the awe of this place and this moment move you to offer your best prayers and your most heartfelt supplications. Let this be a turning point in the way you live your life; choose to sacrifice for this dīn as he ﷺ did, to carry his legacy forward, so that when he meets you on the Day of Judgement, he recognises you. Live your life in such a way that he ﷺ is proud of you, and one day bestows upon you the same radiant smile he showered upon his Companions.
7. The House of the Beloved: ʿA’ishah b. Abi Bakr (radiy Allāhu ʿanhumā)
