The most peaceful spot in Paris -- the garden of la Grande Mosquée de Paris
True, there are a lot of breath-taking monuments in Paris. You might have seen them in person or in pictures. Or you might search for their images using internet right now and admire them.
But the garden in the courtyard of the grand masjid of Paris wins as the most peaceful spot in Paris.
Alhamdulillah, God granted me the opportunity to visit the masjid for solat asar. The masjid looked plain and humble from outside.
Step inside and the most striking feature of the masjid greets you. The garden looks stunning and the roses smell fantastic!
Even the journey there was worth chronicling. I took off with the metro from Chateau Landon station and got down at Censier Daubenton. Emerging from the underground, I approached an elderly lady waiting for a bus, wearing a tudung.
"Excuse-moi. Ou est la mosquee de Paris?" I asked.
The lady enthusiastically gave instructions in French and lucky me she liberally supplemented the mostly incomprehensible words with hand gestures.
All I caught were the words "un deux troi" when she was explaining to turn left only after the third junction.
While inching away from her, I smiled and said "Merci beaucoup. Assalamu'alaikum."
She flashed back a much wider smile than mine and said, "Alaikumsalam. Anta Muslim?"
I replied, "Ana muslim."
"Alhamdulillah! Solatul asar?"
I said, "Yes. Jazakumullah."
She said, "Alhamdulillah. Shukran, shukran."
I felt very warm inside me, despite being alone in a cold, foreign country.
Safe inside the mosque, I joined the solatul asar jemaah and it was normal, as expected. However, immediately after as-salam the jemaah grabbed copies of Al-Quran, formed a circle and loudly read Al-Quran in a very fast manner.
The old and the young all joined and read in unison (although tajweed as I was familiar with was not adhered to). Some of them recited Al-Quran from memory. They read a lot of pages and adjourned in the middle of surah at-taubah.
It was a tadarus. They continue the tadarus past ramadhan. This is what I've been hoping to happen at my surau. And they are doing it in the grand masjid of Paris. Subhanallah!
For more pictures of Paris (typical monuments, cité des sciences et de l'industrie, grand masjid of Paris), please visit web album h e r e.
But the garden in the courtyard of the grand masjid of Paris wins as the most peaceful spot in Paris.
Alhamdulillah, God granted me the opportunity to visit the masjid for solat asar. The masjid looked plain and humble from outside.
Step inside and the most striking feature of the masjid greets you. The garden looks stunning and the roses smell fantastic!
Even the journey there was worth chronicling. I took off with the metro from Chateau Landon station and got down at Censier Daubenton. Emerging from the underground, I approached an elderly lady waiting for a bus, wearing a tudung.
"Excuse-moi. Ou est la mosquee de Paris?" I asked.
The lady enthusiastically gave instructions in French and lucky me she liberally supplemented the mostly incomprehensible words with hand gestures.
All I caught were the words "un deux troi" when she was explaining to turn left only after the third junction.
While inching away from her, I smiled and said "Merci beaucoup. Assalamu'alaikum."
She flashed back a much wider smile than mine and said, "Alaikumsalam. Anta Muslim?"
I replied, "Ana muslim."
"Alhamdulillah! Solatul asar?"
I said, "Yes. Jazakumullah."
She said, "Alhamdulillah. Shukran, shukran."
I felt very warm inside me, despite being alone in a cold, foreign country.
Safe inside the mosque, I joined the solatul asar jemaah and it was normal, as expected. However, immediately after as-salam the jemaah grabbed copies of Al-Quran, formed a circle and loudly read Al-Quran in a very fast manner.
The old and the young all joined and read in unison (although tajweed as I was familiar with was not adhered to). Some of them recited Al-Quran from memory. They read a lot of pages and adjourned in the middle of surah at-taubah.
It was a tadarus. They continue the tadarus past ramadhan. This is what I've been hoping to happen at my surau. And they are doing it in the grand masjid of Paris. Subhanallah!
For more pictures of Paris (typical monuments, cité des sciences et de l'industrie, grand masjid of Paris), please visit web album h e r e.
Comments
I will be sure to look it up when in town....