Ghar-e-Hira - Khalid Irfan - April 2013 - View

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• published: 19 Jul 2013
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In the month of April 2013, I went to Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah with my mother. During my stay in Mecca, I got a chance to visit two holy caves in Mecca. I visited Ghar-e-Hira and Ghar-e-Sour and I felt myself very fortunate to pray in both of these holy caves. Facts about Caves Name: Cave of Hira (Ghar-e-Hira) Mountain: Jabal--al-Nour Distance from Mecca 3.2 Km (2 miles) Length of the cave: 12 ft (3.7 m) Width of the cave: 5.3 ft (1.60 m) Distance from the ground: 890 ft (270 m) Stair steps: 600 approx. (source: wikipedia) Time require to go up: 1.5 hour at least for a fit person (this depend upon individual's fitness and health. Time to come down will be half of this) During the holy month of Ramadan, at the age of 40 years, first 5 verses of the Surah Al-Alaque were revealed to Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) at this place. My experience and Tips First, I visited Ghar-e-Hira which is located at the peak of Jabal-e-Nour. This mountain is comparatively shorter in height than Jabal-e-Sour. Although there are stairs on the mountain, but the mountain is too steep. It takes around one and half hour to reach to the peak. If you are not a regular sports man, then it is very much advisable that climb the mountain by taking regular intervals of rest. If you are not regular in hiking (as the case for majority of us), then don't try to be over smart by covering too much of the distance in one shot. Although I am a regular trade mill guy, even than I faced difficulties in climbing as this is not my regular routine. If you go too fast then you may face breathing problems. So, slow and steady progress is the right approach. You will find different rest points at the mountain. In the middle you will also find a canteen. Take rest at these points and then go up. On your way to the peak, you will find so many labors, on different points, holding "Belcha" or "Kudal" and doing some maintenance work. They claim that this they are doing voluntarily to make a safe way for you. They expect you to give them some money. From the ground till the top you will find so many such individuals. It should be noted that the Government facilities are very minimum as for them this is not a primary focus point. This is the reason of presence of these "self appointed volunteers". During my visit, I found majority of people were Pakistanis (almost 90% and above). To my surprise, I saw many women there as well. Most of these women were from rural areas of Pakistan. I don't recommend such activity for women who are living in urban areas as this can be quite tough for them. If you are fortunate, you can see some monkey climbing here and there over the mountain. But be careful about with them. For Ghar-e-Hira, you have to go to the top and then you have to go little down to the other side. There is a grill at the peak of the mountain. Entrance to the cave way is very narrow and healthy people face difficulties while entering into the way to the cave. You can use the other way which is quite risky as you have to go from semi vertical rocks. I used the other way as there was no rush from that point. Ghar-e-Hira is very small. Only one person comfortably can pray there. When you pray there, you will have a great feeling that Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) has prayed over the same place. This feeling can not be described in words. If you are interested in visiting these holy caves, then plan it accordingly. Better to avoid these visits during Haj days due to exertion and risk of injuries. It is better to plan it during Umrah visits. Keep two separate days for visiting these caves. Unless you are super fit, you can not visit both caves on the same day as this will make you too much tired (visiting one cave itself is a quite tough task for normal people). From Khana-e-Kabaa, taxi drivers charge 50 Riyal to drop you to these places (this is negotiable). Sharing vans charge only 5 Riyal. It is advisable to go there early in the morning. Better to wear jeans, joggers and sun glasses. You must carry some small bottles of water and juices as you will feel thirst during your journey. If you are visiting Mecca, you are young and have strong will and strength, then you must visit these holy caves.