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NADEEM F. PARACHA   The carpenter In 2010, I met a carpenter named Mateeullah (aka Matee Ghara). 'Ghara' in Urdu means carpenter. Matee at the time seemed to be in his early 70s. He was from my ancestral hometown, Makhad in the Attock District (North Punjab). Matee was hired as a carpenter by my paternal grandfather in the 1950s and early 1960s to work in the textile factory that he was setting up in Karachi at the time. Matee Ghara quit the job in the late 1960s when I was born. He remembered me well, even though I had no recollection of him. Matee had quit because he managed to bag a job in Makkah, the Muslim holy city in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. However, I did remember him visiting my grandfather once, sometime in the mid-1980s. But when I mentioned this to him, he actually became sad. Surprised by his reaction, I asked whether I had triggered a memory he’d rather not talk about. ‘No, no,  puttar  (son) …’ he responded in Punjabi. ‘I’d come t...

One never tires of gazing at the sight of the House of Allah, the Kaa'ba. The site upon which the mercy and blessings of Allah are constantly descending. There is truly nothing comparable to the House of Allah on this Earth. People wish time would stand still so they could keep gazing at the Kaa'ba; their thirst is never quenched, rather it increases. Once, while on a visit to Washington, people told me that a woman had accepted Islam and had some questions for me. They told me that many non-practicing Muslim women had started practicing again due to her. At prayer time she would dress in her best clothes as if readying herself for someone special, and would become oblivious to everything around her as soon she started praying. After a brief question and answer session, I asked her what prompted her to accept Islam. She sighed and started explaining; "I was a Jew and my husband was a Christian who was posted in Saudi Arabia for some technical work. Everyday I used to see M...

It is day six. I've woken up feeling very strange . I'm not sure whether its the sheer exhaustion finally taking its toll, or whether the fact that this being the last day of Hajj is damping my mood. Today we are leaving Mina to return to Makkah, where we will do our final circuits of the Kaaba - concluding our pilgrimage. I've been on a high all week, always looking forward to the day ahead whilst constantly savouring the moment. Just as I never thought I would actually go on Hajj so soon in my life, I guess I never really anticipated this amazing experience ending so soon. Never before have I felt so many different emotions so strongly. I try and channel them all - some make sense to me, other things that I feel are strange... they are new to me. A few years ago I was given the autobiography of Malcolm X (El-Hajj Malik El-shabazz) as a present. Aside from being one of the best books I have ever read, the African-American leader's life story had a profound impa...

It's day five ... I think . Things have been moving so fast and so much is happening that I've lost sense of time! Today is the first day of Eid, one of two Islamic celebrations and holidays in the Muslim world. Growing up I would always look forward to this day, when I would wear my new clothes, go to the mosque and visit friends and families. In the evening the family would sit to a delicious meal prepared by my mother. Today's Eid is a little different. Although I don't have any new clothes, I no longer have to wear the Ihram (two plain white cloths), so I almost get that same feeling . In the morning we greet each other with the Eid greeting of "May God accept your good deeds and may each year bring you peace and good health". Smooth operation Aside from the sense of joy that comes with Eid, there is a noticeable sense of relief amongst us all . The hardest parts of Hajj have come and gone and we are all grateful that we have managed to perform them. To...