April 18th 2011
9:30am: muneeb from the group had spent the night in neighbouring room ( crashing on the sofa) well, we were after all Dead Asleep ( he got locked out)
Early start, we head off initially towards Jordan valley when were told by the bus load we were now to go to the place of the seven sleepers the people of the cave ( dates back to bc era)
The people of the cave is a story of righteous people in Quran,
Verses 9 - 26 of the chapter tell the story of the People of the Cave (Ashabu Al-Kahf). Some number of young monotheistic men lived in a time where they were persecuted. They fled the city together, and took refuge in a cave where they fell asleep. God caused them to remain sleeping for 300 solar years, or 309 lunar years, and when they woke the surrounding area had become monotheistic as well.
Located on the out skirts of Amman 45 minutes drive was the place , next to it the ummyad mosque , made by ummyad caliph ( their rule started in year 660ce and lasted with the termination of their rule from Muslim Spain
We then head towards our main aim, Al-quds ( jeruselum )
Heading to Jordan Israeli border via the Allenby bridge, also known as the King Hussein Bridge, is a bridge that crosses the Jordan River, and connects Jericho in the West Bank to the country of Jordan. It is currently the designated exit/entry point for Palestinians residing in the west bank
The original bridge was built in 1918 over a remnant of an old Ottoman colonial era bridge by the British general Edmund Allenby. It was destroyed once in the Night of June 16, 1946. It was destroyed again during the Six-Day War, but was replaced in 1968, This bridge is still called the Allenby Bridge by Israelis, although it is also known as Al-Karameh Bridge to Palestinian Arabs, and the King Hussein Bridge to Jordanians. In the late 1990s, and subsequent to the Israel-Jordan peace treaty, a new modern paved crossing was constructed adjacent to the older wooden one with the aid of the Japanese Government.
We reach the border crossing at 12:00 over to Israel side after Jordanian formalities we are at Israel crossing at 12:30, than the pleasantries began, 68 member group from UK held for three hours and questions are given the treat of usual israeli pleasantries
Allahu mustàn , we say our prayers, and are advised by israeli authorities to try again tomorrow....

A three hour wait and no entry to our holy land.....

Not knowing what tomorrow brings, we head back to our hotel.......
Our first test of patience and for once in my life I begin to realise the enormity that our brothers in palestine suffer , I realise it is greater than what we can imagine,
Imagine a group of people , are forced upon your land , they are supported and now they are the ones controlling the Borders, how can that be right, UN or no UN , it just doesn't make sense to me , it is hard for me to imagine how people can treat their fellow humans the way they do, occupiers , subjects ir mere slaves and the world keeps on seeing this with a blind eye, not knowing what it sees, in my opinion they choose not to see,
Palestine is a cry I feel now, I suddenly feel the feelings i had detached, Palestine have now become so insignificant , this is with a change of saddness towards the state of ummah, what a state we are in that we are divided by internal strife , Let alone how can we care for our mothers our sisters, I agree we see this all over the Muslim lands but the reason their we are not openly occupied , it is the regimes that give us the image of weakness
As I write these words , in France niqab is being banned, by the state against the Muslim women in the name of liberty , these feeling remind me of caliph motassim and the cry of the woman "wa motassim"... Not a single Muslim country had the courage to give these women the right to come and live in their country..... While excesses go around the world....
to write all this on a travel blog may seem unnecessary , but I feel travel brings out a persons feelings about a place, for me these feelings are of saddness , we need to be more understanding yes, but we need to be understood as well.
We head back to Jordan , the formalities are less this time around and we are in hotel by 4:30pm..
We rest until the time for maghrib (post sunset prayer)arrives and we head with our sheikh Yaqoub to one of Grand Mosques of Amman
The King Abdullah I Mosque in Amman, Jordan, was built between 1982 and 1986 with a capacity of 3000 as a memorial to the late King Hussein's Grandfather, His majesty as-Sayyid Abdullah I, King of Jordan.
The mosque is an example of modern Islamic architecture. Islam is Jordan’s state religion and about nine-tenths of the population are Sunni Muslims. Communal prayer is important in the Islamic religion, making the mosques a necessary part of worship.
On April 11, 2006, the structure was retired as Jordan's national mosque, in favor of the newly built King Hussein Ben Talal Mosque.
After maghrib and isha traveler's prayer ( night prayer) we head in two taxis to restaurant , where sheikh's guests join us as well, we meet meshaykh Osama , Nasir and Ahmed .. May Allah grant them jannah, it was nice to have met our brothers...
While I was back at the hotel the story unfolded, turns out one of our brothers had lost his passport..... A deafening moment for him.. An anxious moment but composed... He gathers numbers for British embassy in Jordan for saudi arabian embassy... Our next stop after another attempt in the morning and spending now two days after loosing one to the Israeli govt...is Mecca
They go the king abdullah mosque where we had prayed earlier.... No one was found their who
Might have spotted a lost passport... Chances slim... They move on to a security guard next to the parliament building asking him if he had seen any
Thing. He hasn't .... Then they move on to circle the mosque to look for the security personnel of the masjid.
Again no one found....
Eventually they move on to Muaddin ( prayer caller) home next to the
Mosque ... He wasn't there but the imam sheikh mumhammed ash-shareef ( he is the grand qari of al aqsa as well as masjid alkhalil in Palestine . He is also the imam at masjid abdullah 1 in Jordan ) was.
They explain the situation ... Our travel plans .... And Subhanallah (all glory be to Allah) he had the passport.
Tomorrow inshallah .. We go again.... Another attempt to enter the holy land... Of Palestine.