It has been another day in Istanbul, Turkey. We visited a few religious places such as tombs of great companions of the blessed Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم and beautiful mosques.
We first visited the tomb of Abu Ayub Al Ansari رضي الله عنه. His tomb is located in an area called Eyup, which was named after him. Abu Ayub Al Ansari was the Sahabi who supported Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم when he migrated to Madinah from Makkah.
In order to get to the area of Eyup, we had to take a ferry across the Bosphorus River.
In the vicinity of the tomb is a beautiful mosque known as the Eyub Sultan Mosque. A few other companions of Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم are buried in this area too.
People from around the world come to visit the tomb of Abu Ayub Al Ansari رضي الله عنه. It’s a peaceful and tranquil area with lots of shops and restaurants.
Men and women walk in separate lines to the place where the noble sahabi Abu Ayub Al Ansari رضي الله عنه is buried.
You can hear people reciting Qur’an and uttering supplications as they walk pass his grave.
Nearby to where the sahabi Abu Ayub Al Ansari رضي الله عنه is buried, there’s an enclosed glass cabinet containing a wooden slate that has a footprint of Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم. The wooden slate on which the footprint is on, is encased in metal. The metal casing was designed by an artist whose signature is still on it.
However, the wooden slate that has the footprint of Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم was brought to Istanbul from Arabia and it was kept at the Topkapi Museum. Then from the Topkapi Museum it was moved to the tomb of Abu Ayub Al Ansari رضي الله عنه.
We could hear the call of prayer for صلاة العصر being called at the Eyub Sultan Mosque and went to pray. The mosque was crowded, so we prayed outside.
After praying Al-Asr (the late afternoon prayer), we were feeling a bit hungry and stopped at a Turkish savoury shop in the courtyard of the Eyup Sultan Mosque. The name of the shop was called Simit Sarayi and we ordered savouries such as spiral potato pies, mini pizzas, chicken filled in delectable butter pastries and even a hot Turkish beverage called Salep.
We then left the area of Eyub and went with a bus to an area near the Bosphorus called Karaköy. Alongside the Bosphorus we saw boats with fishermen catching fish and other boats from which they were selling fish sandwiches. We could even see them frying the fish on pans inside the boat.
However, the fish sandwich was not to my liking as it did not appeal to my tastebuds. But some people really enjoy it.
Thereafter, we boarded a tram and went to an area called Sultanahmet and visited another mosque popularly known as the Blue Mosque.
We made it just in time for the Maghrib prayer and performed Salaah inside the Blue Mosque.
The mosque had underfloor heating and the architecture was amazing. This mosque is a tourist site and it is visited by many from around the globe.
We also noticed signs around the mosque advising us to keep an eye on our belongings, especially during prayer time as theft is (unfortunately) rife in Turkey.
A model of Musjidun Nabawi (The mosque of Prophet Muhammad صلى الله عليه وسلم) in Madinah (Saudi Arabia) was also being displayed to tourists visiting the Blue Mosque.
After performing صلاة المغرب, we left and took a walk to another mosque known as the Hagia Sophia which is quite close to the Blue Mosque.
The Hagia Sophia was formerly a Greek Orthodox church that was converted into a mosque by the Ottoman Empire.
After the Esha prayer, we then took a tram to the area of Sirkeci and returned to our hotel.
It was truly a day to remember and cherish.
“I did not come into contact with any Muslim before I embraced Islam. I read the Qur’an first and realized no person is perfect, Islam is perfect, and if we imitate the conduct of the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم…we will be successful.” – Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens)
Africa to Arabia 