Every day, I wake up and I think, “I want to go somewhere.”
I want to go somewhere far.
I want to go somewhere beautiful.
I want to go somewhere where I can try something new.
I want to go somewhere where I can taste something delectable.
I want to go somewhere where stress is not my enemy yet a insignificant worry compared to the true trials of this world.
I want to go somewhere where I can feel my heart beating with exuberant tingling.
I want to go somewhere inexpressible through words.
I want to go to Ummrah & Hajj.
Become lost among my diverse Muslim brothers and sisters all equal under the ruling of Allah swt.
Marvel at the power of the Creator.
Let my tears flow as millions of Muslims kneel and prostrate to the One with only two words, “Allahu Akbar!”
Feel my heart beats intensifying as millions unify to obey Allah swt.
Taste the purity of Zamzam water.
Forget the worries of this material world.
Make every dua’ possible to Allah swt to guide me on the straight path and give me the privilege of dying with the Shahada on my tongue and Allah swt and his messenger in my heart.
Struggle to return home because this is where I imagine my true home to be.
Believe sincerely that my journey is this life yet my destination is Janaat.
I want to go to Palestine.
Pray in Masjid Al-Aqsa after 11 years of desire to return.
Gaze with adoration at the beauty of the Dome of the Rock.
Run through olive tree groves.
Indulge in the sweetness of knafe.
Grin at the vibrant sight of intricate cultural stitching.
Excitedly add to my growing collection of kuffiyahs.
Devour the freshness of homegrown grape leaves.
Ache at the image of strong-willed children laughing and playing football (soccer), carefree under a tyrannical occupation.
Feel the therapeutic salt minerals slip through my hands as I dip them into the Dead Sea.
Visit refugee camps lit with noor, radiating of deen from the strong women who have lost loved ones to the vicious occupation.
Hear the beats of dabke as youth dance to tell the story of their ancestral struggle.
Leave my mark on the Apartheid wall as I make dua’ for it to fall.
I want to go to Egypt.
Where liberation has a square named after it, Tahrir.
Where revolution has a history.
Where the nation understands that it must stand together, despite differences, for freedom and justice.
Where Om il Dunya (Mother of the World) no longer just refers to its influential entertainment capital of the Arab world.
Where the fertility of the land runs alongside the Nile.
Where the pyramids stand proud with ancient history.
Where Alexandria and Sharm-el-Sheik bring night-life to the deserts.
Where its language is the most unique and distinct among the Arabic dialects.
Where the adhan (call to prayer) is heard five times a day.
Where the charming humor of the Arab world pulsates.
I want to go to Lebanon.
Smell the beauty of its terrain of luscious mountains views.
Hear the religious diversity among the plethora of languages spoken.
Be at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe.
I want to go to Dubai.
Where everything is taller, bigger, better.
Ski in the dessert at an indoor mall.
Feel the presence of being surrounded within the big skyscraper cities of the western world while in the Middle East.
I want to go to Paris.
Hear the elegant language flood the streets.
Discover the amazingness of cheese as the French see it.
Scarf down warm croissants and baguettes from the boulangerie.
Sample delicacies at the patisserie.
Take touristy pictures under the Eiffel Tower.
Discover the beauty of the Grande Mosquée de Paris.
Stroll down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées.
Breathe in the fresh scents of nature in the Jardin du Luxemburg.
Sip coffee at the Café les Deux Magots.
I want to go to London.
Skip along the Tower Bridge.
Stare back at the London Eye.
Ride a double-decker bus.
Venture through Oxford.
Check the time on Big Ben.
Stand on Westminster Bridge.
Stroll through Hyde Park.
Use a telephone booth.
Feel like Hermione Granger.
I want to go to Italy.
Feel the ancient power of politics in Rome.
Strut through the fashion capitals, Milan and Florence.
Explore the ruins of stunning architecture.
Lean on the walls of the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Ride gondolas through the canals of Venice.
Inhale espressos.
Treat myself to authentic Neapolitan pizza.
Flavor creamy gelato.
Write in the halls of the University of Bologna.
Observe the architectural masterpiece known as the Santa Maria del Fiore Cathedral.
Smile at the work of Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Donatello.
I want to go to Spain.
Walk through the great walls of the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Andalusia.
Marvel at breathtaking Islamic architecture.
Feel like a movie star in Barcelona.
I want to go to Ireland.
Become lost in the rich nature scenery.
I want to go to Switzerland.
Travel the vibrant green, blue, and white landscape.
Visit the proud Palace of Nations, the European headquarters of the United Nations in Geneva.
Pose with the statue of the writer and philosopher, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, in Geneva.
Ski the soft, white hills of Saas-Fee.
Consume sweet, delicate chocolate.
I want to go to Canada.
Feel the mist of Niagara Falls.
Practice my French in Quebec.
Cheer at a legit hockey game.
Photograph the busy Toronto skyline.
I want to go to New York.
Remember my blessing of being born and raised in the USA at the remarkable sight of the Statue of Liberty.
Pretend I’m a student at New York University.
Stroll importantly through Manhattan.
Acquire inspiration at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Modern Art
Explore the insanity of Times Square.
Attempt to ignore Time Warner Center.
Allow temptation of a West Village stroll along tree-lined cobblestone streets.
Absorb the energy of Rockefeller Center.
Visit the touristy Empire State Building.
Observe the celestial ceiling mural in Grande Central Terminal.
Feel the cool breeze while riding the Staten Island Ferry.
Watch a musical on Broadway.
Experience the magic of Carnegie Hall.
Write a new novel and take a bazillion photographs in Central Park.
I want to go somewhere where I can
reinvent myself,
rejuvenate my soul,
be true to my thoughts,
renew my intentions,
let all my stress fall away,
leave the material world behind,
remember how blessed I am…
I wake up before the sun rises and realize that I do not need to travels to go away; I will be in this place soon.
I pray fajr.
It’s just me and my creator.
In those few minutes, it’s just me and Allah swt.
All the anxiety, fears, migraines, heart aches… gone.
Serenity engulfs my heart and that tingling feeling is there, vibrant.
In those blessed moments, I pray to the One and only Allah swt.
I am fully exposed in my thoughts.
I am myself.
Nothing else matters.
There is no fear of this material world that can disintegrate at any moment and take me to the eternal hereafter.
I thank Allah swt for all that he has given me.
I ask Allah swt for forgiveness and an answer to all my supplications.
I ask Allah swt for anything I want.
In our relationship, I am never alone.
No matter where I am, I am never alone.
I go to this somewhere five times a day.
Five times a day, I am reminded of Allah swt’s beauty, mercy, blessings.
I can go to this somewhere anytime I want.
