A Saudi academic, who recently climbed on the Jabal Al-Nour near Makkah to see the Hira Cave along with her three Jordanian friends, has highlighted a number of concerns with regard to safety and cleanliness of the historic place. According to her, a growing number of beggars, absence of safety systems, illegal vendors, absence of lights and lack of cleanliness are a cause for major concern. Dr. Hajar Awad, the academic, has urged the authorities to give special care to this important historical landmark in Makkah by taking measures to ensure its cleanliness, safety of visitors, improve its pathway and control the growing number of beggars. She urged the municipality and mayoralty to remove the illegal and disorganized vendors in and around the mountain, provide lighting and prevent people from visiting the cave in the night to avoid possible accidents. "Climbing on the mountain to see Hira Cave was one of my childhood dreams," the academic told Al-Madinah Arabic daily. "It's not easy to climb the mountain but the place's spiritual importance gave me the power and enthusiasm to realize that dream." She said her father had narrated the story of Hira Cave when she was a little girl. Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, used to climb on the mountain and spend days in the cave for the purpose of seclusion and meditation until he got the revelation from Allah. "Since my childhood, I have been thinking about this historical place where the greatest of all prophets, Prophet Muhammad, used to spend many days and nights thinking about the Almighty. As a result I had tremendous desire to see that cave." She added: "When I became a mother I used to narrate the same story to my children and promised them that one day I would take them to that place on top of Jabal Al-Nour on a spiritual journey." Awad said she was extremely happy when she started the journey to the cave. "When I looked from the bottom to the top of the mountain I acquired great enthusiasm that helped me climb the mountain without any feeling of tiredness," she said. She said the Jordanian friends had asked her to accompany them while visiting the historical cave. "When we reached the middle of the mountain, one of the three said she is tired and could not continue and we asked her to sit in a place until we return." She said she was continuously praying to the Almighty to give her the power and courage to complete the journey without any difficulty. As they were climbing the mountain, Awad thought whether the authorities had given better care to the cave that attracts a large number of Haj and Umrah pilgrims every year. "After reaching the top of the mountain I looked around and could see and the Grand Mosque in Makkah. What a beautiful and gracious place. I was wondering how the Prophet used to climb on this mountain during those days without any steps," Awad said. "When I sat inside the Hira Cave I felt an unprecedented spiritual feeling, which cannot be explained in words," she said. "I had forgotten all the difficulties I had to face while climbing that lofty mountain, taking more than an hour and a half." When the sun was about to set, it was time for us to return through the difficult terrain of the mountain. "It was a wonderful experience and I will tell that story to my grandchildren one day."
