Although we were scheduled to attend classes at the prophet’s masjid (saw), my heart pulled me in a different direction: to sit quietly in the masjid and read Qur’an.
As I was preparing to leave, I stopped to ask one of the female guardians of the masjid about the Zamzam water coolers and their provenience. She said that Zamzam water is transported from Mecca via tankers.
Impressed by their strength, knowledge, and how they take their job's responsibility at heart, I complimented her in my broken Arabic for it. I did not anticipate the excitement in her accepting my appreciation, and as she called more of her “co-workers” so I could repeat my words. She commented on their hard work being overlooked, not appreciated, and on worshippers actually cursing them as they strive to maintain order, and control the crowds.
One of the sisters actually took my hand and led me to a room where free literature in various languages is distributed. I reassured her that my intention was only to sincerely compliment them and their work, not to get anything from them. She insisted I take some free literature in English with me, and then led me to a library inside the masjid, opened to women only, with volumes and volumes of Islamic knowledge for women to read in the premises. I was pleasantly surprised to find a whole bookshelf filled with books in the English language. The sisters running the library actually gave me the name of the bookstore where I could find some of the English books available in their library. (Dar Zaman, outside masjid’s gate 26, on the right).
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