Throngs of fans crowded former boxing champion (and convert) Mike Tyson this week, as he took a spiritual tour of Mecca, while performing Umrah, that ended in tears: tears of awakening. Tyson toured the requisite sites, finally crying at the Prophet’s Mosque, saying: “I couldn’t resist shedding tears when I came to know that I was in one of the gardens of paradise.”
This is a new side of Mike Tyson. His entourage was devoid of any promoters (or, for those of you who saw The Hangover, pet tigers), instead peopled by spiritual leaders and companions. We have seen the fighter, the actor, the convict, and the convert, but such an open display of spiritual hunger and appreciation hasn’t ever before been revealed by the Tyson camp.
There is something to be said for the power of a holy place. The aura of a monument or mosque can overwhelm us and stir our emotions in ways we did not predict or expect. The first time I went to Daata Darbar, a popular Sufi shrine in Lahore, Pakistan, I noticed: my face was wet. Wait. I was… crying? Yes. Uncontrollably for about 19 or 20 minutes. People there thought perhaps a relative of mine had died (no one had). There is something about that place that touches you. Wakes you up.
Have you ever been to a place that brought out such emotions in you?
Comments
I felt like this once when I came across a double rainbow. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQSNhk5ICTI
Just kidding, but I did feel a little like this when I first stepped onto the Great Wall of China. Something about being in a spot that is so profound—and also a place that you know you’ll likely never return to again, or none of your friends or family will have the chance to see.
By Boz1200 on 07/16/2010 at 10:35am Report Abuse
I feel like this everytime I visit the Muslim cemetary in Maine. In the 1800’s Muslims from Albania and other parts of the world came to Maine to work in the thriving mill industries. They started what was the first known “mosque” in North America which was actually just a meeting spot in a coffeehouse in Biddeford/Saco. I weep because despite their presence here so long ago, they were unable to establish Islam here and the few men who stayed behond and started families didn’t pass along the deen to their kids. There have been descendents who have had Islamic art/calligraphy passed down through the family yet had no knowledge that the artifacts left behind by their ancestors were engravings of the shahada or ayahs from the Qu’ran. I have never visited the cemetary without weeping. It’s just a reminder of all the work the has to be done here and why I believe Allah (swt) brought me to this state-to help permanently build institutions and establish the deen. However, sad it makes me feel, I feel comforted knowing that I am helping to fulfill the work that perhaps these men had not the time or resources to do. May Allah (swt) help us.
By MaineMuslim on 07/18/2010 at 02:01pm Report Abuse