ON OUR WAY
Sunday 15th May 2022. I woke up around 7am.
Today a few friends and I were going to go to Box Hill, Surrey (to read my
previous experience, read here). We wanted to trek the hill, have a picnic, and
just enjoy ourselves. We had planned this trip for a few weeks. Getting 9 men together,
all of whom have family, busy lives etc. is a challenge, but Alhamdulillah
everyone managed to find a day to get together.
Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas
(radiyallahu ‘anhuma) narrates that Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alayhi wasallam)
said: …that man who visits his brother in the outskirts of the town with no
intention other than for the pleasure of Allah will be in Jannah...
(Al-Mu’jamul Kabir, Hadith: 12467 and 12468, also see Targhib, Hadith: 2899 and
Ibn Hajar in Mukhtasar Zawaid Bazzar, Hadith: 1623)
The plan was to meet at East London Mosque at
9:30am, to set off for 10am. The weather forecast wasn't too good. A few days
ago, we kept a close eye on the forecast. Sometimes it said it would rain,
sometimes there was sunshine. Unpredictable, typical British weather!
We had other ideas in mind in case the
weather disrupted out plans. However, Alhamdulillah we still went ahead for Box
Hill. There were two cars between us. We set off.
POLICE!
I was in a car with four others. We chatted,
had snacks as usual! Not even 20 minutes into the journey, Masum, our driver
seemed concerned. He didn't see the other car behind him, nor in front and felt
that it may have been stopped by the police. As if an answer to his concerns, a
minute later we get a call saying they had indeed been stopped by the police!
The police had said that the break-lights were not working, which was odd, as
the driver, Ali, had an MOT done only a week before, and everything was working
at the time.
Nevertheless, we met them at a local Halfords
and bought some light fuses to fix the lights. Whilst some of the brothers were
fixing the lights, some of us were just walking around!
Alhamdulillah the lights were fixed, and we
were ready to continue with our journey. But some of us became peckish! So, Abu
Noor had taken out some homemade chicken and mushroom pastries that he had
prepared. Yum MashaAllah.
THE VIEW!
It was a decent drive, not too long. We had
taken the A roads, to avoid the motorway. It took a little longer, but we
finally got to Box Hill. We had parked at the top of the hill, as there was
more space for cars. A cafe was nearby with toilet facilities. Before we
started our trek, we freshened up.
We went to the viewpoint. From here you can
see much of the nearby towns to the Box Hill, such as Dorking. Houses, church
spires, train tracks and loads of lush green fields. It was a refreshing sight;
one we don't often see in London. If the weather was better, the scenery would
have been better. Nevertheless, it was breath-taking.
Although it was a little awkward, we went
down-hill. Our aim was to go to the steppingstones. Into the dark woods we
went. MashaAllah, the trees and hills surrounded us.
Walking down hill is harder. It felt like I'd
roll down any moment! Some of us slipped here and there. A couple were coming
up. We greeted and spurred them on, as one of them seemed like they'd give up
any moment. We told them the end is only a couple of minutes away. They thanked
us and walked on. (That's another thing about being outside of London, you
actually get to say hi and hello to people!)
THE STEPPINGSTONES
The walk down isn't very
long. We reached the bottom and found ourselves at the Steppingstones which is
on the River Mole. The river itself is shallow. Abu Amanah led the way across
the stones. I get scared about falling in! Without looking to my left or right,
my focus was on the next stone. There are 8-10 stones. Due to the rain, the
stones were wet, so we had to be careful. Alhamdulillah all of us made it
across! (I know this sounds like we were wading across a crocodile infested
river in Congo or something...!)
After a little break, we
decided to head back up. Although there are other ways to go up, it can also be
confusing, so we decided to take the same pathway back up. Instead of crossing
over the stones again, we decided to cross over the wooden bridge that was
nearby. It's like a whole new world here, with the river, trees of course,
stones and a wooden bridge.
LUNCH
TIME
Abu Yaqub had
spotted some wild garlic, growing nearby. I love the idea of foraging, but on
this occasion, we didn't do any.
We made our
way back up the hill. Some parts were slippery due to the rain. And some of us
almost fell over! Huffing and puffing, we got to the top. We decided to prepare
for lunch. As it was wet in some parts, we found a small shelter next to the
cafe. We laid our picnic mat and prepared our lunch. Whilst we were doing this,
a man had approached one of us. He was a cyclist and asked if he could leave
his jacket with us and said he'd be back in half an hour. We said yes. He
thanked us and went away.
Each of us
bought something from home. On our plates were:
- Samosa
- Kebab
- Pulao
- Chicken wings
- Sandwiches
Whilst eating, people passed by. A few of them made
friendly remarks. We finished off our lunch with drinks and Karak Chai
made by Abu Yaqub.
SALAH
After salah, the man came back. We gave his jacket back. He was very grateful, kind, and respectful. He said he was of the Quaker belief. We offered him some food, but he politely refused as he didn't want to add any calories that he's burnt off. He said goodbye and left.
After lunch
we decided to pray Zuhr. We cleared the lunch things and got ready to pray. A
few people had passed by us whilst we were praying. I wonder what they were
thinking, seeing a bunch of Muslims praying! Abu Amanah then gave a short Naseeha
to us all.
Whilst we
were sitting, some chatting, some having drinks; a brother came and gave Salam.
He said if it was ok for him to pray. After he prayed, he said he is from
Somalia and came to Box Hill for a solo trek, then left to carry on with his
day.
DEERS
After prayers
and freshening up, we decided to head back. One of the brothers had an idea to
go to Richmond Park in London, as it would be on the way to home. So, we headed
back into London.
Richmond Park
is very beautiful MashaAllah, the biggest park in London. London holds and
hides such a beauty. Many cyclists come here regularly. We saw a bunch of Deers,
which were roaming freely on the fields. We also saw a large lake, with the
usual ducks. Abu Amanah took us to the Henry mound viewpoint. From here you can
see out to Twickenham. It was such a beautiful sight, quite hazy in the far
distance. There's also a telescope that can be used by visitors. Due to time,
we couldn't explore the park fully, so maybe for another trip inshaAllah.
We still
hadn't prayed Asr and were stuck in London traffic. I was quite worried and so
were the other brothers. But Alhamdulillah one group got to East London Mosque
whilst the other went to Darul Ummah to pray Asr and Maghrib.
Alhamdulillah
the day finished with us returning to our families. I made myself dinner and
then relaxed. What an amazing day it was.
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