I had begun to pray but the most important hurdle still remained – how was I going to fit so many prayers into my schedule. I was in my last two years at school, so I had to work hard which meant I had to do homework and study when I got back home.

I read about the man who supported his wife Khadija in business enterprises and who respected her and who loved her. I thought of the man who sought her advice when he returned from the cave of Hira after his first encounter with Archangel Gabriel.

I thought of a man who rose to be the initiator of a new way of life that today has about 1.8 billion adherents spread across the world, a man who at the height of his success maintained the humility displayed in his youth. His wisdom, he asserted, was never his own…

We were simply moved to tears. We had traveled thousands of miles to be here. This simple brick cubical building, covered with a black cloth was built by generations of prophets. And here were we, two insignificant human beings, in its close vicinity…

This was unlike any other experience. We had read that we would all be reciting the above words, but yet the actual experience of reciting it, all of us together, created an amazing feeling of unity. This is a feeling you seldom find in the Ummah on a daily basis…

Can we work together for a united ummah? This is why I have written this article. And this is why About Islam.net is publishing it. We want to be worthy of our beloved Prophet Muhammad’s blessings. We know that other attempts have tried and have failed or have had limited success…