Medina 3

Medina – 3
Decency in Medina
"One enters Medina with decency, for there love stands in reverence and the voice falls silent in prostration..."

Medina is a city of the heart; its walls are woven with silence, its streets with patience.
There, every step is a prayer, every breath a gratitude, and every gaze a tribute to the memory of the Messenger.
Thus, walking in Medina is the most refined example of walking upon the earth with humility.

Decency is the invisible yet most dominant color of Medina.
You cannot see it on maps or in paintings—
but when you arrive with your heart, the first thing you feel is this:
A peace echoing within the silence, a reverence standing at the threshold of awe...

Abu Bakr (r.a) would lower his voice near the Prophet’s chamber.
Umar ibn al-Khattab (r.a) would remove his sandals near the Rawda.
The Companions would not speak in the presence of the Prophet;
they would remain silent and listen attentively.
For they knew that to speak required permission, and to gaze required respectful discipline.
The Qur’an warned them:

“O you who believe! Do not raise your voices above the voice of the Prophet...
lest your deeds be rendered worthless while you are unaware.”
(Surah Al-Hujurat / 2)

In Medina, decency is a stance.
Before stepping into the Rawda, one must purify their intention and polish their heart.
It is more than a place—it is a spiritual state.
To be in the presence of the Messenger is to sober from worldly intoxication,
and to greet not with words, but with one's state of being.

In Sufism, decency (adab) is the foundation of spiritual knowledge.
Without it, no true understanding can flourish; love cannot take root.
Medina is the domain of this decency.
As Yunus Emre said, “Adab ya Hu”—“O Lord, grant us decency”—
this phrase finds its fullest meaning here.

To fall silent before the Rawda is to say much.
To slow one’s steps in the Prophet’s Mosque is to allow love for the Messenger
to gently settle in the heart.
Shedding tears during a visit is the translation of decency between the eyes and the tongue.

In Medina, decency is shown not only toward the Prophet’s grave—
but also to a palm tree, a speck of soil, a child’s play, or the call to prayer.
For everything there stands with the dignity of belonging to the city of the Messenger—
silent, waiting, bearing witness.

And this decency does not remain only in Medina.
Whoever allows Medina into their heart will adopt decency as a lifelong companion.
Their words soften, their gaze is filled with mercy, their actions are dignified.
For whoever once greets the Prophet with decency, begins to see the world through the same lens.

Medina is not just a place to visit; it is a school of the soul.
In that school, decency is taught.
And the decency one receives there carries both love and humanity.
For in truth, decency is the posture one takes before God—
and Medina is the most beautiful reflection of that posture.

Özer Akpınar
Researcher – Historian