Najaf

It was not often that she felt the need to head towards the shrine but the crushing pain in her chest pushed her to it. It was a few hours off the early morning call for prayer and typically, a woman wouldn't be seen alone at this time of night in the courtyard.

The great golden dome glistened in welcome, beckoning her in and so she bowed her head in greeting and reverence before walking through the magnificent doorway. The courtyard was particularly beautiful tonight with the brightness from the lights surrounding the mosque shining down upon the vast expanse of white marble, illuminating the faultless architecture.

She walked slowly towards the place she had claimed as her own after a mere few visits; a large alcove from which she could directly face the shrine of the Prince of Believers. On her way there, she picked up several articles: a turbah - a small tablet moulded from dried clay used to prostrate on - rosary beads, a Quran and a book of supplications.

Wrapping herself in her head abaya, she took to alternating between prayer and supplications, oblivious to the courtyard beginning to fill with people flocking in preparation for the dawn prayers. Suddenly, her ears began to ring with the sound of men repeating the same phrase repeatedly:
"La illaha illa Allah."
There is no God but Allah.

She didn't need to turn to see what was happening behind her. The men would most probably be holding the weight of a dead body upon their shoulders. It would be shrouded in the white kaffan, washed and prepared to be buried shortly. Sure enough, within seconds they came directly into her line of sight. Through the window she could see the men bringing the dead body to the shrine to do one last ziyara - a visitation and salutation to the Imam - before it was taken to be buried.

Upon completion, they took it back out to the courtyard, placing the corpse gently into a wooden coffin before hoisting it once again on to their able shoulders. They resumed their chants, serenading their friend as they took him to his new abode in the Valley of Peace.

She looked around her once more. The greatness of the courtyard overwhelmed her and her eyes filled with tears. What better place to let it all go? The call for prayer began to sound and the people around her came to stand in perfect rows in preparation for the prayer to start.

"Hasten to prayer. Hasten to success. Hasten to the greatest of deeds."