The group of friends visited Gljufrabui, where a waterfall is hidden inside a canyon, in southern Iceland.
They also did a guided tour of the Solheimajokull Glacier. Led by professional guides and equipped with glacier gear from the company, the group hiked the mass of ice, which sits between two volcanoes. They even stopped to drink fresh glacier water. Along with the unreal scenery they took in, they learned how climate change is causing the glacier to melt. The friends also ventured off the rugged terrain to take in the local culture. They explored downtown Reykjavik and went to see the stunning architecture of the Harpa Hall, a performance center, and the Hallgrímskirkja Church, designed to look like the shapes that form when lava cools into basalt rock. As they toured the city and adventured the island’s peaks and climbs, they would stop to perform zuhr and asr. Baig and his friends found the locals to be helpful in their efforts to say their prayers. During their visit to Thingvellir National Park, a park employee provided them with a private room to pray when they asked for an area to say salat. “Being a popular tourist spot, we didn’t feel uneasy or find it difficult to pray even in public,” Baig says. He adds that everyone in the group is “salat conscious” and that there was positive peer pressure to pray on time and in jamaat. They prayed together when it was possible and broke into smaller
The friends indulged in being away from their usual surroundings and wandered the Icelandic countryside.
groups when necessary. Baig says that the permission for travelers to combine their prayers made it easier for them to say salat. Traveling in August, they experienced Iceland’s summer days, meaning almost 24 hours of sunshine. Baig says that “sunset was very late and fajr was very early in Iceland, so we often came home from our long day, prayed maghrib and isha together and then stayed up an extra hour or two to pray fajr before sleeping.” And though the group was on the same page about making salat, they had respectful differences when it came to eating zabiha. In the island nation, where according to the Muslim Association of Iceland there are nearly 2,000 Muslims, fresh fish is a staple in the cuisine. This meant there were always options for the zabiha observers when the group ate out. There were also three halal restaurants close to their Airbnb. “One in particular was a favorite of ours. It had halal shawarmas and other wraps. But more importantly, it was open until 3 a.m., which was convenient on our late-night returns,” says Baig. The opportunity to take a break from his everyday reality was refreshing for Baig. He appreciated the time with his friends, who he says are like family, and counts witnessing Iceland’s breathtaking scenery as one of his most memorable experiences. With the
wanderlust that hits many after a fulfilling vacation, Baig says that he would like to come back with his family next time so that they can also experience the awe of the Iceland’s majestic sights. ih Amal Omer is a writer based in Washington, D.C.
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