Umrah pilgrimage is a Sunnah of our Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (SAWW). Millions of Muslims travel with Umrah packages from USA and other cities throughout the year for the holy rituals in Makkah. This is because Umrah pilgrimage holds similar rewards to the obligatory pilgrimage of Hajj. That’s why you will hear people referring Umrah as the ‘Minor’ form of Hajj.
Here’s how you must prepare for and perform Umrah successfully.
Prepare yourself.
Preparations for Umrah are both; mental and physical. Umrah is different from your everyday Ibadah i.e. requiring extensive hours of standing and walking as part of its rituals. Therefore, it is essential that you have enough stamina for it. On the other hand, mental preparation for Umrah means educating yourself on the significance of the pilgrimage; learning about the dos ad don’t of Ihram; and performing the rituals of Umrah in a proper manner.
When you are mentally and physically prepared for Umrah pilgrimage, only then you should intend for the pilgrimage and travel for it if you want to have a memorable and productive experience.
Manage your finances.
Financial management remains among the most important aspects of pilgrimage travel. Intelligent buying techniques combined with informed purchase decisions help to lower your pilgrimage travel and accommodation costs without compromising on the quality and comfort.
When you plan to travel for Umrah, you must separate out a sufficient budget for all of your needs for your entire travel duration. It includes expenses like travel, accommodation, meals, health, shopping, visas, flights and any other activity you plan to do in KSA.
Moreover, you must also have an emergency fund to cover for any sort of unforeseen expenditures i.e. in case of trip cancellation, medical emergency, travel delays or the bankruptcy of your travel agent. Ideally, 40% of your trip’s entire budget must be kept as an emergency fund.
Prebook your travel and accommodation.
When in Haramain, you will want to spend all of your time in Ibadah and dhikr without having to worry about the logistical aspects of your pilgrimage. For this reason, you should Prebook your flights, hotel accommodation in Makkah and Madinah as well as transportation needs in the kingdom.
The best way to Prebook and arrange your pilgrimage’s logistical aspects is hiring all-inclusive travel packages form reputable travel agencies that also cover for your Umrah visa. Umrah VISA is already included in the Umrah Packages which are being offered to US-Pilgrims. Their professional agents guarantee seamless provision of services and minimize the travel delays. Plus, you will get a variety of options to choose from with exclusive discounts and deals.
Pack light.
Always travel light for the Umrah pilgrimage. It means you only carry your travel essential and leave the rest of the unnecessary things. Your travel essentials include your travel documentation, Ihram clothing, footwear, mobile phone and charger, essential toiletries, prayer supplies, and medicines.
When you pack light, you can also avoid all sorts of baggage handling issues. In addition, lesser items to carry around during your holy journey helps you to stay more organized during the trip.
Learn about the holy rituals.
Umrah pilgrimage consists of four primary rituals. Namely;
- Assuming the state of Ihram.
- Tawaf of Holy Kaabah.
- Sayee of Safah and Marwah Hills.
- Halq/Taqsir of the head.
When a pilgrim completes these four rituals, his/her pilgrimage is complete. However, there are a lot of technicalities associated with their performance. So it is essential to be aware of the prohibitions of Ihram, etiquettes to observe during the holy rituals and the right way of performing them.
Learn about the holy rituals of Umrah from Umrah guide books and get consultation form religious scholars for the matters that confuse you. So that you can make your Umrah valid.
Be patient.
During the holy rituals of Umrah, pilgrims must practice patience and forgiveness. There’s a huge crowd of pilgrims present inside Haramain for holy rituals. Therefore, pushing in the crowd can be a common thing. In addition, its possible that you find some habits of your fellow pilgrims irritating or strange. Don’t quarrel with anyone and learn to co-exist. In fact, even if someone bothers you, forgive for the sake of Allah and focus on your pilgrimage only.
That’s how you can prepare for and perform Umrah successfully.
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