Umrah, or minor pilgrimage, is a Holy act performed by Muslims all around the globe throughout the year. It is performed in the Holy Land of Makkah, where pilgrims perform their religious rites dressed in all-white sheets of clothing and asking for Allah SWT’s forgiveness. The reason it is called a minor Pilgrimage is because it is compared with Hajj, which is called the major pilgrimage. Ever since Hajj, or major Pilgrimage, is compulsory for people who can afford it, and it differs in various aspects from a regular Umrah, both are differed by the names of Minor and Major respectively. To briefly give an overview of what Umrah is, Pilgrims from all over the world first plan their visit. This includes but is not limited to, making an itinerary, and estimating costs to be incurred (which would contain the normal visa costs, ticketing costs, accommodation and food costs in conjunction with the transportation costs). After that, depending on their budget, the size of their family or individuals that are planning to perform Umrah, and many others, the personnel opt for a package that can either be designed by themselves or can be found by a plethora of OTA or travel agents. Similarly, Umrah packages from the UK are offered by both OTAs and travel agents respectively.
Estimating Visa Costs
To estimate the visa costs, pilgrims need to decide whether they are good with a 7 Day package, or a 14 Day Package, or comprehensive 28 Days package. Although recently, the government of KSA has issued a common visa for both the Zaireen (the pilgrims) and the tourists. The extent of this visa is 90 Days and the pilgrims are allowed to visit any place in KSA, as opposed to the ‘pilgrim-only visa, which offered visits and residence to only a few places, including Makkah, Madinah, Taif and Jeddah. The Visa cost would increase by an increase in the number of days it is offering. Similarly, the tickets are estimated based on what airline the pilgrims would prefer out of several options available. One can go as luxury as Emirates Premium Business Class or can go as low as Fly Nas’s economy class. It is on the pilgrims to decide how convenient and budget-friendly they want their tour to be. The same goes with the accommodation, one can go as costly as 350GBP for a single night at Raffles Palaces Makkah, and there’s no limit to the lower bound. For itineraries, one can make their own or can go for a plethora of those found online. Although nowadays, many AI platforms are helping pilgrims generate automated itineraries in a matter of seconds just with the click of their hand.
Reason for the main question in hand
Now that we are aware of all the basic facts required to plan Umrah, let’s discuss why is Umrah so important that every year, millions of Muslims leave the convenience of their homes and travel to the faraway land of Makkah, combined with a visit to Madinah tul Rasool (SAWW).
Read also: Halq And Taqsir: Umrah Haircut Rules For Men And Women
First and foremost, it is the Sunnah of Prophet Ibraheem A.S. He was given the title Khalil Ullah, meaning the friend of Allah, ever since he followed each and every command with utmost obedience. To reward HIS obedience, combined with the hardships faced by HIS family in the pursuit of fulfilling Allah SWT’s commandments, Allah SWT has made the acts performed by them, a source of manifestation for the entire Ummah to come. Pilgrims from all over come together at the Sacred Mosque of Haram, where they circumambulate the Kaabah, the House of Allah SWT, seven times followed by the 2 rakahs, which are preferably to be prayed near Maqam e Ibraheem, where the stone is placed in which are engraved HIS footprints. After that, Pilgrims go for Sa’I, which is the act of going to and fro from Mount Saffa and Mount Marwa. This act symbolises the hardship faced by Hazrat Hajra A.S. when she was in search of water for her toddler. On the completion of these seven consecutive trips, the male pilgrims are required to shave their heads while the female is required to cut a small portion of their hair, which marks the completion of their respective Umrah, a remembrance of the sacrificial acts performed by Hazrat Ibraheem A.S and HIS family in pursuit of fulfilment of Allah SWT’s commandments.
Also visit for more:
https://webyourself.eu/blogs/146923/Are-Kids-Under-5-Allowed-for-Umrah
https://theumrahpackages.wordpress.com/2023/05/25/is-it-compulsory-to-do-ghusl-before-umrah/
http://islamictravel.populr.me/what-to-do-before-umrah
https://www.party.biz/blogs/105406/253952/step-by-step-on-how-to-perform-umrah
https://www.myvipon.com/post/776114/What-are-conditions-for-amazon-coupons
https://blogs.rufox.ru/~adnanijazz/31266.htm
https://homment.com/ToV3z6RldMUr3727w3AU
https://bn1.cari.com.my/home.php?mod=space&uid=2574666&do=blog&quickforward=1&id=421262
https://www.sociomix.com/diaries/stories/what-does-umrah-mean-in-islam/1685036851
https://sway.office.com/44i3A0gRJ1hgWqxo
https://linkhay.com/blog/619306/when-does-umrah-reopen-after-hajj-2023
https://hackmd.io/@Adnanijaz/What-time-of-the-year-is-Umrah-not-allowed
https://islamictravel.hashnode.dev/which-vaccination-is-required-for-umrah
https://islamictravel.notion.site/When-is-the-best-time-to-go-to-Umrah-a6c9962cb678482a93dbf19710ee9d5b
https://islamictravel.alboompro.com/post/who-cannot-perform-umrah
https://islamictravel.bloggersdelight.dk/2023/05/25/why-do-we-cut-our-hair-after-umrah/
