My Umrah experience

Nasir Uddin: Umrah, known as one of the greatest pilgrimages in Islam, is something that has enabled me to understand the depths of my religion even more. The experience of carrying out this faithful journey with my family and friends has been heart-warming, extremely amazing and not to forget very peaceful.

To begin with, my father had all the preparations carried out for the journey, as 16 of us from London’s East End visited Makkah and Madina. Everything was ready beforehand. We were to spend two weeks in Saudi Arabia, one week in Makkah-Al-Mukharama and the other in Madina, where the Prophet (PBUH) is buried.

Upon reaching Makkah, I could just feel the complete difference and background to the life there in comparison to our life settled in the UK. Evidently the atmosphere was incredible, the people so humble and unpretentious, the piety in the daily routine people carried out and the clarity of the days we were to spend in complete Ibadah (Worship).

While staying in Makkah I carried out the pilgrimage of Umrah. Umrah is known to be one of the pilgrimages of Islam, the other being known as Hajj. It is the method of carrying out Tawaaf and the distance which is walked between two of the sacred places known as Al-Safa and Al-Marwa. Before carrying out our Umrah we had to also prepare ourselves by entering into the state of our Ihram (white clothing which is worn when carrying out Umrah), performing Tawaaf around the Khaba (the house of Allah) seven times, and then carrying out the walk between Al –Safa and Al-Marwa.

I can truly say that the practice of my Umrah which I performed was spectacular and beyond amazing. I was able to perform my Umrah twice, and I loved each moment of it. It has allowed me to understand further the purity and forbearance of Islam.

Masjid-Al-Haram is something which I shall never forget. It is the house of Allah, the place of the Kabbah – astonishing and significantly beautiful, and I miss it tremendously! I actually feel the need to be there all over again and wish to be in the presence of Allah’s amazing creation. Carrying out my daily Ibadah with my family and performing my five daily prayers within Haram was a totally different feeling, allowing us to be able to maintain our form of worship and enlighten ourselves with complete purity of our religion.

As well as performing my Umrah with my family members and friends, we visited the mountain where the Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) in the Cave of Hira, Jabbal –Al-Noor (the mountain of light). Out of all16 of us, six managed to climb to the top! Visiting the mountain is a spectacular memory from my journey with my family and friends. It was great how we were able to perform our worship in peace together, with the support and kindness of each other. The bond we’ve all been able to form as Muslim brothers has truly been heart-warming and is something I shall hold on to for a very long time. It’s just incredible how we were able to maintain our time together in gathering to becoming closer to Allah as well as with each other.

After our first week in Makkah, we visited Madina – the City of the Prophet (PBUH). The time I spent in Madina was not only spectacular but also emotional. Within our stay in Madina we visited the Prophet’s (PBUH) mosque. We carried out our prayers together and gave him our salaam (greeting). It was a completely different feeling to be in the presence of the Prophet’s (Peace be upon him) City and mosque, as well as himself. The acknowledgment of being within the company of where such a great and abundant man of our Ummah has been buried was miraculous for us. The feeling to know your greeting one of the most beloved Prophets of Allah is not only emotional and miraculous but also momentous, and that feeling is something I won’t ever forget.

As well as greeting the beloved Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) of Allah, my family and I also visited a place in Madina called “Jannat –ul- Baki”. This is where all the Prophet’s (PBUH) Sahaba’s (companions) are buried – a place where the most honourable and beloved people of Mohammed (PBUH) and Allah are concealed. We gave our salaam with great respect to the companions of the prophet too, being another emotional and important period for us during our stay in Madina.

As the days went along, it became quiet hard for us to accept that we would be leaving Madina soon. I really didn’t want to go! The time my family and friends and I spent in Makkah and Madina was truly beautiful and very meaningful. The journey has enabled me to understand and comprehend how important Salah is, in preserving our five daily prayers as Muslims. Even though there were difficult times throughout the journey, because we were not all so used to the performance of our pilgrimage, we definitely learnt from it tremendously and fully cherished each and every moment of our Ibadah. I speak for the rest of my family and friends when I say we would unquestionably and certainly want to visit Makkah and Madina again, very soon.

I am grateful for the chance I have been able to obtain in carrying out Umrah with my close ones and being able to experience something so spectacular. I can only imagine that if the feeling is so amazing for the performance of my Umrah, then it shall be up most incredible for the potential performance of the Pilgrimage of Hajj.

With Allah’s will, my goal is to visit Makkah and Madina again, very soon, and perform one of the main Pillars of Islam – Hajj, with my family and friends. It would be an experience I truly look forward to, Umrah being a first time experience I won’t ever forget.