We all have one strong wish and always pray to Allah (SWT) to fulfil that wish. As a Muslim, everyone wants to visit the holy place of Makkah, a city in Saudi Arabia, to see where Islam has its footprints and the history of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
Muslims perform Umrah for the sake of Allah in order to focus more on their prayers and seek forgiveness from Allah, as well as to strengthen their faith. Makkah is the centre of the world, and Muslims from all over the world go there to perform Umrah at least once in their life. If you are looking for Umrah services, get them from the UK’s best Islamic travel agency.
Types of Umrah:
There are two types of Umrah;
1) Umrah-al-Mufradah:
This type of Umrah can be performed at any time during the year except at the time of Hajj. One can also go for Umrah-ul-Mufrdah during Ramadan (a holy month for Muslims). However, a month named Rajab is considered the best month to perform this type of Umrah. Pilgrims are not required to complete this Umrah in a group.
2) Umrah-al-Tammatu:
This type of Umrah is performed in connection with Hajj in the holy month of Zil-Hajj. It can only be performed in the month of Zil-Hajj before performing Hajj rituals. It is convenient for pilgrims to perform Umrah and Hajj on one trip simultaneously without going there twice.
Besides the points mentioned above, there is no difference in the rituals of both Umrah. It is compulsory to follow all steps in both types of Umrah, which are;
- Ihram
- Tawaf
- Sa’I between Safa and Marwa
- Halq (Shaving the head/cutting of hair)
Niyat:
The first thing to do while planning for Umrah is Niyat that we are performing Umrah only for Allah. It is usually a practice that an announcement is made for the night of Umrah during the flight. But one needs to do that individually.
Kaaba:
Kaaba is a black-coloured cube-shaped building in the centre of Al Masjid Al Haram, Makkah. Everyone who goes there to perform Umrah walks around the Kaaba seven times, starting from the corner of Hajre Aswad (Black stone) and ending at the same point in a counterclockwise direction.
Steps to perform Umrah:
1) Ihram:
After Niyat, it is time for Ihram (the type of dress to wear while performing Umrah). It is Sunnah to offer two Rakats of Salah before entering into the state of Ihram. Women should wear regular moderate clothes, usually long gowns with their heads covered. Men use two unstitched white sheets, one to protect their upper body and the other for the lower body. Before wearing Ihram, one should take a shower and wear perfume. It is better to take a shower or do the wash and then wear Ihram at “miqat” (a place or boundary at which all Muslim pilgrims make niyat to perform the Hajj or Umrah and cross that boundary in the state of Ihram and then start travelling towards Makkah). Still, this is also acceptable if u Ihram wear it at home or the airport. After wearing Ihram offer two rakat nafal namaz for Umrah. It is better to niyat for Umrah at miqat.
2) Tawaf:
After wearing Ihram, one should say talbia (Dua) loudly;
In Arabic: “Labbayka Allahumma Labbayk. Labbauka La Sharika Laka Labbayk. Innal Hamda Wan-ni’mata laka Wal-mulk. La Sharika Lak:.
In English: Here I am at your service, O Allah, Here I am at your service. Here I am at your service; you have no partner; here I am at your service. Indeed all praise and blessings belong to You, and so does sovereignty. You have no partner.
Stop reciting Talbi once you start performing Umrah.
Before starting, Tawaf men should wear upper body sheets in a way that they hold one edge of the sheet with their right hand and wear it across their chest so that their right shoulder should be naked.
Start performing Umrah from the point of Hajre Aswad.
The next step is to kiss or touch the Hajre Aswad. Usually, it is very rush there, so don’t push anyone to get close to Hajre Aswad but raise your right hand below your shoulder and just imagine that you have touched it.
To complete Umrah, seven Tawaf are required. Tawaf started and ended from Hajre Aswad. During Tawaf, whatever prayers you remember, you can recite them.
3) Sa’i
After completing the Tawaf around Kaaba, Muslims perform Sa’I, which involves walking seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwa. This ritual tells Muslims about the story of Hajra, the wife of Prophet Ibrahim (AS); she ran between the two hills mentioned above in search of water for her son, Ismail (AS).
4) Halq or Taqsir:
After Sa’i next step is that Muslims follow the ritual of Halq, in which men usually shave their heads or cut a small amount of their hair, and women cut the ends of their hair, which signifies the completion of Umrah.
Prayers:
Muslims offer their daily prayers throughout the Umrah and recite different dua’s all day long.
Umrah Packages:
Travel agencies in the UK offer Umrah packages to Muslim pilgrims throughout the year, which include affordable flights and hotel accommodations. Travel agents also guide you on how to buy a local contact number there and avail of the facility of local cabs.
I pray to Allah that every Muslim should perform Umrah once. I assure you once you get there, you cannot control your tears and will be grateful to Allah for all his blessings and on your way back home, you will be spiritually in a state of satisfaction.
We should avail ourselves this time of Umrah to remain close to Allah as we stay away from worries and distractions and can focus more on our prayers with a pure heart. There we should focus more on dua’s and cry for mercy. Allah forgives us all. Ameen
