Umrah Tips
Here are some Umrah tips on what you need to know about spiritual Umrah journey. Travel with children not easy, especially for Umrah.
- Start preparing for Umrah at least 2 months before departure. Go through the procedure, learn some duas and azkaar by heart.
- It is important to arrange the trip through a reliable and trustworthy travel agent. You can check the approved Hajj and Umrah Travel Agents the following ways.
- Please check a few useful websites for some information.
- Umrah is physically demanding and it is recommended to practice walking at least 15 minutes a day.
- Learning basic Arabic will make your daily life easier as most Arabs prefer to communicate in Arabic.
- Keep your luggage minimum, the less the better. Loading/Unloading luggage can be a hassle, especially whilst traveling by Car to Makkah and Madinah.
- Carry a cloth/nylon bag for your footwear so that you can conveniently carry your slippers/flip flops around without worrying about them getting misplaced.
- Take medicines, lots of them. As there are so many people there, coming from various parts of the world and bringing local viruses with them, it is better to be prepared especially if you are traveling with kids. Normally take flu, fever, digestive, anti-allergy and general painkiller medicines with you
- While in Haram or in Masjid, do not jump over people.
- Crossing in front of people performing Salah is an excuse (in the Haram only), do not make it a routine.
- Keep a photocopy of your passport and an ID card and card of the hotel you stay at in case stopped by police or lost.
- Get a good understanding of your location of the hotel in respect of the Haram.
- If you are traveling with children, have them wear ID Cards with your hotel’s address and contact information.
- In order to maintain a communication link, use local mobile SIMs. (Provided in our package with 40RS)
- Be careful when wearing the ihram, practice in advance and make sure you can walk properly and you do not accidentally flash.
- If you are sensitive to light bring sunglasses as it gets very bright and hot
- A trick to kissing the black stone is to join the queue 10 – 15 minutes before the Azan for Asar. The people pushing are shooed away and the line moves quickly.
- For the Hijr Ismail for Zohar or Asar pray near the entrance and when salat is finished go near the entrance. After the funeral prayer, they will open the gate up Maqbarah and it will be straightforward to go in.
- Learn the funeral prayer (Salat Jenazah).
- Ladies are allowed into the Ar Raudah section of the prophets mosque in the morning and night for an hour or so. The one at night is a lot less crowded
- Smile in another Muslims face and say Salam to a stranger
- Shake someone’s hand and ask about their health
- Guide someone and help someone, carry someone’s bags for them
- Lower your gaze
- Remind people of the lives of the Sahaabah
- Read Qur’an with the Tafseer
- Do the authentic Dhikr of the morning and evening
- Explain the importance of purifying one’s actions for the sake of Allah
- Don’t allow Muslims to fight during Umra.
- Remember – during the heat – the unending torment of hellfire
- Say ‘Laa ilaaha illa Allah, wahdahu laa sharika lah, lahul Mulk wa lahul hamd, wa Huwa ‘ala kulli shay’ in Qadeer’ 100x
- Say the dua of entering the market place when you go there
- Give charity
- After Umrah go home as better Muslims
- Forgive people that wrong you
- Focus hard on helping those immediately near you
- Remember specific blessings Allah has bestowed upon you and say Alhamdulillah
- Use a Miswak
- Always intend reward from Allah for everything you go through during Hajj