Umrah, also known as the ‘lesser pilgrimage’, to Makkah, is a highly recommended act of worship that purifies the soul, wipes away the past sins, and strengthens faith. This pilgrimage offers a profound spiritual, mental and physical rejuvenation while allowing Muslims to seek forgiveness and earn immense rewards. The pilgrimage is an opportunity to directly experience closeness to the creator, offering a space for deep supplication, reflection and spiritual renewal.
Performing Umrah in Ramadan is a highly meritorious act of worship, with the Prophet himself stating its reward equal to that of Hajj. It is a time of immense spiritual significance, with the rewards for worship multiplied, particularly during the lasty 10 days including Laylatul Qadr. Due to the myriads of Muslims travelling to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for Umrah the rates of flights and accommodations exponentially increase, making it challenging for the pilgrims to travel for Umrah. To deal with the scarcity of cheap Umrah packages come to aid which is offered by trusted travel agency Islamic travel.
Key Aspects of Importance of Umrah
Umrah is a sacred pilgrimage and there are several key aspects that are related to it. It has many spiritual rewards and benefits and some of them are mentioned in the guide as follows.
Forgiveness and Spiritual Purification
The holy pilgrimage of Umrah is believed to wipe away sins that are committed between it and the previous Umrah, leaving the pilgrim as pure as a new born baby.
Deepened Connection with Allah
The pilgrimage is an opportunity to directly experience the closeness of the creator which offers a space for deep supplication, reflection and spiritual renewal.
Honour to be the ‘Guest of Allah’
Performers of Umrah are honored as the guest of Allah, which is a status that brings immense blessings and spiritual satisfaction.
Spiritual Rewards and Benefits
The holy pilgrimage of Umrah removes poverty and sins, serving as a means to gain Allah’s mercy.
Beloved Sunnah of the holy Prophet (PBUH)
Performing Umrah is a way to follow the beloved tradition of the holy Prophet (PBUH). Our Prophet himself has advised to perform Umrah multiple times as it revives your faith in Allah and his mercy.
It mainly serves as a reminder of the ultimate goal of life while encouraging a shift away from the worldly distractions towards devotion. Millions of Muslims spread across several countries opt for the Umrah packages from UK, USA and Canada. The Muslims residing in UK can book Ramadan Umrah packages and focus on their pilgrimage without stressing about the logistics and bookings.
Steps to perform Umrah
The holy command to perform Umrah has been mention over and over again in the Holy Quran and hadith of the holy Prophet (PBUH). Each and every Umrah ritual starting from Ihram to Tawaf, Sa’i and Halq is explicitly mentioned to the Muslims pilgrims in both the holy Quran and the Sunnah of the Prophet PBUH. The holy prophet (PBUH) said that performing Umrah wipes away the sins of pilgrims and renews their faith as mentioned in the following hadith.
Translation: Performing Umrah to the next Umrah is an expiation for the sins committed between them.
Preparation for Ihram
It is very crucial to start Umrah with the pure intention for acceptance and the gain of ample blessings. This is why the Muslim pilgrims start Umrah with the pure intention to please Allah and gain his affirmation. The purification of niyyah is very crucial to purify themselves. The physical purification requires taking a bath and cleansing oneself well to get rid of all the bad odors and dirt for the Holy Umrah journey.
After the deep cleansing of heart, soul and body, the pilgrims start their Umrah journey and wear Ihram. Ihram is a 2-piece white cloth to cover the body for men. Whereas women prefer to wear an abaya as an Ihram and cover their head with a scarf.
Translation: Whoever undertakes the pilgrimage in these months, let there be no indecency, no sin, and no arguing during Hajj.
Performing Tawaf and Sa’i
Circumambulation around the holy Ka’aba is the major ritual of Umrah that Muslims perform during the pilgrimage. Our Holy Prophet (PBUH) has also preferred Tawaf, which is a representation of deep love, devotion and submission to Allah Almighty. During Tawaf pilgrims ask several duas, and they also ask for forgiveness from Allah during Tawaf.
Muslim pilgrims also run between the two mountains to perform another spiritually significant ritual of Umrah that holds a deep historical connection to the family of Hazrat Ibrahim A.S. Thus, they run between Safa and Marwah to show the association with their ancestors and perform this ritual. A symbol of mother’s love, faith in Allah and devotion is hidden in this ritual with ample blessings and rewards.
Translation: Indeed, Safa and Marwah are among the symbols of Allah. So, whoever performs Hajj or Umrah, there is no blame on him to walk between them.
Exiting Ihram
Exiting the state of Ihram is a symbolic representation of the completion of Umrah. Muslims shave their head or trim a few hairs and exit Ihram to show the completion of Umrah and a symbolic representation of shedding of the previous sins. The female pilgrims also trim a few inches of hair for the completion of Umrah and remove Ihram.
Translation: O Allah, forgive those who shave their heads.
One of the most beautiful ways in how Umrah changes your life is through forgiveness and purification. Many people feel a deeper relationship with Allah after visiting the Ka’aba in the holy city of Makkah. Their prayers feel more meaningful and they become more mindful of their faith in Allah, while navigating through the daily life events and incidents. Seeing millions of Muslims from different countries worship together often reminds pilgrims of unity, equality and the temporary nature of the worldly life.