Umrah is mostly referred to as the ‘minor pilgrimage’ and is an act of worship that has been undertaken by Muslims and involves the pilgrims that are traveling to the blessed city of Makkah. In this holy city the holy Ka’ba is situated which is the pivot for the direction of all the worship of Muslims around the world. This is also the epicenter for rituals of Hajj and Umrah.
Umrah is a sacred journey that holds immense significance in the hearts of all Muslims. It is a beloved Sunnah that offers a unique opportunity to refresh and cleanse one’s faith and soul. All the pilgrims seek forgiveness, make sincere dua and aim to gain a closer connection to Allah.
The holy prophet (PBUH) encouraged to perform Umrah at least once in our life time. Our Prophet himself performed this holy ritual four times in his life. Muslims prefer to perform Umrah in the holy month of Ramadan as the reward of performing Umrah in this holy months is greater than the normal days.
The crowd density is through the roof during this period which is why the UK Umrah packages gain popularity during this time.
How to perform Umrah?
Umrah involves several steps that starts from,
- Making your intention and assuming Ihram.
- Entering the Masjid al-Haram and performing Tawaf.
- Performing two Rak’ah at the Maqam Ibrahim and drink Zamzam water
- One must perform Sa’i, which involves walking and running between Safa and Marwa, and complete the 7 circuits in total.
- After the completion of all the rituals of Umrah, the first step for men is to shave their head while women cut their hair to the length of a fingertip in order to break from the state of Ihram.
How to travel for Umrah?
Most of the pilgrims try to book their Umrah trip with a package provider. A package is provided by a tour operator and includes essential services that are needed for your trip such as visas, flights and hotels.
Booking such a package means that everything that was required to plan an Umrah trip such as trip, visa, flight and hotels has been taken care of by the package provider.
If you are booking without a package provider, you will need to book flights to Makkah and Madinah or to the other Islamic historical sites. Making all these arrangements on your own can be a huge hassle and that to traveling from a country like UK, Canada and USA. It could be very difficult for people who are traveling from these countries so Cheap December Umrah packages are an ideal option for them. Booking any of these packages can make Umrah from UK, Canada and USA quiet accessible.
The core Motivation for Muslims to perform Umrah
There are many reasons that are associated to the aspiration of Muslims to perform Umrah but the primary reasons are the spiritual purification, forgiveness and deepening their connection with the Allah to receive the immense rewards and blessings. Some of the core motivations of aspiration of the Muslims for performing Umrah are given in the guide below.
1. Forgiveness of Sins
The major reason for performing Umrah is seeking forgiveness for the sins. According to a hadith Prophet (PBUH) has said that,
“The performance of Umrah is an expiation for the sins committed between it and the previous ones”
2. Strengthening Faith and Connection with Allah
This journey of the holy pilgrimage will offer an opportunity for deep reflection and spiritual renewal, which will help the believers detach from the worldly distractions and focus their relationship with the creator.
3. Following the Prophet’s Sunnah
The holy Prophet (PBUH) performed Umrah four times in his life time, and aspiring to follow the Sunnah of the Prophet is a way for Muslims to follow his example and teachings.
4. The monetary condition becomes stable
Muslims spend a fortune on their visa, transport, food and accommodation to celebrate the gift of Allah Almighty. Allah rewards the pilgrims back by making their monetary issues sound and rise exponentially. Performing this pilgrimage can result in the form of removal of poverty. Prophet (PBUH) said that,
“Perform Hajj and Umrah consecutively; for they remove poverty and sin as bellows removes impurity from iron”.
5. The reward of Umrah is equal to Jihad
This reward applies to some Muslims who fall into the category of elders, women and weak. All preserves this reward for general people who have soft characteristics. The reward of Jihad is Shahadat so one can only imagine that what the reward of this holy visit would be if it’s equal to Jihad. Prophet (PBUH) said,
“Jihad of the elderly, the young, the weak, and the women, is Hajj and Umrah”
The lifelong impact of performing Umrah
Performing Umrah often marks a turning point in a Muslim’s life. When the pilgrims return home, they are usually transformed spiritually and emotionally and are more connected to their faith. Many pilgrims experience Umrah in a way that it changes their outlook on life. This inspires them to live with greater humility,
