By Ishmael Bayoh
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 one’s faith and cleanse one’s soul. Pilgrims seek forgiveness, make sincere du’a and aim to gain a closer connection to Allah.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) encouraged us to perform Umrah at least once in our lifetime. He, himself performed it four times in his lifetime. It is a means for Muslims to attain purification, cleanses our hearts and become closer to Allah Almighty.
Abu Hurairah (RA) narrated that the Messenger (PBUH) of Allah (SWT) said: “The pilgrims performing Hajj and Umrah are a delegation to Allah. If they call upon Him, He will answer them; and if they ask for His forgiveness, He will forgive them.
Hadith | Sunan Ibn Majah
It was this great opportunity to renew one’s faith, reflect on the purpose in one’s life, and a chance to detach from the distractions of everyday life, that sets us to perform Umrah especially during the last 10 days of Ramadan.
I undertook this sacred journey with my wife, and the morning of our journey, we took the intentions the necessary obligations required before we went to the airport. We flew with Kenya Airways to Accra, Nairobi and then the King Abdulaziz International Airport -Jeddah. The reality was clearer as we saw thousands of pilgrims in their Ihram already. Ihram is a sacred state Muslims enter to perform the Hajj or Umrah. My anticipation of wearing mine for the first time drew closer as we approached the miqat and when we made a stopover at Masjid Isha.
Fully in my Ihram, we dropped off our luggage at the Nawarzi hotel tower- which is closer to the masjid al haram where my elder sister and her team were lodged. Then we headed to perform our Umrah rituals. The overflow of pilgrims, the serene environment prepares one for worship. My wife had a brother studying in Madinah but was on a holiday in Makkah, so he was our guide that day as we made our entrance through the King Fahd gate 79 into the haram. Upon seeing the Ka’aba, we raised our hands and made a dua with sincerity. This was reality, not watching it on tv or through the phone. This was the Ka’aba and millions of other pilgrims were doing tawaf. We walked to the green light to begin our seven rounds of circumambulation with each passing having its own supplication. When we finished the tawaf, offered two salats behind the Maqaam Ibrahim and drank the soothing zam zam water. According to one tradition, it appeared when Ibrahim stood on the stone while building the Kaaba; when the walls became too high, Ibrahim stood on the maqām, which miraculously rose up to let him resume building and also miraculously went down in order to allow Ismail to hand him stones.
We went for the Saafa and marwah- two small hills located on the eastern side of the Grand Mosque where we walked back and forth between them seven times. It commemorates the episode of the life of Hajar, the wife of the Prophet Ibrahim, mother of the Prophet Isma’îl. When the place that would later become the city of Makkah was a desert place, without human beings, plants or water, Ibrahim, brought his wife Hajar and his baby son, Ismail. Allah ordered him to leave them in this place where life was impossible. A great trial for Ibrahim, who was old and had wanted so much to have a son.
As for Hajar, when she knew that the order to leave them there came from Allah, she said “Then He will not abandon us.” We also see in this reaction, how much Hajar trusted her Lord. As she lay under the hot desert sun, her baby was beginning to dehydrate, and she began to search for water with the fervor of a mother who wanted to save her son’s life. She went back and forth between Mount Safa and Mount Marwa until the angel Jibril appeared and struck the ground, spouting the blessed spring of ZamZam, which continues to flow to this day as pilgrims drink from it every year by the millions.
Our Umrah journey is incomplete without mentioning the critical role played by Sheikh Mufty Yassin Jalloh. An Islamic scholar based in the U.S.A and hosts an online Night Life Quranic Studies on Saturdays. He had gone with a third batch of pilgrims for Umrah. When we returned to the Nawarzi hotel where I earlier said we left our luggage with my elder sister, she was one of the group members with Sheikh Mufty Yassin Jalloh. Arrangements had been made for us to join the group and fully participate in their activities. It was a blessing joining the group and unlike other groups, Sheikh will actually take you on a spiritual journey. He was fond of saying, “we are here to offer supplications and offer a lot of salat”.
At another point, he would constantly remind us that praying in the masjid of the hotel or in your room can’t be compared to the 1,000th blessings you would get praying in the haram. Sheikh was punctual and particular to details. During our second tawaf, he led every stage reciting the necessary supplications for us to follow and he knew when to get closer to the Ka’aba so that we would touch it and offer special prayers. Performing tawaf when you are with Sheikh was a normal routine. You have to be spiritually and physically fit. With this group, he took them to over 50 ziharat places in Makkah, Jeddah, Taif, Muzdalifah, Madinah. A high point on Eid day was when we were admired for our outfits. Sheikh is returning for Umrah on November with another group, you would not regret it joining him now.
Our moment came, when Dr.Abdul Rahman Al-Sudais completed the Quran on the 27th night of Ramadan and led the powerful dua. Also it was a great opportunity to be led in salat on Eid day by the same Sheikh Sudais.
Makkah is missed for its hospitality. A city that doesn’t truly sleep. The warmth of the masjid Haram is truly missed. The voices of the security officers keeps ringing in our ears, haji; haja- nazhab- let’s go let’s go. We missed the soothing voices of the imams of haram and the masjid nabawi. Indeed they are incredible.
Makkah and Madinah are truly places to visit anytime for these special rites. May Allah accept our supplications. Ameen.
