Umrah Ramadhan 2016

I know that it's already 2 months late but here's my post on our Umrah from last Ramadhan :P  I will make sure to jot down every single detail I can recall , I promise ! 

Initially, I planned to make a comparison between the normal umrah and the ramdhan umrah but to think again,  apart from: 

•  it's a little bit more humid, 
• more people and 
• more tiring (with fasting in the weather), 

Both are quite similar, for me. After all, it goes back to your niat and determination to perform ibadah and not vice versa. 

However, I think it is better for me to give you guys the heads up of what are the do's and dont's there, mainly during Ramadhan and it's last ten days. Just an exposure, so that you don’t make the same mistakes like we did hahaha.

Medina was okay. I had a fever because of the dust (I'm allergic to smoke , dust and etc, so yeah. Total bummer). I forgot to wear the mask/niqab for once and boom there you go , runny nose and dizziness. So make sure to prep you mask, peeps. 

People in Medina are more friendly and kind (shopkeepers mainly hahaha) , and I like the atmosphere there better. The breakfasting was nice too. Besides, my fav qari, Ziyaad Patel was sometimes on duty, so yeah. Bonus!I almost screamed when I heard his voice leading our prayer for the first time (but of course I didn't because I was praying MashaaAllah). All this while, I only listened to recordings of him but to be able to listen it live, it was an unforgettable experience. But in Mecca , of course they have more qaris on duty , sometimes Mishary, sometimes Basit, and of course , everyone's fav for Taraweeh and Qiamullail session, AsSudais  T_T . 

Leaving for Mecca, I learned this on the bus : 

"‘An ‘Umrah (minor pilgrimage) in Ramadan is akin to Hajj with me [in terms of reward]." 

Rasulullah S.A.W

This is based on the hadeeth narrated by Ibnu 'Abbas, according to the ustaz who guided us there. He added, "Since Allah is providing us with more rewards, expect more challenges and just be patient, for Allah love those who are patient." 

The Ustaz couldn't be more accurate as after our trip from Medina to Mecca, there's a roadblock about 2-3 km from our hotel. The bus stopped there for hours. Later on,  we had no other choice but to walk as the prayer time was approaching. Not only we had luggageS to carry, two of my grandmothers were on wheelchairs. Allahu. It was really challenging. 

We were told that there will be people coming to take the luggages but turned out, it was the opposite. We had to carry those heavy bags and boxes of 'kurma' and other fruits by ourselves. Luckily, amidst of our trembles, some people offered the service to send those things to our hotel. 

The morals of this incident are : 

• Make sure to arrive at Mecca before 2 p.m . Earlier is better. 
• Do not get mad or blame anyone as you might be in your ihram. It is a complete no-no. 
• The closer your hotel to Masjidil Haram, expect more crowds especially around praying hours. 
• Remember why you are there. The major reason. 
• Be patient

Another incident which I think I should highlight here is to show your gratitude towards the Arabs. Unlike Umrah in May or Dec-Feb, Ramadhan season is just dominated by non other but them. THEY ARE LITERALLY EVERYWHERE. Befriend them. Show how much you like them. I only realized about the importance of it when it's already too late  T_T . My bad. Did not kipas them hard enough, looking for seats to put my prayer mat was nearly impossible. Every. Single. Time. 

When you finally got to sit. My sister and her endless selfies.

We tried our best to enter Masjidil Haram like 1-2 hours earlier than the prayer time, so that we could sit in the proper saf and not at the corner or on the stairs. Still, people were EVERYWHERE. I was not sure whether I should be glad that those many are performing umrah or the contrast. Haha. 

Nonetheless, approaching the last days, we just used our charming smile and tried very hard to keep it, even when they said , "La" which means No. Sobs. If you're persistent enough, they will give it to you. 

I am small hahaha, so most of the time, after the conversation ended with my "Jazakillalh (thank you)" , they would call me back and let me squeeze in. Sometimes, they squeezed their big bodies just to let me sit. Those people are nice, really. Being able to converse in Arabs is a total bonus, if you can. Those people like talking so much haha. And as for Pakistanis, Indians or Africans, their English are fluent. Grab the opportunity, guys. Get to know them :) 

Normally, the air conditioned areas were the most oddly crowded, super crowded you can't imagine how THAT many people can put their butts on the floor and pray. Areas which were more humid (still under some construction, I think) had less people. It's okay. You decide. Probably they will have the whole mosque air conditioned by next year. I dont know. I tried both and was okay with both.

And oh, speaking of, don't forget your water spray. Going in and out just for wudhu' will waste your time. Please. Don't. Haha. Just use the spray. Don't worry. You can't eat or drink anyway , so Number 1 and Number 2 would definitely appear on rare occasions only.

Also, on the same note, take as much time as you can to do what you're supposed to do. We don't wanna miss the chances and rewards, aren't we ?

p/s : If you go to Al Haram after they've blocked the entrance , go to the 6th floor inside the Hilton hotel. It is still considered as the waqaf of the masjid. You will rock the ma'mum job from there. Lols. We stayed in Hilton and I only prayed there once , for Eid prayer. They blocked the Masjid's entrance by 2 a.m. Just imagine ! 2 AM . And the Eid prayer would not start until 8 AM ! 

Okay. Done with the ibadahwise. 

We didn't go for ziarah as we had specifically picked the package without Ziarah. Would prefer to go ziarah during the not-fasting season. Haha.

So we just ziarah the malls there. Lewls. 

During my May Umrah trip a few years back, there were people selling things on their wagons or mats along the streets. It was super cheap , you can get a black abaya (robe) for only 20 SAR coz normally, abayas are sold for 100-200 SAR. 
However, this time around, they didn't have it. I was not really sure whether it's because they have applied some rules or it's because the streets were always packed with humans that they couldn't spread the mats. 

Also, the shops down the road were quite cheap too, if I recall it correctly. But we just went to the malls around our hotel this Ramadhan. It's scorching, and we're fasting, and with my gramps, and the wheelchairs. Totally zero energy to go down the road. 

Staying in Hilton which is just in front of the main entrance was a MAJOR RELIEF. Thank God we had heard stories from our relatives about them not going back to the hotel and just spend their days just in the masjid. Well, I felt bad for them but after going there, only then I could relate. 

Hows the Eid? 

The Eid prayer began after Subuh prayer. We brought some biskut raya from home and shared it with the people as the imam chanted the takbir. They liked it ! Some asked if we got it from 'Bin Dawood' (like a Giant/Tesco there). Hahaha.  

Like the rest of Ramadhan nights, the Eid night was also lively and the day went by with people doing their tawaf and prayers like other days. If people labeled New York as ‘the city that never sleep’, they surely have never been to Mecca during Ramadan. 

Also, sleeping on the floor was a normal thang. You could literally pick any spot, even on the streets and no one wpwou give you the judgemental look. It was really lively. 

And oh I forgot to mention. The people were so generous. When it’s time to sahoor or breakfast, you will see a lot of people giving away free foods and drinks. It was really nice. I  caught some in the camera. 

If you would like to sadaqah without facing the hassles of distributing food, you can go to any shop and they have their packages provided;- for how many people, with drinks or without drinks, yes or no yoghurt and a few more. I liked how they operate the whole sadaqah thing. Kinda cool. Coz by 6 o'clock, you would be able to witness many people doing honourable things. But after the iftar, you would see a lot of garbages on the street. The 'terharu' phase would definitely be replaced with annoyance at that moment. haha. 

In conclusion, it was very calming and peaceful there despite of the crowds. Plus, our main priority of going there is to enhance our prayers and improvise our ibadah. You will find yourself feeling a lil bit jealous of the people who can go there every day, of those who have the tasbih with them all the time, of those who can understand Quran and the kids who have the chance to perform tawaf at a tender age. And thus, you will realise how small you are and still, Allah provide you with so many blessings which you take for granted. Just be glad that Allah has invited you to His house, among His other servants. Good luck in performing yours. I pray that Allah will ease your journey. Ameen. 

Jazakallah. 

Here's a video which I managed to record from my camera. Apparently, videos from my phone couldn't be compiled due to some reasons. And yeah, I don't have the scenes of people praying or As Sudais's recitation, because I was too, praying. I only recorded the bits when we go out to malls after Asar . Hahaha. 

And hence, here's a video of our Umrah shopping spree... :P