Umrah is to visit Masjid Haram in Makkah and make some specific manasikto get closer from Allah as written in holly Quran (وَأَتِمُّوا الْحَجَّ وَالْعُمْرَةَ لِلَّهِ ۚ) (Al Baqara 196) and complete the Hajj or umra in the service of Allah. And, as the prophet Muhamed (peace be upon him) said in Hadith العمرة إلى العمرة كفارة لما بينهما، والحج المبرور ليس له جزاء إلا الجنة “Whoever performs Hajj and does not commit any obscenity or commit any evil will go back (free of) sin as on the day his mother bore him.” [Reported by Al-Bukhari] Prayer in Masjid Haram is said to be better 100,000 prayers in other mosques.
An aware, Muslim adult.
The pilgrim performs a series of rituals in the order as follows:
Tawaf means going around Kaaba 7 times. The Tawaf begins when you move from Hajarul Aswad. You must make Hajarul Aswad in your left hand and make Tawaf 7 times begin and end in Hajarul Aswad.
After completion of the seventh circuit of Tawaf Tawaf, a pilgrim should move toward Maqaam Ibrahim and perform Rak’atain (Salah comprising two Rak’at)
وَاتَّخِذُواْ مِن مَّقَامِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ مُصَلًّى (And take the station of Ibrahim as your place for Salah) - Quran
Sa’ey means to walk and to run, and as a term in Shari’ah it means to traverse seven times distance between Safa and Marwah. This means rapidly walking seven times back and forth between the hills of Safa and Marwah
Please note: one should have performed Tawaf beforehand. There is no Sa’ey without Tawaf before it.
This means shaving of the hair. A taqsir is a partial shortening of the hair typically reserved for women who cut a minimum of one inch or more of their hair. A halq is a complete shave of the head, usually performed on men.
The pilgrim has to get all his hair cut short up to the extent of one finger-joint or a little longer as a measure of protection, or one-fourth of his entire head.
Pilgrim should have the intent to perfrom Umrah. (O Allah! I intend to perform Umrah. Make it easy for me and accept it from me.)
Labaika Allahom Labiak
Labaika La shareeka laka Labik
In Al hamda wa Al Na`mata laka wa molk
La shareek lak
“Here I am (at Your service), O Allah!
Here I am. No partner do you have.
Here I am.
Truly, the praise and the favour is Yours and the dominion; No partner do You have.
Every pilgrim should change his clothing to Ihram clothing before he exceeds the border of Makkah (the pilot announces inside the airplane about the Miqat place in order to every pilgrim change his clothes).
If the pilgrims move to Makkah from Madina, they can change their clothes (men only) from Madina or from Abiyar Ali Miqat.
When a pilgrim enters the Holy City of Makkah, on every step, he should request Allah earnestly to grant him what he wishes to achieve in this world and in his religion and should, seeking the forgiveness of Allah for his sins.
After arrival, while entering into Masjidul Haraam (the Holy Mosque) a person should recite:
In the name of Allah and Salat and Salam upon Rasulullah بسم الله والصلاة والسلام علي رسول الله
O Allah! Open to me the gates of Your Mercy اللهم افتح لي ابواب رحمتك and start Tawaf (go arround Kaaba 7 times anticlockwise start and end from Hajur Aswad)
Rules of Tawaf :
The portion of the wall between Hajarul Aswad and the door of Ka’bah, is know as Multazam , this is the place where Du’a is accepted in shaa Allah (as prophet peace be upon him told us)
During Tawaf its prefered to recite these supplications:
The Five Pillars of Islam are the framework of the Muslim life. They are the testimony of faith, prayer, giving zakat (support of the needy), fasting during the month of Ramadan, and the pilgrimage to Makkah once in a lifetime for those who are able (it`s obligation once in a lifetime for those who are physically and financially able to perform it).
So all Muslims hope to visit Makkah and Madina to make Hajj or Umrah one day.
For me, my first Umrah trip was in December 2015 . I was alone coming from Tokyo, Japan. When I was in the airplane and heard the announcement of Makkah Miqat (who says that we are near to reach the Haram Zone and should change clothes and wear Ihram and recite Talbiah), when I heard that we exceeded the Haram zone, my tears fell down continually for more than 25 minutes! I couldn't believe that I will make Umrah and will see Ka`ba Sharif for the first time not on TV or in a magazine. I saw a lot of Ka’bah still pictures in the past, and now I could finally see it myself.
I had already changed my clothes to Ihram and intended to perform Umrah as soon as I arrived in Makkah. I arrived in Makkah at 11 PM, entered the hotel, put my suitcase in my room and hurried to Masjid Haram. I was lucky because my hotel was walking distance from Masjid Haram, so I got out of my hotel and found the gate of Masjid Haram. Even as I exceeded the gate of Haram, I couldn`t see Ka`ba because Masjid Haram has a lot of gates and a very huge space. I asked someone how to reach Ka`ba, he said after that wall you can see it. I walked slowly and exceeded the wall and saw Ka`ba for the first time in my life! I stopped a moment and cheered: Ya Allah Ya Allah, Allah Akbar Allah Akbar Here is the center of the earth, here is the center of Muslim prayer around the world. After I confirmed that I wasn’t dreaming, I started Tawaf and the other Umrah Manasik. During Tawaf, I recited all kinds of Du’aa and asked Allah to give me all I want and I need and to forgive all my sins and to have mercy on my deceased parents, and so on.
I finished all Umrah rituals safely and easily. It was a December, so Masjid Haram was not very crowded and the weather was fantastic. I felt a sense of relief after I got my hair cut. This haircut means I’ve finished performing Umrah and I can ‘release’ my Ihram state. Alhamdulillah.
The timing is very important. I recommend for you to make Umrah at night, especially after midnight because in Salat time the Tawaf area is closed before Azan until Salat finishes. Also between November and March the weather in Makkah and Madina is fine and bearable. On the other hand, Umrah in Ramadan is very different and has a great reward as prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) told us.
After I made farewell Tawaf, I looked at Ka`ba but I haven’t been able to say goodbye. I wish that I could visit it again and again, next time not alone but with my family.
| Official country name | Kingdom of Saudi Arabia |
| National flag | The green area represents the Islamic faith, and the writing is stylized text of Shahada, the Islamic creed. The white sword represents protecting Mecca. |
| Population | The population is 29,370,000, out of which 7,930,000 are foreign nationals (2014 data). |
| Capital city | Riyadh |
| Ruler | King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud 7th generation king, concurrently holds position of prime minister |
| System of government | Monarchy |
| Language | Official language is Arabic. English is also widely understood. |
| Currency |
Saudi riyal SR1=27.21 yen
(as of August 31, 2016) It is difficult to exchange Japanese yen within Saudi Arabia. USD and Euro can be exchanged at the airport or cities. Credit cards are also accepted. |
| Time difference | 6 hours behind Japan, no daylight savings. |
| Electricity outlets and voltage | Both 127 and 220 voltage outlets can be found, but 220 is the most common. Japanese appliances cannot be used without a converter. Frequency is 60Hz, plug type is A, B, C, BF. |
| Visa |
Visa is required for entry.
It is extremely difficult to get a tourist visa as a sponsor (family or friends) is required. Business visas are more commonly issued. Pilgrimate visas can also be issued to Muslims, but cannot be acquired by individuals. |
| 2016 national holidays | Sunday is to Japanese people as Friday is to Saudis.
The weekend is Friday and Saturday. 7/5～10 Start of Ramadan (date predicted) 9/11～15 Hajj (pilgrimage), Eid al-Adha (sacrifice festival) (dates predicted) 9/23 Saudi Arabia National Day |
| Isalmic Calendar | |
| Cost | Cost is comparable to regional areas of Japan. Foods such as vegetables are cheaper than Japan. |
| Map |
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| Climate |
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Mount Uhud is a mountain north of Medina , it was the site of the second battle between Muslims and Meccan forces.
Quba is the place on the outskirts of Madinah where the Prophet (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) , accompanied by Abu Bakr arrived and first stayed after emigrating from Makkah.
a mosque in Medina that is historically important for Muslims as the place where the prophet Muhammad, leading the prayer, is said to have been commanded to change the direction of prayer (qibla) from Jerusalem to Mecca.
valley of Mina(also known as the Tent City) is the Jamarat Bridge, the location of the ritual of the Stoning of the Devil ( the place where pilgrims throw stones).
Mount Arafat (Jabal Arafat) is the place where the prophet Muhammad stood and delivered the Farewell Sermon , located about 20 km (12 mi) southeast of Mecca.
a small cave about 3.5 meters long and a little over 1.5 meters wide. It is in this cave that Prophet Muhammad (may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) received his first divine revelation from Allah (the Glorified and Exalted) through Angel Jibreel.
