Umrah is a shortened version of the annual Hajj. The word "Umrah" means visiting a populated place. “What is Umrah and why is it important?” read it carefully to get proper knowledge about it. Umrah provides an opportunity for Muslims to renew their faith, seek forgiveness and pray for their needs.
What is Umrah?
Umrah is a holy journey to Mecca, that's free from time limitations. Here, free from time limitations means to perform it at any time of year. The journey of Hajj does not begin without thinking of specific dates. These dates come on the 8th of Dhul Hijjah and end on the 12th or 13th of the same month.
Saudi Government doesn't issue the Umrah visas after Shawwal month (the 10th lunar month). Muslims should try to wait ending the Hajj month to book Umrah Packages.
Rituals that can be performed in Umrah:
There are four types of rituals that can be performed in Umrah. These are as follows:
- Ihram
- Tawaf
- Sa'i
- Halq & Taqsir
Ihram
Ihram is the clothing worn during Umrah and Hajj. Ihram means to enter into a state of purity and chastity or to make something forbidden for oneself. Ihram is the first condition or starting point for Hajj and Umrah. Some legitimate activities and things are prohibited in this state.
Tawaf
Tawaf is one of the principal rites of the pilgrimage and refers to circumambulating or walking in circles around the Kaaba in an anti-clockwise motion. 7 complete circuits, with each one starting and ending at the Hajar al-Aswad, constitute one Tawaf.
Sa’i
Sa'i is one of the obligatory acts of Hajj and Umrah. In Arabic, this word means to strive, walk or chase. Sa'i in Umrah refers to the ritual of walking back and forth seven times between the two small hills of Safa and Marwa, which are located next to the Kaaba in Masjid al-Haram.
Halq or Taqsir
Halq is a complete shaving of the head and applies only to men. Taqsir is a term that refers to cutting short hair and is also recommended for women performing Umrah.
Why Umrah is important?
A true Muslim always envisions an opportunity to be a guest of Allah. All Muslims spend their whole lives looking for that moment when Allah is waiting for them to be the most gracious host.
To fulfil it, Muslims perform all the actions that can be caused by getting the blessing of Allah Almighty. Umrah is one of the causes. For Umrah, Muslims try to first get visas, flight tickets, hotels, and transport vouchers. So that, they complete their sacred task or purpose.
Suggestion: To save yourself from all frauds in getting all essentials to perform Umrah, always believe in a reliable travel agency to buy Umrah Packages.
Muslims believe that Allah Almighty rewards them by making their financial problems correct and at their peak. By performing this pilgrimage, poverty can be removed.
During the Umrah journey, Muslims never forget to visit Medina because of its importance after Mecca city. Because the Median is called "City of the Prophet (PBUH)". There are many holy places in this city because our Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) spend his last ten years in Medina, and his grave is also located in this city.
The main reason why Umrah is important for Muslims is to seek forgiveness for their sins and seek mercy from Allah. Muslims have every opportunity to repent for their past and present sins because the reward for doing so is no less than Heaven.
Umrah is equal to the worship of Jihad. This reward applies to Muslims who fall under the category of old, women, and weak. Allah Almighty has reserved this reward for the common people who have soft traits. Think when the reward of Jihad is martyrdom, think what will happen if the reward of this holy journey is equal to Jihad.
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