abtravels

It’s been almost a couple of weeks (at time of writing) since I completed my Umrah Pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia and I think it’ll be really good, handy and reflective for me to journal my experience as this was my first pilgrimage. For anyone that isn’t aware, in Islam we have two types of pilgrimage which is a holy journey. There is the Hajj which is a pillar of Islam so it’s mandatory for all Muslims who can afford and are able to do so safely. The second type of Pilgrimage is Umrah. This is normally a smaller pilgrimage which can be done at any point in a Muslims life. It is not mandatory but still highly regarded and most commonly done more frequently by Muslims. Umrah takes about 4-6 hours in total to complete whereas Hajj spans over multiple days. I’m writing this to log my experience, reflect on it and make sure I can remember everything for the next time. And there will 100% be a next time as the Pilgrimage was much more than I anticipated which I’ll explain why/ 

What was my intention of going and what was I hoping to get out of it? I’ll be really honest, I never considered myself much of a religious person and I initially booked the trip to Mecca and Medina (Makkah/Madinah) or the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) with the ultimate intention of any other trip I’ve taken. So sightseeing, immersing myself in the local culture and possibly meeting others. Okay yeah I did book and plan to do the Umrah but this was more because I was going to be there anyway so I might as well just do it whilst I’m there. I never really looked at it as a religious journey in the way that that was my sole intention for going. 

I have to say though, it meant a lot more spiritually to me in a way I never at any point thought about or anticipated. I experienced something which even now I can’t really describe properly. I’m not going to sit here and say it was absolutely life changing which some pilgrims often claim. And I’m not demeaning or belittling that at all, if it is life changing this is absolutely wonderful and I’m so happy for those pilgrims. 

I had planned to do the Umrah, visit some holy or sacred places and enjoy the weather mostly! In the UK this is January (at the time of writing) so it’s cold, wet and just gloomy. The weather in KSA during this time was in the mid 20’s during the day and dropping to about 12-14 degrees at night. So relatively European summer and not overly hot tropical climate. I had just thought about going there as any other trip and enjoying myself as much as possible and seeing new sites and being in a different environment. Beyond this, I never really had any expectations of what I was going to get out of it. I never at any point considered that this was going to be a spiritual journey more than what I had prepared in terms of doing the Umrah and Tawaf (will explain more later. The religious part of it, as with so many parts of my religious life at that point, it was just something else to do. I had no real spiritual connection to it in a deeper sense than just doing the act and worshipping God. So I never really had any idea what to expect as such. 

With my sister passing away a few months before my journey, the meaning of my Umrah and what I thought it would mean to me slightly changed but not I would say in a profound way. It was more praying for my father and sister and giving thanks to Allah for their life and existence. But it wasn’t overly religious if you get what I mean.

By the way, before I move further, I’m just going to give a few sort of ‘Caveats’. I’m not for one second writing this as a guide and saying that this is how things must be done. I think there’s always things I can do to further educate myself and not exclusively be a better Muslim, but a more valuable person to humanity. So whatever I write going forwards, please refrain from outright criticism. I’m happy to be corrected but I did the best I could with the knowledge, guidance and resources I had. So forgive me if I write anything that you feel is massively incorrect and no way do I intend to be offensive to anyone. I’m still learning and I can only hope I’ve helped you to learn a bit too.