Umrah in Ramadaan
Hey and welcome to 'diaryofanoverthinker' today I will be telling you about my Umrah trip however this is going to be different compare to my other travel blogs as it was a longer trip.Before I start I want to apoligize for not posting last week as I was traveling and didn't have enough time to prewrite two blogs before my trip.Anyways sit back ,relax and enjoy!
Hotels
In Madinah, our hotel was really close to Masjid al-Nabawi, and it was located on the back side, so when you entered the Masjid, you didn’t have to walk all the way to the back to pray. We stayed at Sofitel, which also had an amazing Salaah room.
In Makkah, we stayed quite near the Haram as well, but walking there took a lot longer since it’s so much busier, and many of the roads tend to be blocked off at Salah times. We stayed at Jumeirah Jabal Omar, and they also had a really nice Salaah room, along with excellent Iftaar and Sehri.
Food
Since we were fasting, we didn't eat much, but my experience of Iftaar and Sehri was completely different in the two places. In Madinah, we mostly ate whatever food we could find just outside our hotel since we stayed near the Haram. There's a place right across with a bunch of small food spots (I'm pretty sure it's called the Global Food Village), and they all looked amazing. We also occasionally had takeout because there are a lot of popular takeout places around there.
In Makkah, however, we ate at the hotel every day for Sehri and Iftaar, mainly because it was so busy everywhere else, and the hotel food was really good.
Traveling to Makkah
We went to Madinah first and then took the train to Makkah. The train was actually quite nice, and despite many people saying it would be really cold due to the air conditioning, I didn’t find it that cold.
When we were coming back from Makkah, we took a car just to experience both modes of travel, and honestly, in total, they both took the same amount of time. The car ride was 4 hours, but it didn’t feel that long. The reason the total travel time was similar was that for the train, you had to leave the hotel an hour or two earlier, wait around at the station, board the train, and then take a taxi to your next hotel upon arrival. With the car, though, you went straight from hotel to hotel. I loved both journeys, and it was a great experience.
My Umrah
We did our Umrah as soon as we arrived in Makkah, and it actually went really well. It took a total of three hours, and I found the Safa and Marwah parts a lot easier. It could have also felt easier because I did it after breaking my fast. The Tawaf also went smoothly, and I only truly realized how easy and peaceful it was when I went to do a Naafil Tawaf, which was much more hectic and chaotic. Overall, it was a beautiful Umrah, and I’m so grateful I had the opportunity to go.
Other places we wen to
In Madinah, we visited Quba, the Garden of Salman Farsi, Uhud, the battlefield of the Trench, and a few other places that I can’t quite remember right now, but all of them were amazing. In Makkah, we visited Arafat, Mount/Cave Hira, Mount/Cave Thoor, Masjid al-Jin, and Masjid al-Qiblatain. It was truly amazing to see so many of the places you read about in Islamic history. Honestly, it was an unforgettable experience, and I learned so many things—some I had forgotten, and others I never knew before.It's also insane to see how high those mountains really are and to think they were climbing them all the time is actually insane.
The Rawda
I was really nervous about my visit to the Rawda, as I had heard it could be quite hectic. On top of that, my slot was separate from my mum's, so I had to go alone. But when I got there, everything was perfectly fine, and it turned out to be such an amazing experience. I honestly don’t think I can find the words to describe just how incredible it was.
Overall experience
Honestly, the overall experience was incredible. I don’t think I can truly put into words how amazing it is to be there, to pray there, or to hear your favorite reciters live for the first time. It was even more exciting and special because I went during Ramadan and had the opportunity to pray Taraweeh and Qiyamul Layl during the last 10 nights. It was honestly all so surreal, and I’m so grateful I got to experience it all.
Well that's all for today I hope you enjoyed todays blog and I hope you all had an amazing Ramadan and Eid. I also hope that InshAllah one day all of you get to go for Umrah.
Until next time
byeee<333