Umrah – A Holy Journey
Umrah comes from Arabic and it is a pilgrimage carried out by Muslims to Mecca situated in Saudi Arabia. It can be done at any time of the year. During the Umrah the pilgrim performs a number of ritualistic acts. These acts stand for some of the milestones in the life Ibrahim (Abraham) and his second wife Hajar. Through these acts the pilgrims also show camaraderie with Muslims all around the globe. The pilgrim performs a tawaf in which the pilgrim moves around the Kaaba seven times in an anti clock wise direction. The next act of faith performed by the pilgrim is a ‘sai’.
In this ritual, the pilgrims walk briskly in between the hills Safa and Marwah. Through this ritual the pilgrims remember Hajar’s troubled hunt for water in the desert. The baby Ishamel who was with her cried and his foot touched the ground. Water came out from the ground. This is what is known to the Muslims today as the Well of Zamzam. The 3rd ritual that the pilgrim performs is a halq or taqsir. When a pilgrim performs a halq, he shaves his hair fully. Ladies cut a small part of their hair. A taqsir is a ritual in which the hair is just shortened.
There are two kinds of Umrah. Umrat al tammatu is the Umrah which is done along with the Hajj. Al-umrat al mufradah is the kind of Umrah which is carried out independently. When a pilgrim is about to execute Umrah, before entering the Holy city i.e. Mecca, the pilgrim should be in a sacred state. This state is known as Ihram. The pilgrim must enter the holy sanctuary or al Masjid al Haram. He/she should attempt to put the right foot first. Putting the right foot first is preferable.
The pilgrim recites a prayer known as the Talbiyah. “Here I am O Allah, (in response to Your call), here I am. Here I am, You have no partner, here I am. Verily all praise, grace and sovereignty belong to You. You have no partner.” When the pilgrim sees the Kaaba, he must stand to one side and say “Allahu Akbar” 3 times and “La ilaha illa’Llah” 3 times. Then the pilgrim offers prayers to Allah after offering the Prophet a salawat which is a blessing. The Umrah is a very old ritual and has been performed from the beginning of Islam. An Umrah undertaken during Ramadan is considered equal to a Hajj.
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