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Umrah During Ramadan – Should I Stay or Should I Go

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It is this time of the year where many Muslims want to perform Umrah during Ramadan. I have received a large number of emails asking me about Umrah visas and how they can get them “cheaper’ since the prices are extortionate. I have always been quite outspoken about the Umrah packages and how people are actually being overcharged to perform a religious obligation.
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Umrah packages for the last 10 nights of Ramadan are the most popular and the most expensive. I have seen five-star packages costing up to £4000 /$6000 for a double room per person. This is a similar price to performing Hajj, which is an obligation upon every able Muslim. I honestly find this disturbing considering that some Muslims will save for years to be able to do this. Now, you might say well they don’t need to go for a five star Umrah they can go for a three star. Totally acceptable but the 3 star Umrah wasn’t much of a difference costing £2000 for a quad room or £3000 for a double. Costs for Visas alone range from £250-£350 if you want to do a “do-it-yourself Umrah”. And the best part is that visas are actually free from the Saudi embassy but it all comes down to a monopoly of agents and their fees.
It is sad to see people struggling to pay these amounts in order to perform Umrah with their families. I have had many who email me as they want to take their old parents for Umrah once before they depart from this world. I know it is a business and they want to make the most of the most expensive property on earth. Even hotels during the last 10 nights block their reward rooms; there is no way you can find rooms on points in Ramadan in Makkah. The rooms are worth much more in cash and up to £2000/$4000 more per night since the agencies book most of them and the only available are suites. In Medinah, you are more likely to find some decent rooms for good prices rather than in Makkah.

If you are looking to book Umrah during Ramadan here is what I would recommend you do.

First I will say that I am opposed to what agencies are doing. I find it extortion in the name of religion to charge so much. Considering that they limit every other option and build amazing hotels where only a few can afford to stay unless the rest save for years. I don’t want to be hypocritical because Alhumdulillah I can probably afford the prices. Though I most likely won’t pay them. I know people in the village where I grew up who make only £100 a month and they are Muslims who want to go for Umrah /Hajj. This is what saddens me. Makkah is a place where we all wear Ihram (white cloth) not to be separated by wealth as we are equal in the eyes of our Creator the most perfect. Yet the “perfect” people outside these gates make it so obvious in every other aspect.
If however you still want to go during Ramadan then below are my suggestions. Note that these suggestions will be for next Ramadan but there is no better time to start planning it than now.

Pay the price

Pay the price required if you can afford it. It will be hassle free travel, hopefully, and you will enjoy a top Umrah in Ramadan. You will only need to submit your passport and everything else will be taken care of.

Make a DIY Umrah yourself

Be flexible
People sometimes have high expectations when they are paying so much money and they want everything perfect. They don’t realize that at this time of the year your money is worthless there. Be flexible with where you want to stay; do you really need 10 nights in Makkah at a £1000 cost per night or are you happy to spend 3 nights in Makkah and the rest in Medina where hotels are more reasonably priced and you get more for your money. Usually, the best is to book your flights into Jeddah and visit Makkah for Umrah before the last 10 nights start since the hotels are cheaper then. This way you can have a little bit of both without breaking the bank.

Hotels

I was planning on going for Umrah this Ramadan with the exception that I wanted to visit Medinah for longer and Makkah just for a day to perform Umrah. I booked my hotel in Medina in January for July. Yes 6 months in advance in order to get a good price. Even then there were only a few options available but the Crown Plaza Medinah was only £75per night. Even now it is still a good price if you want to check it out. It is a decent hotel and closes to the female entrance of the Prophet’s Mosque and the Rawda.
Hotels in Makkah, prior to the last 10 nights are cheaper and you can even find some options on points as well. I did find a client a points option that cost him 4 nights for the price of 1. His price was $450 per night which is reasonable since once the last 10 nights starts they jump to $1000 per night. We managed to find a deal for the same hotel for $550 for 4 nights. But he was flexible and it was before the last 10 nights. If you want to find out more about this option you can check out my book which has a detailed guide.

Visas

Unfortunately, visas are a cost you can’t avoid. Even if you want to reserve a cheaper price with an agent this is not possible as prices are revealed just a few weeks before Ramadan. Since agencies work with quotas you will have to be quick to make sure you get your visa. Visas cost from £250-£350 depending on the agency you use. If you are going with the do-it-yourself package then you will need to have booked your hotel and flights beforehand. If you are booking on cash then make sure you book your hotels months in advance where they will have some more flexible terms of cancellation. The same applies to your flights though there might be less flexibility.

Flights

Flights are a large cost as well and most people go for the direct and easier option which again costs more. See the flexible suggestion above. If you want direct flights from London to Jeddah return then it will cost you more especially if you decide to do this last minute.
However, if you chose to use miles on your flights and you book enough in advance there are some beautiful choices you can have. I have been monitoring prices, flights and miles for the last few months so I can see what works and how much they cost and I know there are easy ways to make it possible without spending the full cash price. Again this will require you to be a little flexible and it might not be a direct route but if you don’t mind traveling then I recommend you check my KLM posts. If I had booked in January for my Umrah trip in July there were spaces available with Saudi Airlines from Manchester to Jeddah one way for only 20,000 miles and £40 from there I could have taken a flight with Saudi airlines to Istanbul or elsewhere and just caught a cheap low cost back to the UK saving me also half of my flight ticket. Plus Istanbul would make a perfect Eid holiday.
This, of course requires you to have some miles but those who have been reading my blog know it is easy to accumulate them over time and I do share the tricks on how to do it. My book has some more information and more detail which is for the advanced learners.

Don’t go

I know many people don’t like it when I say this but I find that I prefer to go when it is not busy for several reasons.

  1. Umrah is a lesser pilgrimage and it is not compulsory in Ramadan and costs as much as Hajj. We have decided that saving the amount for Hajj is a better option for us since I would like to have a good experience and those cost £6000 /$8000.It is a compulsory pilgrimage so we do have to pay the cost no matter what package.
  2. I don’t like the crowd where men just push themselves without thinking about segregation and rules that apply outside of Umrah for some reason they are all forgotten while you are there. Plus the heat is too much to enjoy spending time outside and praying.
  3. I am all about value for money and it doesn’t make sense to pay so much money for an Umrah. Outside of Ramadan, I can have a perfect five star Umrah for about $500 per person using some miles and deals. So why would I want to spend my hard earned money to pay triple this amount just because it’s Ramadan? I can save it or add an extra trip to my books, that is something that I will personally enjoy and not someone else on my behalf.

In short my recommendation for those who want to go for Umrah in Ramadan. Start planning the trip in advance because all the good deals and options are available then. Everything you book last minute will be high in price and most likely not the best option. It is possible to go for Umrah in Ramadan and pay less it just takes a little bit of planning. So keep reading the blog and you can do it in sha Allah (God willing).

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Article source Muslim Travel Girl

Ramadan Prayers (Prayer to Seek Pardon from Sin)

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Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar, marks a period of fasting and deep reflection for Muslims worldwide.
Since the Islamic calendar is lunar, the fasting for Ramadan will start from either 17 or 18 June, based on when the moon is sighted.
In the 30-day period, all Muslims abstain from having food and drinks starting from sunrise to sunset. During the period of fasting, Muslims also tend to abstain from smoking and sexual activities.
After the fasting period, on the next new moon day, Muslims will celebrate the end of Ramadan with a day-long celebration known as Eid-ul Fitr around 17 July.
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Ramadan is also a season of prayer. Here are the top 10 prayers to help the believers feel closer to God.

Prayer for Forgiveness

Observant Muslims see Ramadan as a time for seeking forgiveness from God for all their sins and transgressions. Teachings in The Quran and in The Hadiths (sayings of Prophet Muhammad) clearly state that during the period of Ramadan, the sins of believers who engage in sincere worship and repentance will be forgiven.
Here is a prayer by Abdullah-ibn Amar, a companion of Prophet Muhammad:
“Allahumma inni as’aluka birahmatika al-lati wasi’at kulli shay’in an taghfira li.” [Oh Allah, I ask You by Your mercy which envelopes all things, that You forgive me.]

Special Prayers

The Tarawih prayers are a special type of prayer, performed in cycles of movement (standing, bowing, prostrating, sitting). During Ramadan, attending Tarawih prayers is the best way to grow in closeness to God.

Prayers of Zikr (Dhikr)

Zikr, or prayers recited over and over again in the remembrance of God, is an integral part of a pious Muslims’ life. The Zikr prayers are a great way to connect with God while doing any mundane chores of daily life such as driving or while in the kitchen.
Repeating simple expressions such as Subhan’allah [Glorious is God], Alhamdulillah [Thanks be to God], Astaghfirullah [I seek forgiveness of God] and Allahu Akbar [God is the Greatest] can make oneself aware about the greatness of God.

Prayer of Mercy

Ramadan is considered auspicious that Muslims believe that any man, who seeks God with a pure heart, his prayer will be heard.
Reciting a simple prayer such as: “Rabbigh-fir war hum wa anta khair ur rahimeen.” [Oh my Lord and Sustainer, please forgive me and be merciful to me. You are the best amongst those who show mercy] can draw one closer to his Maker.

Prayer to Seek Pardon from Sin

In the second 10 days of Ramadan, a prayer, which is from the Quran, was recommended by the Prophet Muhammad to be recited for seeking God’s blessing and forgiveness of sins.
“Allahumma innaka afuwwun tuhibbul afwa fa’fu anni.” [Oh Allah indeed you are the greatest pardoner and you like the act of pardoning. Hence, please forgive us.]

Prayer of Repentance

Prophet Muhammad has particularly mentioned about this prayer, which is to be recited during the last 10 days of Ramadan as much as possible.
“Astaghfirullaha rabbi min kulli zambin wa atabu ilaih.” [I seek forgiveness of all my sins from Allah who is my lord and sustainer and I return back in repentance to him alone.]

Prayers on Laylat al-Qadr

Laylat al-Qadr, in Islamic belief, is the night when the first verses of the Quran were revealed.
As per Islamic belief, whoever prays by heart “Laa ilaha il-lal lahu Muhammadur Rasulullah” [There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is his messenger] will be forgiven for all their sins.

Prayer During Bedtime

Before going to bed, one must recite “Subhanallahi wa’l hamdu lillaahi wa laa ilaaha illallaahu wallahu akbar ” [Glory be to Allah, and praise be to Allah; there is no god but Allah, and Allah is the Greatest].This is equal to doing Haj and Umra, it is believed.

Personal Prayers

Ramadan is a great month for understanding the will of God. Praying and subjecting oneself to his will helps us grow in closeness with the Creator.

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Ramadan Last 10 Days Considered The Holiest For Muslims

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Ramadan, the Muslim month of fasting, is drawing to a close. The last 10 days or Third Ashra are considered the holiest, and the focal point is the holiest of the cities, Mecca – from where Ramadan evening and dawn prayers are broadcast on a live feed around the Muslim world.

Every Ramadan Mecca and the Grand Mosque, which lies is at its center, look different: bigger, brighter, shinier. The Kaaba, the small shrouded building at the center of the mosque, which could once be seen from any of the hills around it, is now obscured. The city has been a large construction site over the past 20 years, and the results are beginning to show. At night, all lit up and crowded with apartments and hotels, Mecca now looks like a Saudi interpretation of Gotham or even Las Vegas. A large, Big Ben-like clock tower looms over the center, and shopping malls and high-rise blocks are being built in a circle around the pilgrimage zone.
In order to make way for these new developments, historic sites – such as the prophet’s house and his wife’s houses – have been razed. “The Saudis have spoiled Mecca” is now a popular view, and ancient structures – most recently the oldest columns in the Mecca and Medina mosques – have been compromised to make way for accelerated construction.
But it’s not fair to rush to judgment or to label the Saudis as simple philistines. Mecca is a living city. Although according to scripture, it has a history that stretches back to Abraham, its infrastructure was never lavish. Not through any particular sense of the sanctity of place: Saudi Arabia itself, and the entire Gulf region had neither the centralized government nor the assets needed to overhaul sites of religious significance before the 20th-century oil boom.
In the days before modern travel, mere thousands trickled through this tiny city. But Mecca now hosts up to 3 million visitors a year. Accommodating such a large number today is a huge logistical challenge. And these are not visitors who come for a few hours – to take a selfie, buy a rosary, say a prayer and then leave. They are pilgrims who stay for days, and who need to be fed, housed, washed and transported safely and speedily in and out of the city. Luxury flats and malls might be surplus to those requirements, but how could commercialism not creep in when the potential market is so huge?
Permeating the official attitude towards the expansion is a characteristically Saudi hardline religious view, which frowns upon the memorialization of prophets and the sites associated with them. But what we’re seeing isn’t really a case of ideologically driven destruction. The main considerations are practical, and there are Saudi architects and organizations that are campaigning to mitigate the effects of the city’s expansion. This is emphatically not a case of the Afghan Taliban blowing up world heritage sites to make a religious point.
The roots of concern over what is happening in Mecca at the moment are partly romantic. Today’s city is not the one Muslims learn about in dramatic desert tales of the religion’s inception. Some of the complaints are prompted by snobbery and disdain for the Saudi and Gulf aesthetic, which favors the bold and the garish over the understated and unobtrusive – as seen most obviously in Dubai. But it is also about failing to understand how the difference in cultural attitudes and needs plays out. The listed-buildings protocol in the UK, for example, is a product of a whole infrastructure of preservation and took many decades to develop. Much of it relates to religious buildings since those make up a great deal of this country’s built heritage. And, in contrast to Mecca, the demands on these buildings have diminished over the years.
While Mecca is a site of great historical religious significance, it cannot be preserved in the familiar sense, as its history has not ended. You might not appreciate what it looks like – but it matches the tastes and requirements of the present, as every place of pilgrimage has done in its heyday. Who can say that in 2,000 years the Mecca clocktower that people deem so ghastly will not be treated with as much reverence as the palaces of the Vatican is today?

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Article source The Guardian