Umrah Packages Provide Greater Convenience For Uk Muslims

By Author: Safeena Rahman
Total Articles: 48
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Every year, numerous Muslims from different parts of the world visit the holy city of Makkah in Saudi Arabia to perform their Umrah. This pilgrimage is often referred to as the 'lesser pilgrimage' and can be accomplished within a few hours. It has great significance among Muslims across the world as it is Prophet Muhammad's (peace be upon him) Sunnah. There are some spiritual benefits associated with this pilgrimage according to the Islamic traditions, which the pilgrims benefit from after performing it. There are certain procedures involved in this pilgrimage that are also performed during the major pilgrimage of Hajj.

Muslims living in the United Kingdom can book any of the Umrah packages from UK and make their lesser pilgrimage easy and affordable. The first step in performing the pilgrimage is to enter the state of 'ihram', which is a holy state. This is done by putting on the pilgrim's clothing after reaching a designated spot called 'Meeqat' in the vicinity of the holy city. For men, the clothing is a set of seamless, white garments. Women can follow the normal Islamic dress code, but their clothes must be loose-fitting ...
... and they must not cover their faces. If the ihram clothing has been damaged by dirt or a scented liquid accidentally spilt on it, a new ihram clothing must be worn.

Some of the Umrah packages help UK Muslims in staying close to the Masjid al-Haram, which would help them maintain the purity of ihram. One of the main rituals that the pilgrim performs is the 'Tawaf'. It involves circumambulating the holy Kaabah, by completing seven rounds in the anti-clockwise direction. During the circumambulation, the pilgrim is supposed to keep the House of Allah to the left. Men must finish the first three of the seven rounds at a hurried pace and go slower during the remaining rounds. All of these rounds begin and end at the corner of Kaabah. After completing the seven rounds, a two-Rakat prayer is said near the 'Maqam-e-Ibrahim'.

The Umrah packages offered by the tour operators in the UK include accommodations in elegant hotels located close to the holy mosque. This gives greater convenience for pilgrims in getting to the holy mosque and performing their rituals with complete peace of mind. After the completion of Tawaf, 'Saee' is performed, which emulates an important event from the life of Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him). It involves walking to and fro between the Safa and Marwah mountains located near the holy Kaabah.

After the Saee ritual, the 'Halq' is performed by men and 'Taqsir' is performed by women. These are two names of the same ritual, which involves cutting of hair by the pilgrim. The hair has to be shaved off completely from the head in case of male pilgrims according to the ritual, while women have to cut a minimum of one inch of their hair. After Umrah, the pilgrims can utilise their time spent in Makkah for visiting the important Islamic sites in and around the holy city. They can also buy attractive souvenirs from the local markets before returning to their place of residence in the UK.