Is there anything greater than having the reward of doing Hajj with the Holy Prophet (PBUH)? I don’t think there is, as in one of his Hadiths, he said that performing Umrah in the blessed month of Ramadan is equal to performing Hajj with him. This is only true in terms of rewards, and it doesn’t fulfill the obligation of Hajj. Regardless of how many times you go for Umrah in Ramadan, Hajj is still Farz for every adult Muslim who has enough physical and financial strength.
Now that I have already mentioned the biggest reason why I chose to go for Umrah during the holy month of Ramadan. I will explain the remaining ones as well, but before that, one thing I would like to mention is that Ramadan Umrah is very crowded, and it is best to book yourself a Ramadan Umrah package as soon as possible.
The 5 Reasons I Selected Holy Ramadan for My Umrah
In no way do I intend to say that performing Umrah other than in Ramadan is not rewarding or has less value. Only Allah knows the true rewards or punishments of the deeds you perform. The only reason Umrah in Ramadan is popular is due to the various Hadiths attached to it. Plus, the month itself has plenty of things going on, such as fasting, taraweeh, suhoor, and iftar. All of these make this month more blessed than the other Islamic months.
Coming back to the main point of my discussion, here are some reasons that motivated me to go for Umrah in Ramadan.
- My Family Brought Up
When I was growing up, my father, a devout Muslim, used to play the Azaan in Masjid e Haram and Masjid e Nabwi all the time on TV. It soothed him, and gradually I started loving that sound and atmosphere. Ultimately, it became one of the biggest desires of my life to witness the House of Allah and Roza Rasool during the prayer times. Ramadan was the best time for me to do this, so I selected it for my Umrah trip.
- Taraweeh Prayers
Another reason that highly motivated me to go for Umrah Ramadan was that I wanted to stand behind the Imam of Masjid e Nabwi and offer the late-night taraweeh prayers. I had seen YouTube videos of Taraweeh prayers, and my heart melted when I observed the atmosphere there.
When I landed in Riyadh for my Umrah on the 7th night of Ramadan, I had enough time to go to Makkah, check in at my hotel, and head straight to the mosque to catch the last few Rakats of Taraweeh prayers. The experience was truly magical and calming. I literally don’t have the words to explain the feeling right now, as it is too overwhelming.
- Iftar in Holy Mosques
If there is one thing that I remember most vividly, it is the Iftars I had in both mosques in Makkah and Madinah. People here donate generously to other pilgrims. There are dates, milk, ZamZam water, and many other things. So, you really don’t need to worry about your food if you are going in Ramadan.
However, there are many Umrah in Ramadan packages that offer a complimentary Suhoor buffet in place of breakfast. One thing I would particularly like to share here is to select the Umrah timings very carefully, as the Masjid al Haram is extremely crowded. The right time is immediately after Fajr prayers or in the afternoon, if you can manage to perform Umrah rituals while fasting.
- Laila tul Qadr
One of the biggest reasons that motivated me to go for Umrah during the holy month of Ramadan was Laila tul Qadr. Also known as the Night of Power or Night of Decree, this is the night in which the Holy Prophet (PBUH) received his first revelation of the Holy Quran. The night is so important in every Muslim’s life that there is a whole Surah to its name in which Allah Almighty explains its significance—that it is equal to 1000 months.
Scholars explain that this verse means that any good deed performed during this night has a reward equal to 1000 times. Plus, the angels come down and listen to all prayers. This night falls on one of the odd nights of the last Ashra of the holy month, and no one but Allah knows the exact timing of this night each year.
I wanted to spend the last Ashra in Masjid Al Haram. This is the reason that I visited Madinah before the start of the last 10 days.
Each day I went to the mosque before Asar prayers, did my Iftar there, and then started praying till the Fajr prayers. I returned to the hotel only after offering the Fajr prayers. This was my routine from the 21st to the last night of the holy month.
- Witnessing Eid in Makkah
It was my wish to offer Eid prayers in Masjid al Haram at least once in my life. So I decided to stay there a bit longer than most of the prayers. The Eid atmosphere in Makkah is one of a kind. You will see most of the men wearing white and women in different shades of abayas.
On my way back, you will see countless stalls outside home offering free gifts, drinks, dates, and some even breakfast platters to people going back after offering prayers. This is the true spirit of Ramadan and Eid.
Final Words
If you also desire to perform Umrah in Ramadan, then you need to start making your plans as soon as possible. For the first-timers, I would suggest taking some help from a professional and reliable travel agency like Muslims Holy Travel. They offer a wide range of Umrah packages at affordable prices.