Umrah in December Allows Pilgrims to Visit Important Sites





Umrah is an Islamic pilgrimage that can be performed at any time during the year. This is the reason why many Muslims choose to perform this pilgrimage in December, especially those living in non-Islamic countries. A major reason is that they get to benefit from the holidays that begin towards the last week of the month. Upon embarking on this sacred journey to the holy city of Makkah in the last month of the year, the Muslims living in countries of Northern Europe also get to escape the chilly weather of their home countries.

An Umrah in December can be planned well in advance, deciding the date of departure and the number of days that the pilgrim wants to spend in Makkah. Once the dates have been decided he or she can get a budget-friendly package booked for the last month of the year much earlier to get an attractive discount given by most of the tour operators on packages that are booked in advance. The amount thus saved can be utilised during the time spent in Makkah on buying souvenirs or gifts for the loved ones back home or while visiting the prominent Islamic sites in and around the holy city.

One such site is a mountain located in the Hejazi region near Makkah called 'Jabal al-Noor'. The name translates as the 'Hill of Illumination' or the 'Mountain of Light'. It refers to the event in the life of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) when he received his first revelation of the Quran comprising of Surah Al-Alaq's first five ayats. He received the revelation from Allah through the archangel Jibreel (A.S). Every year, millions of Muslims hike for about one to two hours to get to the cave where this event took place.

The pilgrims can also visit a mosque located in Makkah near the Jannat al-Mu'alla, called 'Masjid al-Jinn' or 'Mosque of the Jinn'. It is considered to be one of the oldest mosques in the holy city of Makkah. The mosque has been built at the spot where a group of 'jinn' or 'genies' had assembled after sunset once to hear Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) recite a portion of the Holy Quran. According to Islamic traditions, the leaders of the jinn later met the prophet and embraced Islam. This event is mentioned in the Holy Quran's 'al-Jinn' chapter. As the prophet had accepted the jinns' oath of allegiance to him, Masjid al-Jinn is also known as the 'Mosque of Allegiance'.

Mount Arafat is also a place that the pilgrims can visit, as it is the place where Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) had delivered his famous 'Farewell Sermon'. This sacred mountain is located in the plain of Arafat to the east of central Makkah and is also known as 'Jabal al-Rahmah', which means 'Mountain of Mercy'. It refers to an event in the life of Prophet Adam (peace be upon him) when he was forgiven by Allah for his sin. The place where the event took place has been indicated by a pillar in recent times.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Umrah Packages Have Become Easier to Book in Recent Times

An Islamic pilgrimage undertaken by millions of Muslims every year, Umrah is often referred to as the 'lesser pilgrimage' or the 'minor pilgrimage'. This is mainly due to the fact that the major pilgrimage in Islam is Hajj, which is also among its five pillars. It is mandatory for all the able-bodied and financially capable Muslims to perform this pilgrimage at least once in their lifetime. However, there is no such obligation with regards to Umrah. It can be performed at any time during the year and is usually accomplished within a few hours. There was a time when Muslims across the world had to rely on the local travel agent to get their journey to the holy city of Makkah arranged. As they rarely had other options to choose from, they had to go with the total cost quoted by their agent. However, today the individuals intending to perform their lesser pilgrimage have several options in terms of Umrah packages and the tour operators providing them. Considering t...
Read more

Book Umrah Packages in UK in Advance for Greater Savings

Every year, many Muslims from different parts of the United Kingdom make their journey to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah, which is also known as the 'lesser pilgrimage' or 'minor pilgrimage'. It is slightly different from the major pilgrimage of Hajj, which is obligatory for all Muslims and among Islam's five pillars. The lesser pilgrimage is not compulsory and can be performed at any time of the year, while the major pilgrimage is performed in the month of Dhu al-Hijjah. Another great difference between the two pilgrimages is that Umrah can be performed within a few hours owing to the lesser number of rituals involved. There was a time when Muslims residing in the UK had to depend on a few travel agents for making the journey to the holy city for performing their minor pilgrimage. As the long journey involved a significant amount of cost, many of them had to keep postponing their plans for performing the pilgrimage. In recent times, many of t...
Read more

Getting Ramadan Umrah Packages Has Become Much Easier Today

Image
Ramadan is the month when the Holy Quran was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) through Archangel Jibreel (A.S) and is, therefore, a holy month for Muslims across the world. During this particular month, they fast from dawn until sunset and refrain from sinful behaviour. The name 'Ramadan' for this month was derived from the Arab word 'Ramida' or 'ar-Ramad', which literally translates as 'dryness' or 'extreme heat'. Fasting during this holy month is compulsory for all adult Muslims. However, those suffering from a certain illness, the elderly, the chronically ill, menstruating women, women in their pregnancy, and the women who need to breastfeed their children are the exceptions. The importance of Umrah in Ramadan can be understood from an event narrated by Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him). According to the narration, a woman from Madinah was asked by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) the reason for not g...
Read more