Umrah Can Be Made Affordable In Several Ways Today





One of the five pillars of Islam is the pilgrimage of Hajj, which is performed by many Muslims across the world every year by visiting the holy city of Makkah located in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Another Islamic pilgrimage is Umrah, which is not a major pilgrimage but it is called the 'lesser pilgrimage' and has special importance in Islam. It is the Sunnah of (Prophet Muhammad) and offers some spiritual rewards for those who perform it. The major pilgrimage of Hajj is mandatory for all the Muslims who are physically and financially capable of making the journey to Makkah to accomplish it. However, the lesser pilgrimage has no such obligation.

About a couple of decades back, Muslims living in countries located far from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had to depend on their nearest travel agent to get their journey to Makkah arranged to perform their lesser pilgrimage. This involved huge costs and many of them had to postpone their plans of performing this pilgrimage owing to budget concerns. Over a period of time, many tour operators or travel companies specialising in the Islamic religious tours of Hajj and Umrah have come up in different parts of the world and this has given several options for the prospective pilgrims.

Today, the cost involved in making the journey to Makkah has been reduced to a great extent due to the various options in packages that these travel companies or tour operators provide. Muslims intending to perform their lesser pilgrimage can make comparisons between these packages and choose the one best suited to their available budget. Upon booking their desired package several months in advance, they can also get a considerable amount of discount. They can use the savings thus made during their time spent in Makkah.

Before booking their packages, they must always verify the authenticity of the tour operator offering the package. Only the travel agents or tour operators authorised by the Hajj Ministry of Saudi Arabia can conduct such religious tours. It is, therefore, extremely necessary that the prospective pilgrims verify whether the tour operator they are booking their package with has been authorised by Saudi Arabia’s Hajj Ministry. They must also consider other factors before going ahead with their booking. It would be safe to book their chosen package with a tour operator that has been operating for quite a long time. Going through the online reviews posted by past customers would also be helpful.

Many of the Muslims may not be concerned about the cost involved in making the journey to Makkah. They can go for the high-end packages offered by the leading tour operators or travel companies. Many of the tour operators place such packages in the category of 5-star on their website. The reason for this categorisation is that accommodation for the pilgrim is arranged in one of the 5-star hotels in Makkah located close to the Masjid al-Haram. A stay in such a hotel would give the pilgrim great convenience in getting to the holy mosque and performing all the rituals in peace.

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