For Muslims worldwide, Umrah pilgrimage allows believers to walk in the footsteps of the Prophets Ibrahim & Muhammad peace be upon him (PBUH), deepening their connection to Islamic history. By bringing together diverse cultures and backgrounds in one place at Mecca, Umrah reinforces the global brotherhood of Muslim community (Ummah). For those who are weak, elderly, or young, performing Umrah is considered as striving in the path of Allah.
I keep on learning every time when performing Umrah that every behavioral ritual carries deep symbolic meaning: Ihram (sacred state) of wearing simple white garments symbolizes the equality of all Muslims, stripping away differences in wealth, status, and nationality. Tawaf (circumambulation) walking around the Kaaba seven times represents the unity of believers and centering one's entire life around Allah. Sa'ei (walking between Safa and Marwah) honors the perseverance and faith of Hajar (wife of Prophet Ibrahim) as she searched for water, teaching pilgrims the value of patience and trust in divine mercy. Halq or Taqsir (shaving or trimming our hair) as the final act signifies humility and a fresh start, free from past burdens.
Last Friday afternoon, my wife, Zarina & I joined our son, Farouq & his best half, Nadja and their son, Daniel to KLIA for a significant sending-off Nadja's parents, Haji Adnan & Hajah Naimah & daughter, Natasha with her 2 children, Amir & Amelia, for a flight to Jeddah to perform the Umrah pilgrimage.
I received message with photos and videos from Adnan that they had safely arrived at Jeddah airport and on the way by bus to Mecca saw snowfall has blanketed parts of the Saudi Arabian desert, transforming its typically dry and sun-scorched landscape into a surreal winter scene. What's a blessing to experience a peaceful and comfortable pilgrimage as winter weather enhances Umrah, offering cooler temperatures, & a serene smoother atmosphere.
Zulkifly Baharom (hajizul50@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact creator@newswav.com.
