Umrah Advice

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I went Umrah this year for 2 weeks (March/April). It was really busy and the experience deserves another post. From my experience I can give you some tips that will be beneficial inshallah not just for Umrah for your remaining stay.

Tip 1 - Carry at least 1 pen or a pack of them

You will need to fill in some card they will give you on the plane. In case you get asked to give this card you want to be prepared before you get to the passport control desk. Flight attendants might not have one and people in the plane may not have one. Be prepared for your going with (group/family/friends). My advice is get a pack of cheap BIC pens. 

Tip 2 - Passport Control and Patience

I was in a queue for passport control for 5 hours. Be prepared for a long/short queue which takes very long to get processed. There are so many delays. You may be lucky you may be one of the unlucky ones regarding queue time. The airport in Jeddah is very unorganized. There may be several passport control desks open. Find a queue that is the most organised and doesn't help much for other people cutting in. Patience is key here, don't destroy your Umrah/Hajj here as it can be frustrating standing/sitting and moving slower than a snail. You will be suprised about what the passport control officer was doing and how much he cared about the queue being that big. It took 5 minutes minimum to process one person.

Tip 3 - Taking your Time

For a first timer who has not been to Hajj/Umrah. I started off in a rush. There is a dua that you need to read before entering the haram for example. Take your time to observe the area, know where the gates are and proceed. Take your time in each step that you do and observe it carefully. It will be very crowded to a shocking level sometimes, bare with this and just relax. For someone doing Umrah for the first time, make it count.

Tip 4 - Carry your Umrah/Hajj Guide with You

I had a pocket guide but used a print out from the following website:

The guide above is really good. Study weeks in advance what to do.

Tip 5 - Practice wearing your Ihram (Men)

Some people use pins. I would advise that you don't need one. A properly put on Ihram will cover you properly and you should find moving, walking and praying fine. Even during the tawaf when uncovering your right shoulder its very easy to adjust the upper piece.

Tip 6 - Local Barbers

There are barbers waiting near the end of the the Saii (Safa and Marwa). Any barber that cut's your hair can be chosen of course. But if you know there is a barber next to your hotel then consider that one as well as you can have a shower in your hotel without having to walk for another 10 minutes to get back to the hotel.

Tip 7 - Familiarize yourself with your way to the Hotel

Its probably easy getting to the haram as everyones going there. Getting back is simple too, but just make sure you have something as a way point. From the haram, I looked back at this shop called Bin Dawood and used that as a way point back to the hotel at Ibrhaim Khaleel Road.

Tip 8 - Food, Water and Spirituality

There are many fast food restaurants and quick takeaways like Broast. Eat modestly. Dont over eat to make yourself feel lazy and sluggish. It will be very hot so heat can make you feel tired as well. There is Zam Zam water all over the haram so drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration. I was ill for around 2-3 days. I had a bad throat and that was either the food or the AC in the hotel. I stopped eating the outside food and opted for fruits and water. 

Tip 9 - Ziyarat

If your stay in Makkah or Medina has a few days to it, there are many things to see regarding history. For example, visiting cave Hira where Islam was revealed to the prophet Muhammad SAW (eace and blessings be up on him).

Tip 10 - Mobile Sim

 Everyone get a SIM. I had a Mobili network SIM. Avoid using your local country SIM especially if your from the UK. Somehow I ran up a £200 bill on Virgin mobile paying £5 for 1MB. The Mobili sims will have credit for calls and some internet usage.

There are plenty of other guides with very good tips, but this is one from my own experience.






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