Unforgettable Umrah: A humbling experience as Allah’s guest
By Kakaire Ayub Kirunda
The journey of Umrah transforms you—it never leaves you the same. It is inspiring, uplifting, and deeply spiritual. If your intentions are sincere, you will find yourself yearning to return year after year. It spurs spiritual renewal, a dream come true.
Such lines filled the weekly darsu sessions that preceded our Umrah pilgrimage to the holy lands in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in January 2025. My anticipation increased in chats with those with prior Umrah experience.
I realised that my lifelong dream was within reach when they started referring to us as Allah’s guests. Unless it was by Allah’s design, I was not about to let anything stop the momentum. Not even a severe joint parasitic and bacterial attack on my body, just under ten days to departure, could deter me from undertaking the journey. Without hesitation, I underwent the prescribed treatment, receiving every infusion as directed by the doctor. Alhamdulillah, I recovered in time to travel. Such was the importance of this journey that in my 17-year air travel history, I paid for my tickets for the first time!
Preparing for the Ihram
Since we were heading straight to Makkah for Umrah, we would cross the Miqat before landing at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah. This required us to enter the state of Ihram beforehand. Miqat is the designated boundary beyond which Umrah and Hajj pilgrims must be in Ihram, a state of spiritual purity, making it impermissible to proceed without adhering to its conditions. Ihram is not just about wearing specific garments; it is a commitment to follow prescribed prohibitions and rituals essential for the pilgrimage.
To ensure we were properly prepared, we donned our Ihram garments at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa, mentally embracing the sacred journey ahead.
After a little over an hour’s bus ride from the airport in Jeddah, we, on the morning of January 20, 2025, arrived in Makkah to the sweet sounds of Adhan (call to prayer) from various Masjids on the road leading to the holy city. We checked into our hotel, and we embarked on a marathon of preparations—freshening up, performing our Fajr prayer, having breakfast, and receiving a briefing from our facilitators of Makkah Madinah Hajj and Umrah Services—before heading to Masjid al-Haram for our Umrah traditions.
Face-to-face with the Kaabah
After wading through hundreds of people, we stepped into Masjid al-Haram, Islam’s holiest, and before my eyes was the majestic Kaabah. I had hitherto seen it through photographs and television. I didn’t become hysterical, but deep down my heart was a sense of fulfilment. Finally! As this sunk in, our team leaders, Sheikhs Hussein Muwonge and Ahmada Sserunyigo, beckoned us to the starting point of the seven circumambulations around the Kaaba (Tawaf). This was followed by a two-unit sunnah prayer behind Maqam Ibrahim and a Zamzam water break before heading to the Sai ritual of back and forth walking seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwa—a tribute to Hajar’s search for water for her son when Prophet Ibrahim relocated them to the area. Next was a haircut, and in under three hours our Umrah was done.
Takeaways
The pre-travel lectures were invaluable in preparing us for the journey, and I would strongly urge every first-time pilgrim to prioritise them. Knowing what to do, what to expect, and psychologically preparing for the same is crucial.
With proper guidance, every step naturally falls into place, and you adapt to the challenges that come with the journey. It is this preparation and resilience that ultimately lead to a fulfilling and successful pilgrimage.
To the historic landmarks
After completing the Umrah rituals, we undertook visits to several historical sites in the holy cities of Makkah and Madina. As you may have guessed already, a stay in Makkah would have felt incomplete without visiting the valleys of Mina and Muzdalifah, as well as the sacred Mount Arafat. Sheikh Hussein Muwonge’s very informative commentary on what happens in these areas during the Hajj pilgrimage was so gripping that I did not want to miss a bit. Not much space to share the details here. All I can say is that I am fired up for Hajj, Inshaa Allah!
Done with Makkah, we headed north 442 kilometres to Madinah, home to Islam’s second holiest mosque, Masjid Nabawi—popularly known as the Prophet’s Masjid. Madinah was the first capital of Islam and home to the first mosque built in Islam—Masjid Qubah.
Madinah is also where Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) spent the last ten years of his life and was laid to rest upon his death. It was hard to reach every landmark and indeed just drove past many of these, but our guide Sheikh Muwonge’s powerful narrative skills and mastery of the history attached to these sites made me/us feel at home.
Nonetheless, the stops at Mount Uhud on the outskirts of Madinah, and Badr earlier enroute to Madinah, important battlegrounds in the history of Islam, were humbling and deeply reflective. From the sacrifices to the simplicity of the graves (hardly noticeable) of the martyrs of these and other battles, I was cast in a never-before-reflective mode, asking myself many spiritual questions, and I still do, weeks after returning home.
To this, the tales, knowledge gained on this trip, my lived experience in the two holy cities, as well as the visits to all the landmarks brought the Seerah to life for me like never before. My sacred Umrah trip has not left me the same!
