Alhamdulillah. I finally had a chance to visit Mecca in December 2014. Thank you Allah for everything. The feeling of happiness and anxious at the same time which can't be described in words. I know it's a bit late to write this post, but I have to. This is a memory I won't forget.
I thank you all the Ustadz & Ustadzah from Maghfirah travel too, for the lessons, tausiyah, and the guidance. It helped me so much. I learned to appreciate lil things more. I was reminded again how Nabi Muhammad SAW fought for Islam in the past, so we must not waste the struggle. The schedule made by Maghfirah travel was good, even though sometimes there was a sudden change that slightly annoying. I registered for Umrah special parenting, well it was my aunty who registered to this program. So yeah, I had to join some parenting classes during the Umrah trip apart from the regular schedule. The other program was city tour, recitation, knowledge sharing (tausiyah), and some religious time together.
Let's begin the journey. We visited three big cities in Saudi Arabia; Madinah/Medina, Makkah/Mecca, and Jeddah. Here's our schedule in 9 days Umrah special parenting which was starting on Des 24,2014 until Jan 1,2015.
Day 1 (12/24): Jakarta - Medina
We had 9 hours flight from Jakarta to Medina on Dec 24,2014 at 6 in the morning. So we basically need to be at the airport by 3 AM. There was a huge turbulence along the flight. But Alhamdulillah, we arrived safe and sound in Medina around 11 AM Saudi Arabia time / 3 PM WIB. It's 4 hours differences between Jakarta and Saudi Arabia.
The check-in hotel regulation in Saudi Arabia is at 6 PM. While waiting, we visited some places such as Quba mosque (it is sunnah to pray there), dates garden (to shop and lunch), and Mount Uhud. Mount Uhud is a historical place in Islamic religion.
Prince Mohammad Bin Abdulaziz Airport
Quba Mosque
Dates/kurma garden
Road to Mount Uhud
Did you notice something? The housing in Medina is unique, unlike in Indonesia the houses are only covered with flat rooftop and the village is surrounded by the rock hills.
View from the top of Mount Uhud
Beautiful sunset in Mount Uhud
At 7 PM, we could finally check in to our room at Jewar Elsaqefa Hotel. Well, we supposed to get a room at Movenpick hotel, but Maghfirah couldn't get it for us. I wasn't sure why was the reason. Anyway. I was still grateful to have been given the opportunity to come at this far. After get everything settled, I went to Nabawi mosque for Isha. That was the first time I set my foot in Nabawi. Subhanallah, It's beautiful and I felt so peaceful when in there. It's a place that can't be forgotten.
Day 2 & 3 (12/25-12/26): Medina
The other two days in Medina, we spent our days n nights mostly at the mosque; to pray and have a tour around it sometime. The tomb of Nabi Muhammad SAW is located under the green dome in the mosque area.
Assalamualaika ya Nabi. The tomb was originally located outside the mosque. This change occurs because of the expansion of the mosque area. We also went to Asmaul Husna "
The Beautiful Names of Allah" exhibition which located next to the mosque.
Maghfirah travel also facilitate us to go to raudhah together at night (Raudah is taman surga which located between the house of Nabi Muhammad and his podium. It is an area in the mosque which is marked with green carpets. For female pilgrims could enter the area through gate 25.). We had to wait for 2-3 hours since a lot of people want it so badly to pray there. While queuing, the Ustadzah tells us a bit story about raudah and Nabawi mosque. Currently, the gate to raudhah (for women) is restricted only at certain times; after dawn/subuh until 10 am, after dzuhur until 3 pm, and after isha until 12 am. On Friday, the morning schedule is only until 8 am. CMIIW. In Raudah, we can perform the sunnah prayers (istikharah / hajat / sunnah mutlak 2 rakaat) and pray. It is suggested to gather few thoughts of what you gonna ask/ of whom you want your pray to address to before hands, so that you can pray it fervently when you are at the raudhah.
Note: you are not allowed to bring food, luggage, and camera into Nabawi Mosque (inside the mosque). Smartphone with a camera is allowed, so you can still take some memories of it.
The glorious Nabawi Mosque
Where thousand of people gathered in one fine Jumma Mubarak
Nabawi at night
Day 4 (12/27): Medina - MeccaAfter three days in the city of Medina, our group proceed the journey to Mecca. This is actually the core of this nine-days-journey. Umrah! We took a bus from Medina to Mecca for about 5 hours long. But before that, we stopped at Bir Ally for miqat / a stated place. Miqat can only be done at specific places. Bir Ally happen to be the nearest one from Medina. It only took few minutes from our hotel in Medina to Bir Ally. When the stated has been done, all restrictions of Ihram were applied and we were encouraged to read talbiyah and dzikir during our way to Mecca. Well to be honest, I was a bit nervous too at that time. I was worried that I couldn't done mabrur umrah.
The rites of Umrah is basically consist of 5 activities; stating an intention/niat, dressed in ihram, tawaf, sa'i, and ends with tahallul. So we have stated an intention just before at Bir Ally and dressed in ihram. Then we began tawaf at 10.30 PM. Tawaf was done by circumambulating the Kaaba for 7 times, in a counterclockwise direction. Then proceed with sa'i that went back and forth between the hills of Safa and Marwa 7 times. And ends with tahalul by cutting a few strands of hair. Alhmadulillah. I was overly happy that I was able to finish my first Umrah smoothly. We went back to the hotel at 3 AM.
Masjidil Haram at 3 AM
After done the Umrah, Alhamdulillah!The saolin soccer boys :D aren't they so cute!
Day 5 (12/28): MeccaWe didn't have much schedule in the day time. So after get enough rest, I went to hunt for food after dzuhur at zam zam tower. I will write post about my food journey in Saudi Arabia in the next article. Then after asr at Masjidil Haram, we had afternoon tausyiah with Ust. Hatta while waiting for Maghrib. At night, our scheduled was for tawaf sunnah and pray in the Hijr Ismail. Pray in Hijr Ismail is sunnah but it as important as praying in Raudhah at Nabawi mosque, just like in the Raudhah people were queuing and jostling to pray in Hijr Ismail.
Day 6 (12/29): MeccaToday we had some time for city tour around Makkah. We visited Gua Hira, Gua Tsur, Padang Arafah, and Mina. Here, Ust. Hatta told us a story when Nabi Muhammad was trapped in Gua Tsur chased by the Quraisy. Lessons learnt from the story: Try our best before asking for a help. Help of Allah appears when strictly necessary. InshaAllah, a miracle will come to who was in trouble at the right time. In the afernoon, we had Umrah bada after asr and finished it at 10 PM.
The spot when Adam and Eve met (with auntie, lil cousin, and elder brother)
Ends of Arafah line
Thousand tents at Mina
Day 7 (12/30): Mecca - JeddahThis is our last day in Mecca :'( We gathered at 3 AM to perform jamaah tahajud. Then proceed with thawaf wada (thawaf perpisahan) after subuh. I prayed deep in my heart to get another chance to visit Baitullah again one day for either hajj or umrah. Amin yra! Goodbye Mecca, til we meet again inshaAllah.
Next schedule, before departed to Jeddah, there was a closing ceremony with Abah Ihsan. Lesson learnt: our true best friends are our parents/children, not a friend nor a neighbor nor a boss/subordinate. Parents who always remember us in their prayers, who always devoted in our joy and sorrow. Thank you Abah Ihsan for this reminder.
At 2 PM we continued the journey to Jeddah. We only transited in Jeddah for couple hours before our flight to Jakarta. On the way to Jeddah we visited the red sea and floating mosque/mesjid terapung, and had little shopping at balad shopping center. We finally checked in to our hotel in Jeddah at 8 PM.
The farewell (with my elder brother)
Between Red Sea and the Floating Mosque (with my lil cousin)
Day 8 & 9 (12/31-1/1): Jeddah - JakartaWe checked out from hotel at 9 in the morning. The boarding time of our flight was at 1 PM. It was 9 hours long flight + 4 hours time difference. We arrived in Jakarta on the ninth day, January 1st 2015, at 2 AM. This is the end of the journey. That was all the schedule we had in 9 days Umrah.
As you can see, we had activities days and nights. I felt restless but Allah gave me the strengths during my Umrah journey. Alhamdulillah for 2014. I ended it with some good deeds. Let's begin the year of 2015 with new spirit. Bismillah :)
Jeddah International Airport
Return tickets to Saudi Arabia
Travel essential for Umrah:
- Comfortable shoes without laces since u will need to take it on and off when you get into the mosque.
- Shoes bag to bring the shoes inside mosque since there is not enough shoes locker inside the mosque
- Couple of socks
- Mini Al-Quran
- A guide book of sunnah prayers & dzikir
- Tissue
- Mask. The air is so dry, so it sometime hurts our nose when we breath.
- Small prayer mat/sajadah & praying clothes/mukena
- Abaya or gamis is a must bring. It's really convenient to go around with abaya when in Arab, and it is common to pray with abaya.
- Shoulder bag
- Long scarves
- When you tavel in winter, you will need to bring a coat and some thermal underwear to wear in the morning and night when the temperature is around 18-20°C. At day time, the temperature goes to normal and it is as hot as in Jakarta. Medina is colder than Mecca and Jeddah, so you don't need those coat/thermal underwear anymore in Mecca and Jeddah.
Things provided by Maghfirah travel:
- 1 Luggage
- 1 Passport cover
- 1 Shoulder bag
- 1 Prayer book
- Name tag
- 1 Hat
- 1 Gamis + 2 instant hijab/bergo (for woman)
- 1 Praying top/atasan mukena (for woman)
- 1 Muslim clothes/baju koko + 1 peci (for man)
- Ihram dress top and bottom + 1 belt (for man)
- APS (Alat Pendengar Suara/ hearing device) with a deposit of 1m per person. This is what I like the most from Maghfirah travel. Technology really makes life easier. It helps you when you perform tawaf, sa'i, jamaah prayers, and city tour.
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