Aleena and Aydaan’s Umrah Trip
April 2014
Getting ready for Umrah
When you get ready for umrah you enter into a state of ihram. This includes
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Performing a ritual bath (ghusl)
Putting on the ihram (like Aydaan is in the picture)
Making the intention
Saying the Talibyah (labbayk Allahumma labbayk…)
Praying two ra’kah’s
After traveling for almost two days from Canton to Chicago to Frankfurt (Germany) and finally
Makkah, we immediately started our Umrah, even though it was almost midnight!
<NOTE: We didn’t take any pictures during any part of our actual Umrah, so had to go back a few
days later to make sure we could capture it all to bring it back home!>
Visiting the Ka’aba
The first step is to circle (ta’waf’) the
Ka’aba seven times, starting and ending
with the black stone.
You have to have wudu while you are
making ta’waf or it won’t be counted!
We made lots of dua (especially when
first seeing it) and even got to touch it!
Aydaan’s hand touching the Ka’aba wall
A beautiful view of the Haram at nighttime
View from inside the Hatim
Footsteps of Prophet Ibrahim
After we completed our Ta’waf, we prayed
two rakats salah behind the Maqam of
Ibrahim . This is the second step in Umrah.
This place has a special history that goes
back to when the Ka’aba was first built…..
In order to complete the upper part of
the walls of the Ka’aba, Prophet
Ibrahim stood upon a large stone block
that he moved along when each
section was completed.
When the Ka’aba was finished building,
the large stone block was left outside
of the Kab’ah. It was the place where
Prophet Ibrahim offered his prayers.
Footsteps of Prophet Ibrahim
Drinking Zam Zam
The third step of Umrah includes drinking a lot of Zamzam water. When
drinking, we made the intention that it helps us attain good deeds with
knowledge, vastness in provision and continued well being.
A mouth piece of the Well of Zamzam with its ring and lid.
A pulley for lifting Zamzam water dating back to the end of
the 14th century of Hijrah
A brass bucket which used to be in the well of Zamzam
dating back to 1299H
Zam Zam was everywhere we
travelled – even all the way in
Madinah
Safa and Marwah
The fourth step of Umrah is called Sa‘ee which is meant to honor Hajirah’s search for
water and Allah's mercy in answering her prayers.
The start of Sa’ee
Mount Safa
Making dua
between Mts. Safa
and Marwah
Aydaan
standing on
Marwah
Keep running Aydaan! You have
to complete 7 times total back
and forth
Following Sa’ee, we
trimmed our hair
(final step) and
officially completed
our Umrah.
Alhamdullilah!!
The Prophet’s (PBUH) early years
After we completed our Umrah, we spent a few days seeing the sights and getting to see everything we had
learnt about the Prophet’s life.
Near the Haram, we walked to see where the Prophet (PBUH) was born. It is now a library. We also saw the
mountain areas where he was a Sheppard and cared for sheep in his early years. What a blessing it was to
walk in the very same footsteps of our Beloved!
The Prophet (PBUH) grew up as an orphan. The Prophets father, Abdullah, died when Muhammad was not yet born. Muhammad
(PBUH) was nursed by Halimah Al-Sadiyyah up until the age of 2 when he was taken into the custody of his paternal uncle Abu
Talib. Muhammad’s mother died when he was six years old. He was first taken under the care of his paternal grandfather, Abd AlMuttalib. When Muhammad was eight years old, Abd Al-Muttalib passed away, and Muhammad’s guardianship fell to Abu Talib
(son of Abd Al-Muttalib and Muhammad’s paternal uncle). Alluding to the Prophet Muhammad’s orphanage experience and poor
childhood, Allah says “Did He not find you (O Muhammad) an orphan and gave you a refuge? And He found you unaware (of the
Quran, its legal laws and Prophethood) and guided you? And He found you poor, and made you rich (self sufficient with self
contentment)? Therefore, treat not the orphan with oppression. And repulse not the beggar. And proclaim the Grace of your Lord
(Surat Al Dhuha, verses 6-11)
Masjid al Bay’ah
One of our first sight visits was to Masjid al
Bay’ah which is also known as the Mosque
of the Pledge. It is the place where the
Prophet (PBUH) received the oath of
allegiance of the tribes of Yathrib (Madinah).
La illaha ill Allah Inscribed on the wall of
the masjid
Sh. Hamza making dua after giving a
lesson he taught
Years before the Hijrah, this was where 73
Muslim men and women swore their
allegiance to him, promising to defend him
as they would their own families.
It was a really hot day but subhanAllah
amazing to see!
Our Amma praying Dhur
The mosque lies at the foot of the
hills near Mina
Mount Arafat
The Prophet’s Last Sermon was delivered on the Ninth Day of Dhul Hijjah, 10 AH
in the Uranah Valley of Mount Arafat in Makkah. After praising and thanking
Allah, the Prophet (PBUH) began with the words….
“O People! Lend me an attentive ear, for I know not whether after this year I shall
ever be amongst you again. Therefore, listen carefully to what I am saying and take
these words to those who could not be present here today.
O People! Just as you regard this month, this day, this city as Sacred, so regard the
life and property of every Muslim as a sacred trust. Return the goods entrusted to
you to their rightful owners. Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you. Remember
that you will indeed meet your Lord, and that He will indeed reckon your deeds
Allah has forbidden you to take usury (interest) therefore all interest obligations shall
henceforth be waived. Your capital is yours to keep You will neither inflict nor suffer
any inequity. Allah has judged that there shall be no interest and that all the interest
due to Al-Abbas ibn Abd AL-Muttalib (Prophets uncle) be waived.
Eating Ice Cream with the Camels
Every right arising out of homicide in pre-Islamic days is henceforth waived and the
first such right that I waive is that arising from the murder of Rabi’ah ibn Al Harithiah
O Men! The unbelievers indulge in tampering with the calendar in order to make
permissible that which Allah forbade, and to prohibit which Allah has made
permissible. With Allah the months are twelve in number, four of them are sacred,
three of these are successive and one occurs singly between the months of Jumadah
and Sha’ban.
Beware of Satan for the safety of your religion. He has lost all hope that he will be
able to lead you astray in big things, so beware of following him in small things.
Mount Arafat
Mount Arafat
O People! It is true that you have certain rights with regard to your women but they also have rights
over you. Remember that you have taken them as your wives only under Allah’s trust and with His
permission. If they abide by your right then to them belongs the right to be fed and clothed in
kindness. DO treat your mown well and be kind to them for they are your partners and committed
helpers. An it is your right that they do not allow any one to your house o whom you do not approve,
as well as never to be unchaste.
O People! Listen to me in earnest, worship Allah, say your five daily prayers, fast during the month of
Ramadan and give your wealth in Zakat (obligatory charity). Perform Hajj if you can afford to.
All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab is not superior to a non Arab nor a non Arab has any
superiority over an Arab; also a white man is not superior to a black person nor a black has any
superiority over a white except by piety and good action. Know that every Muslim is a brother to
every Muslim and that the Muslims constitute one brotherhood. Nothing shall be legitimate to a
Muslim which belongs to a fellow Muslim unless it was given freely and willingly.
Do not therefore do injustice to yourselves. Remember one day you will meet Allah and answer your
deeds. So beware, do not astray from the path of righteousness after I am gone.
Eating Ice Cream with the Camels
O People, No prophet or apostle will come after me and no new faith will be born. Reason well,
therefore. O People! And understand words which I convey to you. I leave behind me two things, the
Quran and my Sunnah (sayings, deeds, and approvals) and if you follow these you will never go
astray.
All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and may the
last ones understand my words better than those who listen to me directly.
Be my witness O Allah, that I have conveyed your message to you people”.
Toward the end of his sermon, the Prophet (PBUH) asked: “O People, have I faithfully delivered unto
you my message? “ “O Allah, yes!” Came the answer of the thousands of pilgrims, whereupon, the
Prophet (PBUH) raised his forefinger and said “Be my witness O Allah, that I have conveyed your
message to your people.”
Mount Arafat
Climbing up to Cave Hira
We climbed to the top of Cave Hira which is the place where the Prophet
(PBUH) spent a month each year in spiritual retreat, before Angel Jibril came
to him with Revelation.
At the halfway mark….
It was soooo hot climbing
more than 1000 steps up the
mountain
Almost at the top, where we prayed
Maghrib. After a hard climb, we were
blessed with a beautiful breeze!
“Read in the Name of your Lord Who
has created, Who has created man
from a clot. Read and your Lord is the
Most generous, He has taught by the
pen, taught man that which he did not
know”
The first of the Qur’an was revealed
here to the Prophet (PBUH)
Inside Cave Hira
As we entered inside the cave, not only was it hard to imagine that our Prophet (PBUH) climbed this
mountain so frequently (it was high and very difficult to climb), but that we were in the very place that
the Quran was first revealed! We made lots of dua and dhikr as we stood inside and felt the power of
being inside the cave.
Hard to believe this is the same place our
Prophet might have sat!
It was really tiny and squishy inside
Asad Mamoo was the only
one of the adults (other than
mama) who believed we
would make it to the top!
Aydaan sitting down at
the entrance of the cave
Kiswah Factory
Kiswah is the cloth that covers the Ka’aba. The cover is made of silk with embroidery done
in real gold. It takes 11 months to make and is draped every year on the 9th day of Dhu alHijjah (Day of Arafat). We got to have a private visit to the factory where it is made to see
all of the steps involved. Aleena was also fortunate enough to be given a piece of gold that
is used on the cover.
Example of the Kaaba Door
Before there is even
any embroidery
The process continues…
We were the only ones that got real
gold that is used on the cover
A model of the inside of the Ka’aba is in the factory. This is our family standing inside of the model Ka’aba
Mecca Museum
There were so many cool things that we saw at the Museum
The teak staircase of the
Holy Ka’aba from 1240 AH
A marble midday timer used to
determine prayer times
The door of the Ka’aba
from 1363 AH
What an amazing walk through history…..
The door of the Kaaba
from 1363 AH
The well of Zamzam from 1299AH
Meeting more grandparents!
We were very blessed to get to go for Umrah with
our mom, grandparents and great aunt.
When we got to Makkah, we had a very special
visit with even more grandparents, when my Baba’s
(grandfather) older brother and wife came all the
way from Pakistan just to see us and spend time
with us at the Ka’aba.
This was a memory of a lifetime!
On the authority of Salmh ibn Al-Akwa who said: “I once head
the Prophet’s mule (named: Al Shahba) all the way into the
Prophet’s bedroom with the Prophet and his grandchildren (AlHasan and Al-Husein) mounted on it” (reported by Muslim)
On the authority of Abu Hurairah who said “I once saw the
Prophet (PBUH) carrying on his shoulder his grandchild AlHasan ibn Ali while the latter’s saliva was flowing on the
Prophet’s body” (reported by Ahmad)
On the authority of Ya’a AL-Amiri who said that Al-Hasan and
Al-Husein once came racing toward the Prophet (PBUH) who
embraced them’ (reported by Ahmad)
Traveling to Madinah
As we left Makkah we traveled 324km on our way towards
the city of our Beloved Prophet (PBUH) – Madinah.
On our way we stopped to visit the grave of Lady Maymunah,
on of the Mothers of the Believer, who was married to the
Prophet (PBUH) in the 7 AH.
Even though she lived close to 40 years in Madinah after the
Prophet (PBUH) death, she asked to be buried at the same
place where she married the Prophet.
Gravesite of Lady Maymunah
We stopped on the way to pay our respects.
We also stopped on the way in Jeddah to have a
dinner at the house of a special ‘Hijazi’ dignitary
who hosted our group with a very fancy meal.
It was a very long day traveling – but we
remembered that at the time of the Prophet, they
did this same route on foot!
Jeddah Beachfront
Date Garden
On the authority of Abu Musa Al-Ash’ari who said that the Prophet (PBUH) said “I saw in
a dream that I would migrate from Makkah to a land with palm trees. Initially , I thought
that place was going to be Al-Yamamah or Hajar . But then it turned out to Yathrib
(Madinah) was my destination” (reported by Bukhari and Muslim)
Aydaan listening carefully to find out that we
were standing in the very same Date Garden
from where the Prophet PBUH entered into
Madinah from. subhanAllah!
We ate a wonderful breakfast of special bread
that was known for its healing power (made
with zamzam), yogurt and dates from the date
garden.
The Prophet’s Mosque
Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) is reported to have
said: “The Prophet (PBUH) used to occupy himself with the
remembrance of Allah (dhikr) no matter what situation he was
in (reported by Muslim).
On the authority of Abu Hurairah who said that he heart the
Prophet (PBUH) say ‘By Allah, I do repeat istaghfar and
pronounce tawbah to Allah more than 70 times a day (reported by
Bukhari).
On the authority of Abu Hurirah who said that the Prophet
(PBUH) said “Repeating “SubhanAllah, Al-hamdullilah, laa
llaha illa Allah, Allahu Akbar, is worthier for me than
everything under the sun (reported by Muslim)
These beautiful domes open
The windows to the mosque
Everything inside of this mosque
was stunning
Aleena posing in front of the main
entry to the ladies prayer area
Umbrellas outside of the mosque
The lamps inside the mosque
The Prophet’s Grave (Rawdah)
“What is between my house and my pulpit is a meadow of the meadows in Paradise, and my
pulpit is on my pool” (Al-Bukhari)
“Oh Allah, once I set
my foot in Paradise,
You promised You will
never take it back, so
please grant me
Jannah Firdose!”
Green Carpet… A piece of Jannah
The Green Dome under which lies the graves of the Prophet (PBUH), Abu Bakr and Umar
Masjid Quba
Built by the Prophet (PBUH) as soon as
he arrived from Makkah, this mosque
has many interesting facts about it
including;
1. It was the first masjid ever built
2. The Prophet (PBUH) visited it almost
every Saturday to pray
3. A prayer at this masjid is equal to
the reward of an Umrah
We prayed our two rakah at this masjid,
which meant we did TWO umrah’s
during our visit.
May Allah accept!!
Masjid al-Qiblatayan
‘Mosque of the Two Prayer Directions’
For 17 months after the Prophet’s (PBUH) arrival into Madinah, prayer was
still in the direction of Jerusalem. The Prophet (PBUH) began to ask Allah to
give him the qiblah of his choice, towards the Ka’bah.
Aydaan listening and learning to our
teachers
It was at this masjid that one day at Dhur time, right in middle of the prayer
(after the first two rakah), Angel Jibril came with the order to face Makkah.
The Prophet immediately turned, along with his companions. As such, the
first two rakahs were prayed towards Jerusalem and the second two were
prayed towards the Ka’aba.
We had the chance to pray our two rakats at this Masjid while visiting.
Sites of the Various Battles
We walked on the same earth that our Prophet fought so hard to give
us the gift of Islam.
Mount Uhud
(where Hamza RAH is burried)
Battle of the Ditch
(Khandaq)
Battle of Badr
Archers’ Hill
Our Daily Lessons
While in Madinah, we had classes
every day between Asr and
Maghrib time with Sheikh Hamza.
We learnt a lot about the Prophet’s
life, the history of the sites we were
visiting, and stories of the
companions.
We also were taught about the
many benefits of saying salaam on
the Prophet.
Aydaan sitting in the front
row of class
Madinah Museum
Right outside of the Prophet’s
Mosque was a wonderful museum
that included everything you needed
to know about his life!
His Revelations
Baba, Aydaan and Asad
•
•
•
•
The Prophet’s sons
His Miracles
Prophet talking to Date Tree
Prophet broke the rock with his hand at
Khandak
Golden bracelets that would be discovered
after his death
Splitting of the Moon
The Prophet’s daughters
Quran Printing Press
Our group was able to get a personal
visit to the King Fahd Quran printing
press.
They produce about 10 million copies of
the Quran every year in 39 languages.
Coming Home
After ten days of an amazing experience, visiting the Blessed Cities, seeing
all of the holy sites and even meeting and making some new friends, it
was time to come home.
Aleena and Sana (who has
already memorized 10 entire
juz mA!!)
Playing in Frankfurt airport
Aydaan, Yusuf and Ali in Madinah when they were sad to leave each other
The End
We pray that Allah accepts our worship
and that we are invited one day to
return.
Until then, we hope that this experience
will live with us in our hearts and minds
forever …
Thank you for listening