Anyone ever been to Mecca and Madinah here?

[Abisali]

Is that avatar a Bengal tiger? I enjoy watching documentaries about them.

​​​​​​The year I went it was so busy, so many people, it was Hajj so going for umrah only is a different experience and it will be less crowded. You won't have to worry about Mina if you just go for umrah.

there was a lot of littering, plastic bottles and cups everywhere. I felt sorry for the cleaners who were working hard under the sun non stop, they tried to keep up with the littering.

All that plastic made me cringe, but I don't know what alternative they can provide because refilling a bottle would require people to be cautious and hygienic. Hard to police people this way.

​​​You will have to drink water to keep youself hydrated.

You sound like you want to torture yourself 😂

​​​​
you're gonna need strength, abisali, I know of relatives who starved themselves so they can avoid going to the loo, it damaged their health, it took them weeks to recover upon their return, one had to be hospitalized because she wouldn't eat during hajj

I am actually not sure about fasting, for Hajj I don't think it is allowed

I don't know what kind of tiger it is, I just liked the picture and decided to make it my avatar <.<

Saudi should look into using recyclable/biodegradable paper cups made out of bamboo or something. It's a shame that people don't know how to put things in the proper receptacle and would just leave things on the floor. Heck, I get aggravated when I see people leave a mess on their table when I leave a restaurant. It's not hard to stay clean.

I don't want to torture myself, don't worry. I just want to do an Islamic fast and eat in the evening. I need all the hasnaat I could get and fasting is one of the best things you can do. If I am not mistaken, your fasting would intercede for you on Judgement day. As long as I can drink and eat at night, I should be fine, inshallah.

[~TwinklingStar~]

My main goal was never for Hajj. My main goal was to give up on the life I was living, which really wasn't a life, and to purify my heart and put Allah above all else. Hajj or Umrah was more of a side quest, one that I really want to go do. I was just recently thinking that I haven't traveled in a long time and I should go on a vacation somewhere and I just got to thinking, why plan to go relax when I could save the money and go do Umrah at the very least. At least that way, I'd be spending money with Muslims, while also getting hasanat for doing the Umrah. I also really just want to see the Kaa'bah and the Prophet's Masjid.

I totally understand about wanting to be perfect. I did that in the past and it actually ended up with me going in the opposite direction than the one I intended. It is a mistake that I will never, inshallah, make again. Right now I am just taking things step by step.

I never considered to even think about the washrooms. Please tell me that Ummah at least cleans up behind themselves and it is better than the rest of the world. I haven't looked into the process of Hajj in a long time, is it permissible to fast while you do it? Is so, I wouldn't have to worry about using the restroom much.

As far as losing weight, I am hoping to work my way up to fasting as often as I can. It is a good way to lose weight while also getting hasanat and reducing desire for things I shouldn't want. I am thinking to do the fast of Prophet Dawood since it is considered the best type of fasting.

There are 5 days of the year when it's forbidden (haraam) to fast
1. Eid al-Fitr (1st Shawwal).
2. Eid al-Adha (10th Dhul Hijjah)
3. The days of Tashriq (11th, 12th, 13th Dhul Hijjah – the three days following Eid al-Adha).

Hence, you cannot fast on the last 3 or 4 days of Hajj. On the first 2 days, you can if you want to, however, it isn't something that's recommended.

On the 1st day of Hajj i.e . 8th Dhul Hijjah , you mostly spend the entire day in your tent in Mina. You only have to offer the 5 prayers in Mina on that day, so, there's not much activity to do on that day. There are lectures held by various prominent scholars on that day, so, some people chose to attend those. Some pilgrims go for a stroll, taking a look at the tents of various countries and different items people are selling. There's nothing hectic to do on that day.

On 9th Dhul Hijjah, the day of Arafah, it is highly recommended for non-pilgrims to fast as it expiates the sins of the previous year and the coming year. But as Rasoolullah sallalahu alayhi wasallam did not himself fast on that day during Hajj , majority of pilgrims follow his blessed example and chose to engage in excessive duas instead.

The next 3 or 4 days of Hajj (depending whether you do a 5 day or 6 day Hajj) are pretty exhausting, but fasting is prohibited on those days.

[Abisali]

There are 5 days of the year when it's forbidden (haraam) to fast
1. Eid al-Fitr (1st Shawwal).
2. Eid al-Adha (10th Dhul Hijjah)
3. The days of Tashriq (11th, 12th, 13th Dhul Hijjah – the three days following Eid al-Adha).

Hence, you cannot fast on the last 3 or 4 days of Hajj. On the first 2 days, you can if you want to, however, it isn't something that's recommended.

On the 1st day of Hajj i.e . 8th Dhul Hijjah , you mostly spend the entire day in your tent in Mina. You only have to offer the 5 prayers in Mina on that day, so, there's not much activity to do on that day. There are lectures held by various prominent scholars on that day, so, some people chose to attend those. Some pilgrims go for a stroll, taking a look at the tents of various countries and different items people are selling. There's nothing hectic to do on that day.

On 9th Dhul Hijjah, the day of Arafah, it is highly recommended for non-pilgrims to fast as it expiates the sins of the previous year and the coming year. But as Rasoolullah sallalahu alayhi wasallam did not himself fast on that day during Hajj , majority of pilgrims follow his blessed example and chose to engage in excessive duas instead.

The next 3 or 4 days of Hajj (depending whether you do a 5 day or 6 day Hajj) are pretty exhausting, but fasting is prohibited on those days.

for the information.

I will avoid fasting when I go, inshallah. This really gives me a lot to think about and makes me want to seriously get into really good shape. When I go, I don't want to be tired and worried about not being able to perform my duties. I want to focus on worshiping Allah and being able to maintain it, not worrying about trying to catch my breath and taking breaks every 5 minutes.

[~TwinklingStar~]

for the information.

I will avoid fasting when I go, inshallah. This really gives me a lot to think about and makes me want to seriously get into really good shape. When I go, I don't want to be tired and worried about not being able to perform my duties. I want to focus on worshiping Allah and being able to maintain it, not worrying about trying to catch my breath and taking breaks every 5 minutes.

A few days back, a sister I know came to my house for the first time. I'd met her briefly a couple of times before but never had long conversations with her. She always looked extremely fit - neither thin nor fat. So, in the midst of our talk , she told me "You know something - (making gestures with her hand covering a large area)I was this huge a few years back. More than triple the size I am now. " I said " Really ? That sounds unbelievable. How did you manage to lose all the weight then?"

She said she had bariatric surgery done and gave a few details about when & where she'd got it done. I asked her if she had to rest after the surgery. She said "No, rather I had to exercise like crazy".

Now, she doesn't feel very hungry and needs to eat very little. Probably because the anatomy of the gastrointestinal tract is altered during the surgery. But she's happy.

Anyway, this sister had performed Hajj last year and she said it had been a great experience for her because she didn't have to face the problems she did in her obese days.

Getting to the point, if you have between 10-20 kgs to lose, you can plan to lose weight by simply exercising/gymming & altering your diet. However, if you have a lot more weight to lose, then you can consider getting bariatric surgery done. Talk to your physician about it. Losing weight is exhausting & time consuming, so, why not take a look at all options available in the market ?

You don't have to get the surgery done if you don't want to, but people have benefitted from it, so, it's worth considering. Just a suggestion.

[LaylaAb]

Mashallah this is such a beautiful thread. Just today my husband was telling me all his lovely stories of his time in Mecca and Madinah. He has been to hajj and umrah serveal times, Mashallah. We are currently planning to do umrah together as soon as we can. It will be my first time and I'm super excited. I hope that I can have the experience one day.

Lovely thread, brings joy to the heart.

[Abisali]

A few days back, a sister I know came to my house for the first time. I'd met her briefly a couple of times before but never had long conversations with her. She always looked extremely fit - neither thin nor fat. So, in the midst of our talk , she told me "You know something - (making gestures with her hand covering a large area)I was this huge a few years back. More than triple the size I am now. " I said " Really ? That sounds unbelievable. How did you manage to lose all the weight then?"

She said she had bariatric surgery done and gave a few details about when & where she'd got it done. I asked her if she had to rest after the surgery. She said "No, rather I had to exercise like crazy".

Now, she doesn't feel very hungry and needs to eat very little. Probably because the anatomy of the gastrointestinal tract is altered during the surgery. But she's happy.

Anyway, this sister had performed Hajj last year and she said it had been a great experience for her because she didn't have to face the problems she did in her obese days.

Getting to the point, if you have between 10-20 kgs to lose, you can plan to lose weight by simply exercising/gymming & altering your diet. However, if you have a lot more weight to lose, then you can consider getting bariatric surgery done. Talk to your physician about it. Losing weight is exhausting & time consuming, so, why not take a look at all options available in the market ?

You don't have to get the surgery done if you don't want to, but people have benefitted from it, so, it's worth considering. Just a suggestion.

Thank you for the advice but surgery is out of the question. First, I'd be too scared to get cut open and have parts of my digestion tract removed. I don't want to risk any complications or feel any of the pain that comes along with it. Secondly, even if I wanted to, I couldn't afford it.

To lose my weight, I am going to just stick to Islamic fasting and etiquette when it comes to eating. The Prophet mentioned that we should fill our stomachs with one third food, one third liquid and one third air. I think lots of people don't follow this advice, including myself, which is why we struggle with out weight.

I do plan to exercise, but not like crazy at first. I'm just going to stick to 45 minutes of walking a day and work my way up from there. Eventually, I'd like to be able to walk 10 miles without wanting to die. Once I drop a sufficient amount of weight where other exercises won't cause me joint pain, I will incorporate different activities such as jump roping to increase my stamina and weight lifting to increase my endurance.

I have enough motivation through my Iman. It is a matter of following through with everything. I will look at this as one of my tests and I will do my best to pass it. I don't want to be raised on the Day of Judgement like I am now, nor do I want to subject those who will have to prepare me for burial to the difficulty of having to carry me like this.

[Abisali]

Mashallah this is such a beautiful thread. Just today my husband was telling me all his lovely stories of his time in Mecca and Madinah. He has been to hajj and umrah serveal times, Mashallah. We are currently planning to do umrah together as soon as we can. It will be my first time and I'm super excited. I hope that I can have the experience one day.

Lovely thread, brings joy to the heart.

Inshallah you and your husband have a wonderful time when you go! May Allah cause the experience to increase both of your Iman and bring you even closer to each other than ever before.
I am super excited to go even though I don't see myself going in the near future. Just looking at the pictures and videos in this thread makes me want to go even more. I started watching other videos on YouTube and now I want to spend a month in Arabia.

[Indefinable]

Mashallah this is such a beautiful thread. Just today my husband was telling me all his lovely stories of his time in Mecca and Madinah. He has been to hajj and umrah serveal times, Mashallah. We are currently planning to do umrah together as soon as we can. It will be my first time and I'm super excited. I hope that I can have the experience one day.

Lovely thread, brings joy to the heart.

Ma Sha Allaah. That is so good to hear. May Allaah increase the love between you and your husband and enable you to make this blessed journey together. Aameen.

[anhar_tu]

Salaam,

Alhamdullah, I've been blessed to travel to Umrah nearly every year for the past 7 years. As you know this year Umrah isn't possible because of the lockdown there. inshAllah I plan on going as soon as the lockdown is over.

The feeling of doing tawaf and seeing the Kabaa for the first time is unexplainable, when you see it for the first time you get this feeling of being in a dream.

The people there are really nice, specially in Madina. Don't listen to what people say regarding Arabs etc. Most people are really friendly, you may come across some who are not but thats expected anywhere.

Theirs all sorts of foods available, you have your normal western food chains such as KFC or McDonalds. You also have other south asian restaurants, one thing you'll find everywhere is shawarma. It's a nice and small but filling, good for snacking.

If you plan on travelling in the future I came across this site, https://travelumrah.co.uk/umrah-packages/ they seem to have live umrah packages.

I can't wait to go again, I pray we all are able to go umrah very soon.