Many of us have traveled to various favorite destinations over the past year. Towards the end of the year, some of us are starting to plan our life goals for the next year while introspecting our past life journey. One way to close the year is with the Umrah pilgrimage, a spiritual journey that not only provides self-reflection but also the momentum to get closer to Allah SWT. The hope is that as Muslims we can start the new year by becoming better individuals. There are many worship activities that can be carried out while in the holy land, pray sincerely in front of Baitullah, express your hopes, apologies and gratitude for what you have received over the past year.
The meaning of Umrah itself can be different for each individual, some interpret Umrah as a turning point in life, religious tourism, or even just a holiday. The Umrah pilgrimage begins with ihram and miqat. After preparing in Ihram clothes, you will worship at the Grand Mosque and perform tawaf or circumambulate the Kaaba, followed by Sa'i, the ritual of jogging between the hills of Safa and Marwah as a symbol of struggle and patience. After performing Sa'i, you are required to cut your hair or what is usually called tahallul as a symbol of liberation from past sins and mistakes.
Once you are satisfied with your worship, you can take a tour, there are many religious tourist destinations that you can visit. One of the historical places that you can visit is the Quba Mosque, this mosque was the first mosque built by Rasulullah SAW, almost every congregation who comes takes the time to pray here. To learn the complete history of the city of Medina, you can visit the Madina museum which contains many historical relics from the war era. If you love dates, you can visit the date palm plantation to get the best, freshly harvested dates to make souvenirs.
You can make this trip a special trip, not just a year-end holiday, because we not only get the opportunity for a holiday, but also for self-introspection and strengthening our relationship with Allah SWT.