An Umrah equal to Hajj
Alhamdulillah, only by the will of Allah, I was able to complete Umrah with my mother in the last 10 days of Ramadan.
This was the first time I had travelled myself where I had to organise all the logistics, so I thought I'd write a blog to help anyone else who may be looking to do the same.
The reward of completing an Umrah in Ramadan is immense. Al-Bukhari (1782) and Muslim (1256) narrated that Ibn 'Abbas said: the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to a woman from among the Ansar (Ibn 'Abbas mentioned her name but I forgot it), "What kept you from performing Hajj with us?" She said: we only have two camels, and the father of her son and her son had gone for Hajj on one camel, and he left us the other camel so that we could carry water on it.
When Ramadan comes, go for Umrah, for Umrah in that month is equivalent to Hajj.
Flights
This is the first thing I did, and I'd do it again. There's a sweet spot to booking flights: you don't want to be too early, but you also don't want to be too late. For reference, this year the last 10 nights began at the end of March. I used Skyscanner to search and book.
Not too long ago Wizz Air started flying to Jeddah, just not directly from London. This is one of the cheapest flights you can get, however, be wary because Wizz are known to change their flight timings to a different date. This happened with me this year, and to a friend a year ago who was unfortunately left out of pocket.
To be fair, Wizz offered a full refund and cancellation which I took, so it wasn't too bad Alhamdulillah. But the later they make these changes, the more expensive alternative flights become, plus changes to the rest of your itinerary. I booked this first flight on July 15th, so 8 months before.
After the Wizz flight changes on August 31st, and choosing to cancel, I booked another flight immediately. This was with Pegasus (a subsidiary of Turkish Airlines) but had a 15hr layover in Istanbul. It was either that or a 2-3hr layover with Ryan Air. I chose the former, having not flown with Pegasus before and knowing its standard would be better than Ryan Air, plus this gave us the chance to explore Istanbul for a day. This outbound flight cost £256 p/p and included cabin and 20kg checked-in luggage.
One thing to note: with cheaper airlines (including Pegasus), when you land in Jeddah you'll likely land in Terminal North (N). This is the older terminal, which means if you're planning on using the Haramain High Speed Railway (HHR), you have to catch a taxi from the airport round to the station, where the newer terminals also are.
On the flight back, which I booked on July 16th, I flew with Aegean Airlines and had a 2hr stopover in Athens, flying from the new Jeddah terminal. This is an airline I'd highly recommend. This inbound flight cost £215 p/p and included cabin, 30kg checked-in luggage and meals.
Hotels
It was very difficult to do this first, because most hotels haven't listed their available dates 8 months prior. The ones that have are the big ones that charge extortionate rates starting from £1000+ per night.
For that reason, you have to check for availability regularly. I'd recommend twice a week minimum. Pay attention to Google reviews, because pictures can be misleading, and once you find a decent one, book fast. Also try booking cancellable or flexible accommodation if possible. I used a mix of Skyscanner and Booking.com.
This will be your biggest expense. If you're trying to book the last 10 nights, just know they aren't cheap. You want to make sure your hotel is within walking distance of the haram. Despite distant hotels offering shuttle services, these will be mostly useless in Ramadan, if not entirely paused due to roads being closed before prayers.
Where this may work is if you plan on doing I'tikaaf, just double-check the hotels still run their shuttle services during off-peak hours.
When it comes to choosing Makkah or Madinah first, that's your choice. For us, Makkah worked out better since our flight landed in the early hours when the HHR service wasn't running. Makkah is just over an hour's drive, whereas Madinah would have been a 4-7+ hour drive (otherwise 2hrs by train).
Also to note, Madinah is less busy and therefore relatively more peaceful, so perhaps you want to end your trip on that note.
Makkah hotels were a lot more expensive. It worked out around £317 p/n for a 3-star hotel, but Alhamdulillah, I didn't see any cockroaches and it was only around 12 minutes' walk from the Haram. By the time I found this, it was October 25th. If I had to stay here again I wouldn't mind, but I'd try elsewhere. This was Sama al Amani.
Madinah hotels were so much cheaper. £169 p/n, and it was one of the cleanest hotels I've ever stayed at: Le Bosphorus for reference. Apparently there are two, but ours was on As Salam Road, only a 7-minute walk from Masjid An-Nawawi. Highly recommend this one. Booked on October 8th.
Visa
If you have a British passport, you can get a visa waiver. To do this, head to ksavisa.sa around a month before your flight and apply. At the time it was around £50 and allows you to visit one-off within a 90-day window. I've heard for around £100 you can get a 12-month visa that allows multiple entries, so if you plan on doing another Umrah or visiting other parts of Saudi, that's a good option.
Make sure to have this printed and keep it next to your passport, as you'll likely need it.
Transfers
You'll most likely want to book the HHR service from Madinah back to Jeddah Airport (or Makkah) to save 2+ hours, money, and be in comfort. You can only book seats about a month before, so don't stress about this.
Plan ahead and take a hoodie with you. Me and my mum found the AC in the trains a bit too chilly once you've been sitting for over an hour. When you book, download the QR codes ASAP; I forgot to once and lost all access to it (no confirmation email/SMS). Thankfully their ticket office can print these for you if you give them your passport, provided you entered the correct details when booking.
The policy is one hand baggage per person and a luggage measured at a maximum of 65 x 55 x 35cm, weighing no more than 25kg. But we saw bigger luggage being allowed through and no one seemed to weigh them. We also had a third, very small side bag, so it's definitely more on the lenient side, at least when we went, so bear this in mind. They also sell snacks and drinks similar to an airline service.
Unfortunately even with the HHR service, you'll still be a fair distance from Madinah and Makkah, so a taxi is necessary. You'll find these waiting outside airports, stations and on the road; you just need to stick your hand out and call for it.
I'm certain we got bumped, because our taxi from the airport charged us 400 riyal (~£100) for an hour drive, and after that we had to walk 30 minutes to the hotel due to road closures, since Qiyaam-ul-Layl had started. I'm also certain that, had our driver asked the police officer, we could have been let through (very few taxis were). It seemed the taxis with "Taxi" printed on them and green accents were more likely to be allowed through, although I could be wrong.
From the hotel to Makkah station, we paid 40 riyal (~£8.50) for a 10-minute drive. Bear in mind taxis cannot stop anywhere near the Haram, which is why I'd suggest making use of traffic jams: if you see an empty taxi, we saw many drivers getting you to hop in while they were still moving (at low speeds). If you don't, the driver can be slapped with a 100 riyal fine (as we learnt the hard way).
From Madinah station to the hotel, it took about 20 minutes and we paid 80 riyal (~£17). We arrived during taraweeh, when the roads close to the Masjid were also closed, but it was less busy, and once we got to the closure the police officer was nice enough to let us through. You can use the Careem app to book taxis, which is basically Uber; I don't think this works in Makkah, although I haven't tried.
Whatever you do, leave plenty of time to catch the train back. Do NOT leave it to the last minute, and if it clashes with salah, especially Qiyaam, leave a bit more, because all the roads around are closed. Leave a minimum of 1 hour, maybe 1.5hrs to be safe.
Food
In terms of choice, there's a lot of fast food which is terrible for a fasting stomach. If you're anything like me and despise grease, staying healthy can be tough. There's a lot of rice, whether with roast chicken, lamb, curries or biryani, and if you want something light you can get their "sandwiches" which are actually wraps. This ranges from 25 riyal for a sandwich to about 50 riyal.
In the airport on the way back, we came across Hijazi Goodies, which was probably the healthiest place throughout the trip. A shame I didn't come across it sooner.
To be fair, dates can be pretty filling. The government hand out bags for free to everyone which include 7 dates. In Makkah, the bags also had a thyme croissant and some sort of cake, both ultra-processed, so I'd recommend grabbing something extra before you sit down for iftar.
From our experience, people were a lot more generous and hospitable in Makkah, handing out assorted bags of food and loads of dates, so it's probably possible to fill yourself up on them.
In Madinah we saw the same 7 dates, but you also get a bun, full-fat yogurt, a sachet with spices and herbs, a spoon and wipes, how thoughtful. What you're meant to do is pour the sachet into the yogurt, stir it with the spoon, and eat it with the bread. It actually tastes great and is so much better than what they had in the Makkah bag.
There are also a lot of people handing out Arabian tea and coffee. The coffee has an interesting taste, and in the tea my mum tasted the equivalent of 3 spoons of sugar.
For food in Makkah, I recommend the food court along the popular gate with the escalators and palm trees. This is to the left of the clock tower if you're stepping out of it, in between the Rolex and KFC. You go up to the second floor and then turn right to go inside the mall. There are quite a few options here, but bear in mind it gets busy, mainly the fast food.
In Madinah, the food places are scattered. There's no one place I can recommend, but don't leave it too close to Fajr, because a lot of food places run out. In the Salah section, I talk about the best times to get food.
Other expenses
If you're from the UK, you know we pay too much for Islamic clothing. It's why you may decide to shop while you're in Saudi, as it's a lot cheaper.
The closer you are to the Masjid/Haram, the more expensive. It's that simple.
I found Makkah to be a lot cheaper, and it had a lot more thobe shops and range to choose from; these ranged from 35 riyal (near our hotel) all the way to 150-200 riyal. The quality varies, and you'll find Saudi, Indonesian and Moroccan styles. Perhaps Makkah was cheaper because our hotel was a bit of a distance from the Haram.
In Makkah, you're more likely to find yourself praying on the hard tiled floor. If that's a problem for you, you'll want a decent carpet. The most popular type is the folding prayer mat which serves as a backrest, quite useful if you're waiting between prayers. We grabbed one at the lower end in Madinah for 35 riyal.
There happen to be a lot more abaya shops, lol. The ratio in Madinah is a bit of a joke. Children's abayas were around 20 riyal; women's ranged from 30-200+.
If you want to bring back dates, get them from Madinah. We paid 40 riyal for one kg of Ajwa and 35 riyal/kg for another type. Fresh miswaak are also easily found in Madinah; they have stalls scattered around where they cut them fresh in front of you. You'll know they're fresh when you bite them and it feels spicy. I paid 25 riyal for 10 standard-sized pieces. I found one man selling them fresh in Makkah beside the clock tower, but I couldn't find him after that.
If you're travelling with a friend, family, or just need data, then you need a SIM card. They usually have these at the airport, but we landed in the early hours so didn't find any; they have small stalls near some of the hotels in Makkah and Madinah.
I went with Mobily as it was the first one I saw. It was 60 riyal for a tourist package that gave me 20GB, 1000 mins and texts lasting 14 days. I can't complain; most of the time there was good service and it was quick. I've heard STC is even better. Just remember to bring your passport and visa waiver, or have it on your phone at least, as they'll need it and likely your fingerprint too.
Umrah
The reason you've decided to embark on this trip, in shā' Allah. I won't be a guide on how to do Umrah, but what I will say is: learn how to do it, have a list of bullet points in case you forget, and also create a du'a list, because you'll be spending a lot of time asking Allah for things. Remember the ummah, remember me, and remember to ask for things beneficial to us in this life and the next.
The main thing I'll say is: don't be afraid to put on your ihram at the airport. It's highly unlikely you'll be the only one wearing it if you're flying to Jeddah.
Secondly, an extra emphasis to learn the different circumstances on how to perform it if you're a woman.
Although you can book your Umrah on the Nusuk app, no one ever asked for it. Maybe in less busy times they may ask, or may choose to soon, but both this year and last Ramadan they haven't. You can also use this app to check the ihraam schedule for Taraweeh and Qiyaam, and book an electric cart for Tawaaf/Sa'i.
There's a pilgrim entrance which you should enter from; unfortunately I forgot the gate number, but it was to the left of 66. This is located to the left side of the Clock Tower if you were to step out of it and walk around the Haram.
The best time to do Umrah is after Fajr, as it's when most people take a nap after a long Qiyaam. I was able to do tawaaf on the ground floor, which is usually quite hard in Ramadan. Halfway through my tawaaf though it did become packed.
You have to be in ihraam to do tawaaf on the ground floor. I've done tawaaf on the second floor, where you can just about see the Kaaba if you're short; that's because they have a 2-metre spacing with barriers around the railings for health and safety reasons. I found it almost impossible to see the Kaaba from the rooftop because of the barriers.
When it comes to getting a haircut, don't bother waiting in the queue next to the shops just outside Safa & Marwa; there are plenty of other barbers around. The basement of the clock tower has many.
Although not required for Umrah, visiting the Rawdah and praying there is highly rewarding. To do this, you need to book a slot on Nusuk. I've heard people say to check for a slot every half hour, but honestly just check whenever, because the least popular times will be best for you.
Unfortunately I wasn't able to make it on this occasion, but I had family with us who did. I'd recommend looking two weeks before and then non-stop from there, even on the day of your departure. Even with an access code, bear in mind you'll still likely have to queue a while. Men and women also have separate timings.
Salah
Makkah is very busy. If you want to pray indoors, you should come a minimum of an hour before the Adhan goes off. I bought an Al-Fajr watch (my favourite purchase) and the timings were very accurate, telling me each prayer time, but Nusuk also tells you these.
Salah tends to start 5-10 minutes after the adhaan; Maghrib is closer to 10-15 minutes. We started Isha around 8pm, and by the time we finished (10 rak'at) taraweeh it was between 10-10:20pm.
I'd highly recommend an I'tikaaf by arriving for Asr and staying until after Taraweeh. Not only is it highly beneficial to you, as narrated in Sahih Muslim:
Shall I not tell you of a deed by which Allah expiates sins and raises status? Thorough ablution despite difficulty, taking many steps to the mosque, and waiting for one prayer after another. That is like guarding the frontier.
But it also allows you to do ibadah inside the Haram closer to the Kaabah, or closer to the front row in Madinah. Between each prayer you'll see people leave, giving you a good opportunity to grab a better spot.
Holding your wudhu in Ramadan is usually easier, but after Iftar it can be difficult. The best time to refresh is straight after Asr or Maghrib jama'ah, otherwise you risk not being able to enter back into the Haram due to the guards blocking it off.
Both Makkah and Madinah toilets weren't great and were almost always packed, so try some of the nearby hotels, or your own hotel if it's close enough.
In the last 10 nights they do Qiyaam, which begins at 12:30am. Between taraweeh and Qiyaam is a good time to get proper food; I'd try to be quick enough to get food, eat and refresh my wudhu before 11:30pm so I could get a good space again.
You definitely do not want to be still walking to the Haram for Maghrib while the adhaan is going. Shortly before the adhaan for any prayer, some of the entrances are closed, so you'll have to take a longer route to find a spot. Maghrib tends to be the one most people arrive earlier for.
In Makkah, the speakers are a lot louder, so we could pray from the street of our hotel and others would join (once the salah had already started).
In Madinah, because it was less busy, you could arrive slightly later. Depending on the salah, 30-45 minutes before the Adhaan is a good time to get inside the Masjid. For Maghrib however, I'd still recommend an hour.
Best times to nap were probably after Fajr, after sunrise, and between Dhuhr and Asr.
There's another sunnah, narrated by Al-Tirmidhi (485), that Anas said: the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Whoever prays Fajr in congregation, then sits remembering Allah until the sun rises, then prays two rak'ahs, will have a reward like that of Hajj and 'Umrah, complete, complete, complete." So napping after Fajr may not always be a good idea. Even then, perhaps nap where you prayed, after some dhikr, and wake up to pray duha.
I really enjoyed praying on the rooftop for Fajr in Makkah; it had the best speakers and a direct view of the sky while still being close to the Kaabah. On some of the days though, small locust-like insects started appearing around sunrise, which put me off.
There were a lot more locusts and beetles flying in Madinah moments after Maghrib; strangely they only seemed to fly in and around the gates of the Masjid but no further. Masjid An-Nabawi also has a rooftop, some of which is shaded, though I personally found the weather here a bit more extreme than in Makkah.
A trick you can try in both Makkah and Madinah when paths are closed off is using the toilets to get from one side to another, as they have two entrances and are underground.
Zamzam
Both Makkah and Madinah have Zamzam. In Makkah you'll find purpose-built taps outside; if you're coming out of the clock tower, go around the right side of the Haram, near the gate where the deceased are brought in and out.
Inside, the ground, first, second and Safa & Marwa floors also have these taps. If you're trying to fill up water bottles, look for these ones, as it'll make life a lot easier.
Everywhere else around the Haram they have refillable tanks of Zamzam, which only seem to come out before Maghrib and get taken away after Fajr. If you have a small, squashable plastic bottle you may be able to fill it, but otherwise it's meant for the small plastic cups they give you.
A lot of people buy the blue refillable water bags. We got one and the lid opened by itself, and even when closed the bag leaked. It's definitely not for bringing water back to the UK, probably just for keeping at the hotel and drinking from.
In Madinah, they also have purpose-built taps outside the Masjid, but these are not Zamzam, just normal water. Inside the Masjid they had the same refillable tanks; just make sure it reads Zamzam in Arabic and you'll know it is.
Also in Madinah, there's a Zamzam filling station. To find it, go to the gate closest to the front right if you were facing the Qibla. I found people queuing outside 30 minutes after sunrise, so I think that's roughly when it opened. As a side note, Jannatul Baqi is on the front left and open to men typically after prayers.
Finally, at Jeddah airport you can buy a 5-litre bottle for 12.5 riyal, limited to one per person. Check with your airline whether you'll pay for extra baggage; with Saudia I know it's included, with Aegean I'm not sure. We didn't pay extra since they told us there was no overhead space left, so everything we had was checked in for free, although this was a bit strange.
If you come in from the HHR train, go all the way up to the top floor where the entrance is, cross the road to find the Zamzam stations (to buy and collect). Behind these stations is where you check in for your flight, provided it's the new terminal. I'd strongly suggest writing your name on your box, as it mixes up with the others; if you can't find a pen, make some sort of identifiable mark.
Closing thoughts
All in all my Umrah cost me £1500, not including taxi, food and other purchases. However, it's definitely possible to do it cheaper; I've heard you can do it for around £600, although I assume that's if you do I'tikaaf for your trip and include food and taxi.
Download apps like Nusuk, Careem, HHR, and any hotel or flight apps in advance. I'd also highly suggest creating a schedule on your calendar app with the correct timezones for all flights, hotel check-in/out times and trains, so you don't miss them like we did.
A quick checklist: flights, hotels, train, visa, and remember to get some cash out before you fly (mainly for the taxis).
If you've made it this far, I pray Allah grants you the ability to perform Umrah in the month of Ramadan.
Filed under: Islam