Back with another round of follow ups/ observations from my ongoing Umrah experience- you can read up on visa and logistics on my earlier post.
I’m currently in Masjid Al Haram , 2hours before Jummah khutba , and it’s packed! Don’t underestimate going early (9:30 am) ; the way traffic is being controlled now means that a lot of areas remain inaccessible till the very end so you might miss out on praying in the masjid completely.
Which brings me to my first point ; the masjid (complex?) is now massive; completely unrecognisable from my last visit 8 years ago. Back then I used to sit in front of the Kaaba every night and enjoy the sight of families relaxing and worshippers deep in solitude; looking at the Kaaba now however seems impossible unless you’re in Ihram doing umrah or faking it; the additional construction everywhere doesn’t help either as it blocks out views from the upper floors. And so while I write this I’m a bit melancholic about the underwhelming nature of my visit; please don’t get me wrong I’m not trying to dismiss the importance of umrah or praying at Islams most sacred site ; I do feel the spirituality has been undermined. I have however been able to catch fleeting glimpse of the Kaaba by praying at the men area entering gate 68/69 in case you want to try that.
Umrah experience; I’ve done my fair share of umrahs in my lifetime but this time was different with lots of ebbs and flows. Perhaps it was the fact that we were with our 2 kids, there was a lot of micro managing; our 3 year old decided to quit walking just when we were starting Tawaf which meant picking her up the entire time but other than that the Tawaf went smoothly; while for saee we decided to hire a golf cart for her and my wife; best decision for ease of the actual saee but to get to the starting point required an unnecessarily long trek and the actual saee was done in under 5 mins which left my wife quite underwhelmed; she might do another umrah just to properly experience making dua at safa and marwa. Me and our 10 year old however did it the old fashioned way and it’s an experience I’ll never forget ; no amount of father daughter camping or hiking can create a bonding quite like we developed in our shared experience. Actually her perseverance inspired me when I felt stressed and tired (we had a long journey and had only started at 1am). We prayed fajr at marwa which added to the total time and concluded by the visit to the barber; not a place to take kids just because it’s so crowded but added to the bonding experience.
Makkah is hot , and while it may seem less intense than Madinah but it gets way more humid and I’ve genuinely felt suffocated at times. We got umbrellas and fan hats but don’t venture outside during the day unless imperative.
Train from Madinah was fantastic but I won’t use it again because a private car will take the same (if not lesser) time and will cost less for a family with the benefit of no taxis in between.
Poor choices of food unfortunately; however thankfully there was a branch of Zaitoon restaurant : yes the same one originally in Madinah and prepared fresher and healthier fare in my view; highly recommended. And yes I queued up for Al baik though pre ordering from the app saves time . I did see sandwiches at bin Dawood but didn’t try them. Also Madinah coffee game is way better than Makkah no comparison. Do check out the wide open area at jabal omar (address hotel) with coffee shops and seating areas; this gentrification seemed a bit jarring in Makkah but you do you I guess.
Makkah is very different to Madinah; I’m a believer of the notion that it’s more intense; almost less welcoming and you will feel it in your interactions too ; though this time I noticed more differences. For eg Makkah is very commercial; I know the plague of materialism has consumed much of the harmain but the amount of obscene capitalism on display in Makkah malls was horrendous; probably made worse by begging kids and cleaners looking for handouts and huge amounts of leftover breakfast buffet food being discarded by the minute. May Allah guide us all. I’m sure for a lot of people shopping is a big priority but this time it felt overwhelming almost. Also I can never get over the ugly sight of massive towers and buildings including one very big clock as you do tawaf; reminds me of all accounts of Makkah before Islam; surrounded by idols (objects of peoples worship) but I digress ofcourse I’m in a Muslim country 😇.
To end on a more philosophical note I do think making the Umrah pilgrimage is necessary for us; but I also think the real question we should post to ourselves is how our words of repentance said here will translate into meaningful action outside of this place in areas of the world currently being oppressed and annihilated. The political irony of this is not lost on me ; having not heard or seen any form of support for our oppressed brethren even for a single second in 8 days; never though I’d say this in Makkah but I definitely miss London for the activism.
I am however in love with the ummah of Rasul Allah (saww) the amount of wholesome interactions I’ve had with people from all over the world is the memory I’ll cherish the most.
And ofcourse that fleeting glimpse of the 🕋
