I don’t have many Muslim friends here in India right now, so if you’re wondering where they are, they’re probably performing Umrah in Ramzan.
Umrah, also known as the minor pilgrimage of Ramzan, is popular among wealthy Muslims around the world. Unlike the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, Umrah can be performed year-round, and the ritual takes place within the Haram grounds, home to the ancient cubic Kaaba and Mecca’s holy mosque.
Why is there such a rush to perform Umrah in Ramzan? Haji Mudassar Patel, a Samaritan and resident of Mahim, performs Umrah with his family and gives an explanation. “There are various benefits. One Hadith (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad) says that performing Umrah in Ramzan is like performing Hajj with the Holy Prophet. I don’t remember missing Ramzan, except for the year when travel was restricted.”For the past 20 years, it was Umrah,” Patel said over the phone from Mecca. He added that this Umrah gave him an extra advantage to catch up with his other two brothers.
“One of my brothers joined us from the UK and the other from the UAE. The Umrah visit gave our family and children the opportunity to spend time together,” he says. This explains another reason for such huge crowds in Mecca and Medina. It is estimated that around 3 million Muslims perform Umrah this Ramzan. Khalid Herada of Al Khalid Tours and Travels said that while many Umrah pilgrims plan their pilgrimages to see relatives living abroad, they do so at around the same time as their trip to Mecca. He said he is doing so.
Although Umrah is performed in Mecca, all pilgrims also visit Medina to pay homage to the Prophet, whose tomb is in the Masjid-e-Nabwi, or Prophet’s Mosque, in the same city.
Actor Gauhar Khan and his social media influencer and businessman husband Zaid Darbar have just returned to Mumbai after completing the Umrah pilgrimage. “We stayed in a hotel very close to the holy shrine, so in Mecca we could see the Kaaba and in Medina we could see the Prophet’s tomb from our room. We felt very spiritually enriched. I felt that way, so I came back with a heavy heart,” Darbar recalls. This will be the second Ramzan that the couple will spend in the holy city.
Many see this as a great opportunity to serve pilgrims. Dr Sameer Haji Karaniya, a Mumbai-born and trained consultant anesthesiologist at a Saudi Arabian government-run hospital in Mecca, says he is lucky to be able to help so many relatives during Hajj and Umrah. “I believe it was through divine intervention that we were able to meet in such a sacred place for the first time in such a long time,” Dr. Karanya said. His father, Professor HN Karaniya, is part of the committee that manages the Maharashtra College of Arts, Sciences and Commerce near Nagpada.
Sajid Khan of music director duo Sajid Wajid says he missed his brother Wajid a lot, with whom he performed Umrah a few days ago. “I was planning to come here with Wajid, but he left us two years ago. He was in my prayers both in Mecca and Medina,” she said as she headed to the airport. says Sajid, who informed his family about his Umrah plans just a few hours ago. “I arrived feeling the power of God beckoning me,” he added, vowing to be there again next year.
Umrah, also known as the minor pilgrimage of Ramzan, is popular among wealthy Muslims around the world. Unlike the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, Umrah can be performed year-round, and the ritual takes place within the Haram grounds, home to the ancient cubic Kaaba and Mecca’s holy mosque.
Why is there such a rush to perform Umrah in Ramzan? Haji Mudassar Patel, a Samaritan and resident of Mahim, performs Umrah with his family and gives an explanation. “There are various benefits. One Hadith (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad) says that performing Umrah in Ramzan is like performing Hajj with the Holy Prophet. I don’t remember missing Ramzan, except for the year when travel was restricted.”For the past 20 years, it was Umrah,” Patel said over the phone from Mecca. He added that this Umrah gave him an extra advantage to catch up with his other two brothers.
“One of my brothers joined us from the UK and the other from the UAE. The Umrah visit gave our family and children the opportunity to spend time together,” he says. This explains another reason for such huge crowds in Mecca and Medina. It is estimated that around 3 million Muslims perform Umrah this Ramzan. Khalid Herada of Al Khalid Tours and Travels said that while many Umrah pilgrims plan their pilgrimages to see relatives living abroad, they do so at around the same time as their trip to Mecca. He said he is doing so.
Although Umrah is performed in Mecca, all pilgrims also visit Medina to pay homage to the Prophet, whose tomb is in the Masjid-e-Nabwi, or Prophet’s Mosque, in the same city.
Actor Gauhar Khan and his social media influencer and businessman husband Zaid Darbar have just returned to Mumbai after completing the Umrah pilgrimage. “We stayed in a hotel very close to the holy shrine, so in Mecca we could see the Kaaba and in Medina we could see the Prophet’s tomb from our room. We felt very spiritually enriched. I felt that way, so I came back with a heavy heart,” Darbar recalls. This will be the second Ramzan that the couple will spend in the holy city.
Many see this as a great opportunity to serve pilgrims. Dr Sameer Haji Karaniya, a Mumbai-born and trained consultant anesthesiologist at a Saudi Arabian government-run hospital in Mecca, says he is lucky to be able to help so many relatives during Hajj and Umrah. “I believe it was through divine intervention that we were able to meet in such a sacred place for the first time in such a long time,” Dr. Karanya said. His father, Professor HN Karaniya, is part of the committee that manages the Maharashtra College of Arts, Sciences and Commerce near Nagpada.
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