Umrah Packages Make Lesser Pilgrimage Easy and Affordable

by Safeena Rahman Travel Addict

The two pilgrimages that have been given greater significance in Islam are Hajj and Umrah. Hajj is the major pilgrimage and among Islam's five pillars. It is an obligation for all Muslims and must be performed at least once in a lifetime by those who are physically and financially capable for undertaking the journey. Umrah is known as the 'lesser pilgrimage' or sometimes referred to as the 'minor pilgrimage'. It is not compulsory when compared to the major pilgrimage, but rewards the pilgrim performing it with some spiritual benefits. Another major reason behind its importance is that it is the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

In order to perform the lesser pilgrimage, Muslims living in countries far from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have to travel a greater distance from their place of residence to the holy city of Makkah. There was a time when many of those who wanted to perform Umrah had to keep postponing their plans of accomplishing the minor pilgrimage owing to budget concerns. Today, they can book any of the Umrah packages offered by the tour operators specialising in the Islamic religious tours. Upon booking any of such packages, the prospective pilgrims can make their journey to the holy city easy and affordable.

Such packages have also made it easier for Muslims living in the United Kingdom to fulfil their sacred intention of performing Umrah. The Umrah Packages UK Muslims get to book in recent times can be made much more cost-effective with comparisons made online. As there are many packages offered by various tour operators located in different parts of UK on their websites, they can be compared with each other before selecting a suitable package. The Muslims of the UK also need to choose the right tour operator while making the comparisons.

Although Umrah packages from UK are offered by many of the country’s tour operators, the prospective pilgrims must always choose the one which is authorised by Saudi Arabia’s Hajj Ministry. They can save more on their package by booking it several months in advance. Most of the tour operators who provide the Hajj and Umrah packages offer great discounts on packages that are booked well in advance. However, the Muslims residing in the UK must decide their departure date and the number of days they would like to spend in the holy city of Makkah before booking. Once the dates have been decided, they can go ahead and book their packages.

While in Makkah, they would get the opportunity to visit some important religious sites after performing their lesser pilgrimage. One of them is the Jabal al-Noor, which is of great significance for all Muslims. It is home to the Cave of Hira, where Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) received his first revelation of the Holy Quran. Another sacred mountain is Jabal al-Rahmah, also called Mount Arafat. Its name comes from the fact that it was the place where the first prophet Adam (peace be upon him) was forgiven by The Almighty Allah for his sin.

To get some interesting information on performing Umrah in Ramadan, click here.