Umrah: A Journey of Longing & Spiritual Fulfillment
BY MOHAMED TRAORE
Everyone talks of the miraculous wonders of Umrah, but unless you've experienced it, it's hard to feel that sentimental value and spiritual connection.
I had made the intention to perform Umrah in 2018 and Hajj the following year but it never came to fruition. I vividly recall from a few of my dreams where I was performing Umrah & doing Tawaf. In my last dream, I woke up with tears in my eyes and started crying. God knew how much I needed and wanted this. I wanted to detach from this world for a while, I wanted to be somewhere else, somewhere far away from here. Somewhere I'd finally feel the tranquility within my heart. What my soul had been longing for. What people took from me, God returned. My peace. My sanity. My fortitude. I know exactly what I am longing for, but I knew that nothing on earth could fix the feeling I have other than opening my soul and pouring everything out for God to heal. I was homesick. I wanted heaven. I was yearning for my Prophet ﷺ.
Well, this is the closest thing to it. Being here makes you more compassionate. You embrace vulnerabilities and in return God softens your heart. You realize that everyone is going through something, begging for something, crying for someone. Desperately in need. Through confronting your own needs and weaknesses you learn to love. And through love all things heal, through love all things are perfect.
One of my favorite moments of Umrah was being able to follow funeral processions. It is a recommended action with great virtue and much reward. I remained in a state of deep reflection and contemplation as I carried the body, prayed, and lowered it in its final resting place. The beauty of it is that everyone seeks forgiveness for the dead knowing nothing about where they're from, what Madhab they follow, who they know, or what they did. That's the universality of Islam. A stark reminder of the impermanence of this life and a promised return. If only we could be as courteous to one another while we're all still alive.
Oh Madinah… I miss you. More than my heart, soul, mind and body have the capacity to express. People come to you with shattered souls and you care for them. Broken hearts and you love them. A love unlike any other. The genuine, unconditional kind.
Fellow muslims, please embark on that journey to the blessed lands. It will change you. Also, Know that the Umrah/Hajj experience is invite only. if God wants you, no matter who you are, where you are, what your financial constraints are or affluence is, God will provide a way. Just be sincere & Dua it.
May Allah (swt) grant us the ability to be people of reflection and gratitude just like our Beloved Rasool ﷺ and may Allah keep us constantly connected to Him. May Allah accept from all those that leave everything for his sake and from us. May He make us from those invited to fulfill the sacred.
