1. Make Duʿā’
- Begin your journey by reciting the duʿā’ for travel.
- Turn to Allah (subḥānahū wa taʿālā) with humility and beg Him to grant you the ability to perform this great act of worship with excellence. Remember: you cannot take a single step in ʿumrah, or in life, without His help. Keep asking and turning to Him throughout the entire journey. Let your duʿā’ be constant, because success only comes through His permission and mercy.
- Continue to make duʿā’ throughout your journey, as the duʿā’ of a traveller is more likely to be accepted (Aḥmad).
2. Yearn for the Destination
You have left your family and hometown, and are now on your way to the House of Allah. As you travel towards your destination, focus on your heart’s longing to reach His House and seek His eternal pleasure and acceptance.
There was once a woman who went for ḥajj, and throughout the journey, she kept asking, “Where is the House of my Lord?” Those with her told her to be patient until she could see it. When they reached al-Masjid al-Ḥarām and saw the Kaʿbah, they told her, “This is the House of Allah.” She ran towards it, shouting, “The House of my Lord, the House of my Lord!” She pressed her cheek against the Kaʿbah and in that very moment, her soul returned to Allah. They found her lifeless, having passed away in the place she longed for most.
3. Thank Allah
Use these moments to thank Allah for facilitating your journey. In the past, pilgrims would travel for months across dangerous terrains, enduring hardship and uncertainty just to reach these sacred lands. What once took months now takes only a few hours.
4. Remind Yourself That You Are Journeying to Allah
In a ḥadīth qudsī, Allah (subḥānahū wa taʿālā) says, “Whoever comes to Me walking, I will come to him running” (Muslim).
Reflect: Knowing that Allah owns the heavens and earth and is in no need of us, how does the ḥadīth above make you feel?
5. Don’t Waste These Precious Moments
You may be tempted to scroll through social media, watch a movie, or pass time aimlessly. These are sacred moments. Use these moments to recite the Qur’ān, remember Allah, offer voluntary prayers whilst seated using indications, read an īmān-boosting book, or rest with the intention of being energised to perform your rituals upon reaching Makkah.
6. Leave the World Behind for Allah
The true migrant (muhājir) is the one who abandons what Allah has prohibited. In ʿumrah, you are migrating to Allah. You leave behind your sins, your disobedience, and your heedlessness. You leave your family, your worldly concerns, and everything else. You come to your Lord with nothing from this world, to worship Him alongside His righteous servants in the purest place on Earth.
Act: What sins and habits are you migrating from? Include them in your duʿā’ list and ask Allah to help you leave them behind, completely and forever.
7. Reflect on Allah’s Signs
A practical way to deepen tawḥīd in your heart is to reflect on the signs of Allah in His creation. This helps you to cultivate awe of Allah and to remember Him with the presence of heart. Whilst on the aeroplane, reflect on the incredible signs around you: the flawless sky, the layered clouds, and the majestic sunset or sunrise. Look down and observe how the earth and its people shrink into insignificance. Let this remind you of your own smallness in the vastness of Allah’s creation, and feel humbled before Him.
Think of the sky full of angels, as the Prophet ﷺ said, “Indeed I see what you do not see. The sky is creaking, and it has every right to creak: there is not even the space of four fingers (in the sky), except that there is an angel who has lowered his head in prostration to Allah” (Tirmidhī).
