Mental & General Preparation

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

“In the name of Allah the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.”

1. Make the intention that you are going for ‘umrah solely for the pleasure of Allah ﷻ & not to earn the praises of people.
2. Make an intention to change. Scholars have explained that a sign of an accepted ‘umrah is that you bring good changes into your life. Make a list of the sins you wish to leave & make lots of du’aa that Allah ﷻ grants you the ability to leave them & change.
3. Make the intention to fulfil one of the greatest sunnahs of our Nabi ﷺ.
4. Take out time to learn the necessary rulings, du’aas etc.
5. Take into consideration your menstrual cycle when booking your flights. It is permissible for a woman to take the pill to stop her menstrual flow whilst she is on the holy lands. One should however be aware that they may experience side effects.
6. A woman must travel (48 miles or more) in the company of her mahram (a male member of her immediate family with whom marriage is prohibited- husband / father / grandfather / grandson / son / brother etc.) The Prophet ﷺ has said: It is unlawful for a woman who believes in Allah and the last day that she travels the distance of one day and one night without a Mahram accompanying her.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 1038)
7. ‘Umrah is a spiritual journey. It is meant to gain closeness to Allah ﷻ . Moreover it is a journey of repentance & change. One should have the intention of letting go of all sins & starting fresh. It is advisable to seek forgiveness from people we interact with and possibly hurt. Allah ﷻ will forgive His rights that we didn’t fulfil, however the rights of the people, those whom we wronged etc, will only be forgiven if they forgive us. One should make an effort to join ties & clear the heart to maximise one’s ‘umrah etc. Seeking forgiveness etc requires courage and it is an expression of one’s humility which is liked by Allah ﷻ. A clear mind & heart will also allow you to gain maximum benefits from your ibadaah & you will also be able to concentrate on Allah ﷻ alone & focus on improving yourself & your relationship with Allah ﷻ. Most importantly, after asking forgiveness from these people we should take extra care to not repeat those mistakes. When we ask for forgiveness we should mean it. Not just for ‘umrah. Make an intention to stop that sin for good, whether it’s a matter between you & Allah or between you & people.
8. Remember Allah ﷻ does not grant this opportunity to all. You have been chosen to visit the blessed lands. Be conscious of the deception of shaitaan. Do not waste your time in useless activities, posting everything on social media, taking selfies etc. Honour the sanctity of these blessed places. Disconnect from the world, disconnect from your followers on social media, make this about you & your Allah, there is beauty in keeping certain things private. 
9. The reward for a good deed is multiplied in these blessed lands, similarly the sin committed in these blessed lands are also multiplied. Often many women not only take pictures in the haraamayn shareefayn but also upload them on social media where the gaze of many non-mahram males falls on them. This instantly multiplies their sins.

You will need:

• Your passport to be at least 6 months valid from the date the visa is issued.
• Meningitis vaccine
• Medication – Paracetamol, calpol , imodium etc.
• Money 
• Abayas & scarves / burkhas / cap pardah
• Light snacks
• Small Quraan / 13 line Quraan app (this may not be necessary as there are usually quraans in the haramaayn.
• Tasbeeh
• Tawaaf taabeeh 
• A copy of ‘How to perform Umrah’ by Hadhrat Shaykh Saleem DB
• A copy of ‘How to perform Ziyarah’ by Hadhrat Shaykh Saleem DB
• 40 durood kitaab
• Hizbul Adham dua kitaab
• Nail clipper
• Scissors (to cut hair after umrah)
• Usual toiletries 
• Slippers & drawstring bag to carry slippers ( I recommend crocs slippers) 
• Small side bag for phone / money / Tasbeeh / kitaabs
• Wipes & tissues 
• Fragrance free panty liners 
• Fragrance free sanitary towels (always take them regardless of whether you are taking the pill or not as sometimes the pill may not work)

Ensure that your Ihraam cloths are in your hand luggage and NOT in your suitcase.