Umrah is a minor pilgrimage that is close to the heart of Muslims. Millions of Muslims around the world share the excitement and will to perform Umrah. Since most Muslim countries are low to middle-income, thus it’s not always pocket-friendly for people to perform Umrah. However, because of their love of Allah, they save money for years to be able to perform Umrah. Whether it is Pakistan, Egypt, or Tunisia, Muslims from around the world visit Holy cities with the same zeal and fervor.
December is considered the best month to perform Umrah. This is due to many reasons. The first reason is that Saudi Arabia is a hot country. It has harsh weather and winters do not come in this country Moreover, the city of Makkah is quite hot. Madinah is a little cooler than Makkah. However, even in winter, light warm apparel is only needed. An individual can remain comfortable even without warm dressing. Sharing my personal experience as I performed Umrah in December. Even then when I was performing Tawaf around Kaaba I was sweating.
Saudi Arabia is a hot country with the Makkah province being unusually hot, December becomes the ideal month to escape the blistering heat. Those pilgrims who come from cooler countries cannot bear the heat in the summer months. Even pilgrims who come in the winter months might get sick. Stomach issues are common in people due to the unfamiliar environment, hotel food, and climate.
Umrah is also a test of your physical strength. Walking daily from your hotel to haram, finding a place to pray in that massive building, and performing Umrah itself is physically strenuous. It requires a lot of physical effort to perform Tawaf. After that pilgrims are expected to walk seven times from the mountain of Safa to Marwa. This is the most challenging part of Umrah where even the young and healthy feel tired. Doing this all in summer will make it even more challenging and tedious for the pilgrims.
Not every pilgrim can afford to book a hotel right next to Kaaba. As they are 5-star hotels and therefore out of range for average visitors. Their rent per day is out of range for visitors who are on a budget. Hence hotels that are a few hundred meters from Kaaba require pilgrims to walk from their hotels to haram for prayer. Walking on the road to haram for even two out of 5 prayers requires physical energy. This energy can be drained quickly if one has to do so in the scorching heat of summer. Therefore, when choosing December as your month for Umrah, one saves oneself from the heat. The temperature is moderate and pilgrims can comfortably walk towards haram without being exhausted.
Those who go to perform Umrah also visit the sacred places of Islam that are located within the parameters of Makkah. These include Mina, Mount Arafat where Adam prayed, the Cave of Hira, and other places of religious significance. To visit most of these places one has to get out of their air-conditioned vehicles and walk towards those sites. For instance, pilgrims express a desire to climb Mount Arafat where Prophet Adam seeks forgiveness. Even in December temperature is so hot that it obstructs people from climbing this mountain. So one can imagine how anyone can display the courage to climb that in the blistering heat of summer.
Madinah is a little cooler than Makkah. However, in the summer it is as hot as other cities of Saudi Arabia. The design of the Mosque of the Prophet is such that hotels are all around its boundary. Hence, they are at less distance from many of their counterparts found in Makkah. However, one has to walk again and again to offer prayer at the mosque after the call to prayer. The distance may be a few hundred meters, however, covering this will also get hard in summer.
Akin to Makkah, there are also places of religious significance to visit in Madinah. To name a few these include, Riyadh-ul-Janna, Masjid Quba (the first mosque of Islam), Uhud Mountain, and Al-Baqi Cemetery among others. December remains the ideal month to visit these sites as in hot months the heat takes the energy away.
Madinah is considered cheaper than Makkah for buying souvenirs, dates, and gifts for family and friends back home. This is due to the abundance of markets all around the haram. Therefore, pilgrims on Umrah prefer Madinah for all their shopping. However, it takes a lot of walking to explore the markets on the periphery of the grand mosque. It may count in kilometers the walk one has to do to complete their shopping for their loved one’s back home. In months other than December it will become very difficult for pilgrims to conduct these long walks. The heat will consume their energy before they complete all their purchases.
In Makkah, the main road leading to the Grand mosque is called Ibrahim Khalil Road. There are plenty of options including South Asian, Fast food, and Fried chicken on this road. Then there are malls in the vicinity of the Grand mosque that also offer fast food and desi options. However, in Madinah, a few kilometers walk from the Prophet mosque is a souk that offers abundant food options ranging from seafood to traditional Turkish and Arabic cuisine. Many of the eateries located at this souk have outdoor seating areas as well as indoor. In hotter months it would be impossible to sit outside and walk a few kilometers to get to that souk from your hotel or the mosque.
All the reasons mentioned why December is the most suitable month to perform Umrah are from personal experiences. People defying temperature visit the holiest cities all around the year. However, the comforts of hotel availability, less airfare and accommodation charges, relatively lesser crowds, and above all bearable temperature make December the ideal month to perform Umrah.
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