umrah: the knowledge

my favourite source : you tube & blog!
3 month before, i started searching related video/article..
ni some of my references :

http://mutiaraislam.wordpress.com/2010/05/23/persediaan-kembara-suci/

persiapan umrah

rukun & wajib umrah

panduan haji tapi ade la sikit yg boleh apply  (memang keluar tulisan arab dulu, tapi later on ade je BM)

yg lain2 akan ditambah jika rajin =)

my references

Basically, buku panduan umrah memang akan diberi oleh travel agent.. bezanya, sesetengah tu complete dgn huraian, sesetengah tu compact, sesetengah tu so-so.. tapi memang semua buku akan include bacaan/doa semasa tawaf, saie, tahallul, melawat makam nabi, makam syuhada Uhud dll..

umrah : the preparation

since i did last minute preparation, let's see what differ between going umrah & travelling for holiday...
May vary from person to person, & may vary mengikut cuaca... every journey is unique, but i hope this humble post may help the first timer & also, ibadah tak pernah out of date - let's say, rezeki murah dan berpeluang menjejakkan kaki ke al-Haramain lagi, this post is useful for me...

bukan riak, tapi tak salah share something good... & talking about riak, i dont get an expensive package like Aznil Nawawi (mutawif kata RM 100,000 klu x silap...tp range ratus ribu lah) & bukannye pergi tiap2 tahun pun... ) jadi, xde sebab nak riak... after all, rezeki itu kurniaan tuhan... berpeluang ke sana & menunaikan ibadat tanpa major illness pun dah kira ok...

Here goes the list (nisa' only - guys?i dont know !):

Untuk apply visa 
- passport 
- buku vaccine meningococcal... a specialist told me vaccine tu valid for 2 years...
@ kb, although HRPZII buy Meningococcal vaccine(ACYW), no orange immunization book available either @ A&E/Surgical department...
 vice versa for Klinik Kesihatan Kota Bharu - no vaccine, yes for book..
- birth certificate to verify mahram status(sahkan di Jabatan Pendaftaran Negara yang terdekat) or salinan surat nikah yg disahkan di pejabat kadi - peraturan baru wujud awal tahun ni...

 the real preparation: 
1) knowledge - i cant simply go without any 'ilmu di dada'... Surely, at very least, i need to master rukun-rukun umrah /wajib-wajib umrah / the do's & don't during umrah... & last time i heard something about umrah was few years ago.. So, i have to polish back what i already know & learn more... talking about ilmu, i met an Arab teenager tengah saie, bukan bawak buku doa tapi main game angry bird dekat smartphone! itu kita panggil kurang penghayatan - tak la kecik sangat tapi saie dengan Angry Bird? bukankah lebih baik isi dengan paling2 kurang pun :zikir? or maybe, that teenager nak masuk masjid tapi ikut jalan Bukit Safa & Marwah...

2) the attire :
syariah-compliance clothes needed... & that, include socks (thick one to pray/tawaf/saie etc) & 'sarung lengan'...

& sunat pakai pakaian putih semasa ihram, so either jubah putih or jubah seluar will do (optional)..

while travelling, i hate to wear kain sembahyang before 'niat dekat miqat'..
Reason? Who knows if i need to go to the toilet during that long haul journey? - i'm not confident wearing the same kain sembahyang to pray & menunaikan umrah .. Lucky i join the gang of teachers & ustazah, so one of them lend me her syariah compliance tudung... So, we wore tudung, not kain sembahyang-...

Flat sandal / shoe / *sport shoe - *if you intend to conquer Jabal Nur/Gua Hira' or any other 'bukit'...
& high heel is absolutely a no-no if your hotel is far - bukan ape, lenguh berjalan dengan tumit sepuluh inci klu compare dgn flat... & since my shoe/slippers always tak cukup tinggi, it wasnt a big problem for me untuk pakai flat...


Exercise  -  alasan sama, klu berminat menghayati perjuangan Rasulullah & mendaki Jabal Nur, Uhud dll, better exercise...

3) cash :
  the easiest way is to change Malaysian currency to Saudi Riyal at nearest money changer...
However, call it fate, the money changer in KB run out of Saudi Arabia Riyal, both at airport & near Pantai Timur & i dont have time to go to the nearest bank..
plus, i dont like to bring cash banyak2 kat tangan...
meanwhile, the rate at KLIA x berapa memuaskan hati,
So, i bring small amount of RM tanpa sesen pun duit Riyal plus al-Rajhi ATM card(bukak akaun solely for the purpose of going umrah)...
For the first few days, i'm a penniless woman, until i found the money changer... boleh je tukar kat menara Abraj al Bait tu, tapi rate pun tak memuaskan hati jugak...
Rate kat tempat lain? Depend on your luck : some offer higher exchange rate, some not... thinking back,higher amount of RM is needed in case of emergency..

talking about ATM - in Mecca, i got my 'emergency fund' @ the tower (Burj al Bait) : at the centre of Level 0, straight away from Bab(pintu) King Abdul Aziz...
in Medina, the ATM @Movenpick hotel refuse to give me money=) (kehabisan duit rasanya sebab location strategik)  - translated - x bagi shopping kurma/kacang2 sebab pasar kurma destinasi last sebelum balik... & bawak banyak2 kurma/kacang alone agak berat... klu beli banyak2 kilo sape nak tolong angkut?

& a 'pakcik' yang slalu travel told me, dia guna CIMB & Maybank je, tapi buat international la.. bagitau travel date, so kat mane2 ATM yg ade tulisan Visa dll, dia boleh keluarkan duit kat negara yang dia pergi dalam masa travel period tu...

4) medicines! 
-A doctor that travel with elderly (parent yang agak tua) may bring first aid kit..
-A pharmacist supposed to bring medicine - so yes, i bring along

• PCM in case of fever/headache, 
• OMS - few abused it when needed/prn bila sakit-sakit, minyak cap kapak, cough medications, 
•  oral rehydration salt & hyoscine in case of diarrhea
• cold/flu meds ... 
• Not forgotten, my 'makanan ruji', in case my condition worsened tiba-tiba..      Not that we cant buy medicines @Arab Saudi, tapi fikir sendiri lah price..oh, there's ustaz & ustazah in my group who always speak Arabic, so, buying medicines werent a big deal... it's just, i cant understand the Arabic pamphlets! Khamsata 'asyarah, na'am, la', boleh la faham tapi tulisan dekat ATM/tv/pamphlet : terlopong kat situ la! i need a translator =) 

Overall, the common /popular illness were fever, cold/flu & cough, nose bleed..& dry skin!

• Vaseline/nivea cream is highly recommended... but Vaseline is bulky for me, so i bought lip balm at Nahdi Pharmacy (glamer cam Guardian kot sebab pegi ziarah mane2 confirm jumpa Nahdi Pharmacy) & i love it very much... malangnya, balik Malaysia, terus xde :jatuh masa kat airport KLIA kot... the soft rose lip balm with SPF i-cant-remember-but-i-know-contained-something-for-uv-protection : imported from Burj al- Bait was my favourite if not in ihram... tapi, kat tepi menggelupas jugak... 

my tips: make sure you apply it evenly... & thanks God, my heel dont crack! guess wearing a thick Body Glove sock(i grab it at supermarket sebab tu je yg ade depan mata) & that cheap 2 riyal 'kasut tawaf' do the trick...
 
5) scissors for tahallul! 
I opt for that cheap gunting lipat... Kecik dan senang diselitkan kat mane-mane

 sebab byk kawasan dirobohkan plus musim panas - habuk dan debu tak dapat dielakkan...translated, mask penting (at least for me!)...
My nose did bleed on day 2 &3, but i guess, kerap ambil wuduk dgn air zam zam yg sejuk tu helps, a lot! minor bleed & ok on the subsequent days...

6) although i brought an old generation Nokia phone, charging phone still 'memeningkan kepala'.. tak jumpa langsung plug yang compatible untuk 3 palam charger, jumpa yg 2 je.. so, terpulang samada nak beli kat sana @ bawak dari Malaysia

7) i divide my luggage into hand luggage & cargo luggage ...
Hand luggage: necessary clothes for 1 day & kelengkapan solat...
Cargo Luggage : i failed in tackling spaces... pandai menyusun atur supaya mudah dicapai adalah satu kelebihan.... Oh, it's better to write your name & address & phone number dekat bag itself... My roomate lost her bag, tp last2 beg tu dihantar ke KLIA balik masa dia kat Mekah...

& most travel agency will give you the same pattern of bag - no, i should describe it as the exact colour, pattern, shape & so on.. so, some choose ribbon to recognize their own bag, some use key chain, some just use name /add/phone number combo as identification...

8) musim panas :  spec hitam untuk bergaya.. ops, musim panas, silau sangat.. membantu penglihatan masa cahaya matahari tegak di atas kepala

9) female : spray bottle untuk wuduk (optional)
i prefer ambik wuduk macam biasa (for me, wuduk mengelakkan nose bleed, remember?),tapi at certain places ie masjid nabawi, lagi senang klu ade spray bottle rasanya..

#this draft dah lame ditulis, finish writing this essay hari ni =)

umrah: the blessings

i dont bring smartphone & i accidentally turn my camera into night mode & i only realized my 'x leh tarik balik ' mistake when i was about to leave Madinah! so, the quality of my picture suck! plus, my mind was plastered with no camera allowed at Masjidil Haram & Masjid Nabawi, thus i dont mind to bring a camera that was quite out of date (i mean, camera evolve & revolve, just like the phone revolve!)... if i'm 'rajin', i'll upload picture... if not, then, i'll only write.. but i must say, blogging through phone tak best!

my favourite chapter was , i got a beautiful sejadah from an Arab woman! her sejadah look beautiful in my eye & i stare before asking, your prayer mat is beautiful, where did you buy it? to my surprise, she hand it to me, saying : consider it as her 'sedekah'! together with cheese bread!
sadly, i dont know her name because she wore niqab & both of us were in rush since the time to perform solat was near.. whoever she was, i pray may Allah shower her with rezeki yang tak putus-putus' & yes, i recite the dua right in front of Kaabah! i was too ecstatic - like i said before, i opt for design... i dont care if it's cheap or not - if it was beautiful in my eye, i would give it a go!

free prepaid that i got @ airport

pandangan belakang sejadah.. depan ade colour emas tapi malas ambik gambar

2) i was exhausted after an umrah, i waited for my roomate at the saie area for what feel like hours but she never came (of course dalam lautan manusia yg penuh, mane nak nampak klu bersandar dekat cermin dkt exit gate dekat tempat saie)... maybe because i look very tired, another kind Arab woman gave me nuts & that was my first time merasa kurma & kacang di Mekah! & the taste? of course delicious!

3) on my first day of tawaf, because i eat food that i dont know isnt compatible with me, i need to ambik air sembahyang twice during my first tawaf...  first time, of course i'm not familiar with Masjidil Haram... but i think, rather than continue tawaf tapi tak sah, it's better to separate & doing it sampai betul-betul yakin. so, i wander around, ask Malaysian people until one of them show the zam zam water & lend me her spray bottle (ablution).. later, i continue tawaf & never meet any of my group member...
did i scared?
hell no! i got a free prepaid at the airport & i was at Masjidil Haram, my intention is purely untuk beribadat - so, i feel safe... how about saie? i follow somebody that look like 'mutawif perempuan' , from Penang - told her i cant found my group & it was my first time saie - she teach me & coincidentally, she also teach two other women. so, although most people think i'm missing, it was a perfect first umrah for me actually.

free prepaid & free credit 5 Riyal.. do call me =) hehe..

..
*Err, i forgot where i leave my slippers (tak terlintas ape-ape pun cuma tak perhati betul-betul kat mane tinggal selipar), so, i did extra saie to hunt for my missing slipers... tapi gagal... i cant simply balik berkaki ayam - mau pecah kaki sebab panas sangat so i went to the entrance, kebetulan cleaner tgh sapu selipar, so i tengok mane yang agak2 same macam selipar masjid untuk pinjam pakai balik hotel tapi that cleaner gave me a black sandal... balik hotel, petangnya, i bawak pegi masjid untuk hantar balik & tengok balik selipar sendiri... still there & tak hilang pun..
why did i search it again? that was new slipper that i bought one day before my journey to Mecca! of course lepas tawaf banyak2 shopping complex, jumpa saiz yg ok, sayang banget same selipar flat baru tu...

4) entering Hijr Ismail - as many of us know, Hijr Ismail slalu crowded... nak masuk kna berebut-rebut... nak solat pun agak susah... so, dgn body kecik, menyelit masuk pegi hujung sebelah satu lagi... at one time, spot penuh.. pastu tiba-tiba pakcik Turki yang hensem (elderly) yg dah siap solat bagi isyarat tanda suruh ambik spot dia sebab dia nak keluar... i prayed solat sunat tawaf (tawaf sunat) & solat sunat... & lepas siap, bukak buku yang gantung dekat leher tu, baca doa... pastu tengok a Malaysian girl duduk kat tepi tempat yang teduh sambil berdoa, i ikut jejak dia... agak lama dalam tu sampai boleh ambik gambar lampu terdekat & tengok suasana dalam Hijr Ismail tu...

dalam Hijr Ismail - my back view

lampu & the other side (luar Hijr Ismail)

hujung Hijr Ismail :nak buat cermin pun boleh.. sebab lame sangat, i snap my pic dengan jadikan area ni sebagai cermin tp buang tabiat la pulak if i upload my picture

 sebab hujung skali, xde orang kacau ... binaan kan melengkung, so hujung tempat melengkung tak sesuai untuk solat... thus, xde sape kisah klu nak berteduh & berlama-lama kat situ

back to reality

alhamdulillah, my 2 weeks journey completed & i'm back, breathing in the unpolluted & 'normal' air...
no extreme climate @ 39 degree celcius at night & certainly, no need to cover face or having the urge to wear purdah because wearing an extra layer of cloth gave the 'cool' sensation( bahang direct kat muka sampai rasa lagi nyaman tutup muka daripada bare face but no, i never wear purdah since tak jumpa kedai jual purdah kat sana)... no wonder Arab women cover their whole body - tutup semua protect them from heat! #err, cover untuk menjaga diri dari pandangan lelaki bukan ajnabi tu memang semua dah tau, so, xyah elaborate

 it was a whole new experience... never crossed my mind untuk menjejakkan kaki ke al Haramain dalam masa terdekat..
few days before departure, i heard a relative of my relative cant fly because visa tak lulus ... Same thing for 'orang kampung sy yg x kenal pun tp the villagers yg visited me told me..

i was too lost in the new world till i cant even tell the date... too busy adapting myself with the climate, different time zone, prayer's time that was quite chaos(Subuh @4 something, Zuhur @ 12.36 but maghrib@ 7pm) & new environment...

source utk tau waktu solat - jam dalam Masjidil Haram

different time / different region

Only now i know the 'longing' feeling / 'rindu nak ke sana lagi' feeling... Going there was addictive! Kaabah & tawaf are exclusive, no other place can offer the same thing like Masjidil Haram... Heat or any other barrier/ rintangan was nothing compared to Multazam...

dekat tapi jauh

We weren't separated by long distance...working in different city in Kelantan, time & her workloads always separate us into two far-away region...Jauh bukan jarak dan tempat, tapi masa bagaikan mencemburui kami...since she will hold her wedding reception without me, today is the only suitable time to 'date' & reminisce all the sweet memories & exchanging stories before she begin her new happily ever after tale ( esok belum pasti tapi tak salah mimpikan sesuatu yang indah=) Since a brief meeting is equal to never meet, few hangout places menjadi mangsa. The chicken rice shop tea set is reasonable enough to grab & Secret Recipe is perfect for dessert... & because i was uber-ly 'cool' to pretend that life goes on , she accompany me to hunt few more missing items (oh, i had plan Z if i dont have enough time to shop & to get ready!) ... The conclusion? My mind was more to 'enjoy the beauty of everyday's life'/ life is too short to care on trivial matters , her mind = the-forced-to-be-workaholic career lady! Busy tapi matured...

weekend recap

Mundok mission failed miserably... the soldiers with real weapons  have greater mission  than us =) plan B  @ Rantau Panjang ended with yummy-licious ice cream (Thailand version of ice cream  with spoonfulls of cincau,  corn,  kekacang (nut?), selasih, mini bread  &  small scoops of ice cream...& the best part is : tak manis macam ais krim versi sama yang guna  scoop besar!

a quick word

kerja boleh jadi ibadah jika kena pada caranya.. dan meramaikan professional dalam sesuatu bidang adalah fardu kifayah yang dituntut..