Umrah is a Holy pilgrimage in Islam that can be undertaken at
anytime of the year. Performing Umrah is nothing but a way of coming closer to
the Almighty Allah. This practice comes with its own benefits. Let us see the
significance that Umrah holds in Islam:
The performer gets a chance to be the Guest
of Allah – Anybody who takes up Umrah wins himself or herself a
chance to be the visitor of the Almighty Allah or the Supreme Creator.
As quoted in the Book of The Rites of Hajj, Hadith No. 2626, Sunan An-Nasa’i,
Vol. 3: “The guests of Allah are three: The Ghazi (the warrior who fights in
Jihad just for the sake of Allah), the Hajji (the pilgrim who performs Hajj)
and the Mu’tamir (the pilgrim who performs Umrah)”.
The pilgrim gets a chance to do away with
his or her sins – It is natural that humans commit sins
and it is important to cleanse oneself off the sins committed. Umrah helps the
pilgrim to be free of the committed sins.
As per the Holy Prophet PBUH: “From one Umrah to another is expiation for what
comes in between, and ‘Hajj Al-Mabrur’ brings no reward less than Heaven”.
Umrah strengthens the Eman – The
modern times shake our faith. The busy schedules take us away from The
Superior. Through Umrah, we come closer to Him and our faith in Islam strengthens.
A pilgrim who performs this pilgrimage wholeheartedly will definitely have a
stronger Eman than others.
It provides physical strength – From
the very moment one starts with the holy pilgrimage, he or she becomes much
calmer. The soul becomes pure and feels light and the mind is cleansed off any
bad thoughts. With so many changes that the body undergoes, the person gains
physical strength and is cured of any disease that he or she may be suffering
from.
Umrah helps in the eradication of poverty – The
beauty of this Sunnah lies in the possibility of the removal of poverty. It is
necessary for everyone who has wealth to perform at least one of the two Umrahs
in their lifetime. Also, the person undertaking Umrah is blessed with a strong
body, pure soul, and a powerful mind. What better wealth than these three!
Pilgrims of Umrah are rewarded in ways
equivalent to Jihad – Jihad requires immense
devotion and love for the faith. And a person who participates in Jihad is
rewarded heavily. Participating in Umrah also requires the pilgrim to be
devoted throughout the journey and hence is rewarded in the same way as one
would have while engaging in Jihad.
Keeping
aside everything, every person who follows Islam should take part in one of the
any two Umrahs so as to gain wisdom, stability and most importantly the
invitation to be the Guest of Allah.
