Umrah is all about spiritual cleansing, getting close to Allah, and recognizing the importance of the last message of Allah which we know as Islam. Various aspects of performing Umrah enlighten us with a different philosophical understanding which is important to feel the spiritual effects of each ritual.
Significance of Ziyarat Along with Umrah
Although, ziyarat (visiting sacred places of Islamic history) is not an essential part of performing Umrah, however, they offer the ultimate spiritual upliftment. Visiting the holy places entailing the origin stories of Islam is undoubtedly a different spiritual experience altogether. One’s mind gets whooshed while observing the holy places and things that hold an aspect of the bigger story of how it all began, how Islam began. In this article, I’ll share some of the most significant places to visit alongside performing Umrah, and the story behind those places.
- Hira Cave
The cave of Hira is located outside Makkah in the Hijaaz area on the Jabal-al-Noor Mountain. This place was the place of contemplation and worshipping of Prophet Muhammad P.B.U.H around fifteen years before receiving the first revelation from Almighty Allah. It was in this cave where the Angel Gabriel (Jibra’el in Arabic) descended upon the Prophet P.B.U.H with the will of Allah and made Him recite the words of Allah.
- Thaur Cave
The cave of Thaur is located to the South of Misfalah district which is the lower part of Mecca, in the mountain called Jabal-al-Thaur. The height of the mountain is 750 m. It is in this cave where the Prophet stayed along with His friend Abu Bakr R.A to hide from the enemy searching for Him while He was migrating to Medina from Mecca by Allah’s order.
- Badr
Turned out to be the first battleground of the first-ever Islamic holy war where truth and falsehood clashed with each other and truth emerged victor as promised by Allah Almighty. In my personal opinion, anyone who is in good health, should fast on that day and then visit this place to get a trivial share of that feeling when the 313 holy warriors fought while fasting and emerged victors.
- Jannat-ul-Baqee
This is the graveyard where most of the holy companions of the Prophet Muhammad P.B.U.H including His family and friends stay in their ultimate resting place. Located to the Southeast of the Prophet’s Mosque in the Hejazi region of present-day Saudi Arabia, it is the oldest and the first Islamic cemetery of Medina.
Other significant ziyarat places include:
- The Ka’abah
- The Black Stone (Al-Hajar Al-Aswad)
- Maqam-e-Ibrahim
- The Well of Zamzam
- Arafat
- Muzdalifah
- Mina
- Jannat-ul-Muala
- Masjid-e-Ayesha R.A
- Masjid-al-Ejabah
- Masjid-e-Jinn
- Uhud Mountain
- Masjid-al-Jorana and the Well
- Sulah Hudaibiya
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