At my clinic, there is this one particular cleaner, probably in his 50s, who does his job diligently and with much grace. He would knock faithfully on the door of the doctor’s consultation room and ask for permission to enter and do his task. His task varies depending on the time of day. I reckon that in the early morning, he could sweep and mop the floor clean. He would also wipe our desk because I noticed that when I leave my desk in a mess in the evening, I would return to a sight where my pens are in the holder and my papers arranged in a neat stack.
In between the hours, he would collect trash from the non-clinical bins and wipe the sink clean. He would do his job swiftly, going in and out of the room using the main door. Unlike some of the other cleaners who would use the interconnecting doors.
Lately, I noticed that this routine was replaced by a lady. I had thought that maybe he was ill or on a holiday because his absence was felt. The lady was less meticulous than him (she washed the sink but did not wipe it), and unlike him, the lady would barge into our rooms during lunch time to clean. It disrupts our afternoon nap.
When he finally came back, I asked him if he was feeling well. He said he was fine. In fact, he just returned from his one-week Umrah. I uttered an Alhamdulilah. Since I’ve just returned from the trip there myself, I knew that he and his family must have enjoyed their trip there. Umrah is not cheap. Thus, he must feel blessed for the given opportunity to perform his worship there. Allah invited him. Alhamdulilah.
I continued my consultation with the patient. In a few short minutes. He returned to the room and placed a bag of sweets on my table. It was a small offering, which I felt was not necessary. He did not have to do that, but he did. I said a thank you to which he replied, ‘Benda kecik je Dr, takde apa sangat’.
His words sent a bolt of humbleness to my heart. Eventhough it was a small gesture, I felt remembered. Appreciated. I couldn’t help retracing my steps when I returned from Umrah. What did I buy, and who did I share my blessings with? One thing is for sure: I did not share my sweets with this lovely old man. When in fact, a bag of candy would not even burn a hole in my pocket. I want to do better in Ramadan. In giving and sharing my rezeki with others. InsyaAllah.
Having done Umrah makes me want to do Hajj. Or at least another Umrah when time, health and wealth permit. InsyaAllah.
After spending 4 nights in Madinah, it was time to say goodbye. Our Air Asia flight was at nearly midnight, but the hotel was very kind to keep our luggage in their storage after we checked out. Thus, we were able to spend our remaining hours until Maghrib at Masjid Nabawi, where we prayed, ate, and rested.
We arrived at the Madinah airport fairly early. Hence, we were rather calm at the check-in and security checkpoint. I felt sorry for a group of Malaysian jemaahs who had to cut the queue because their flight was on the verge of boarding. I could sense how pissed the other travellers are. To be honest, their travel agent could have done better by taking the responsibility to inform the security officer in charge. At least, an announcement could be made by the officers in order for these passengers to pass through first. I believe one of the reasons why Mr Husband hates going with travel agencies is because of accountability issues.
We brought back with us 3 bottles of Zamzam. They were priced at 12.5SR for 5 litres, limited to only 1 purchase per passport. In the flight, our family of 3 were sat with other families with smaller children. Of course, I had a non-restful flight. I really cannot sleep upright. I was ready to sprawl myself across the floor. I think I can fit. But I do not want to appear silly. Naturally, I had a headache once we landed.
Our in-flight meal was Nasi Lemak and coffee. Oh, how I missed Malaysian food so much. I do not think I can eat another biryani or shawarma for the next few months. I also missed our huge, roomy, accessible toilets and prayer rooms in Malaysia. Home sweet home.
By the time this post is up, it will have been nearly a month since I came back. The memory still lingers, and I long for those peaceful moments I experienced back then. I hope to hang on to the thought that all worldly problems are small. That they are solvable and Allah bestows upon us these problems because He loves us and wants us to become better human beings.
Everyone who has been to Madinah would utter the word, RINDU. In fact, both Mekah and Madinah taught me how to carry my worldly burden differently. The worries of my job, my family matters and others seem so small and distant. The goal there was so clear. To worship and please Allah.
The stay at Madinah would have been better if I had gone for the ziarah. Even then, the calmness in just seeking to pray 5 times at the masjid, reciting the Quran, and just resting at the masjid was enough.
Haramain Speed Train
2 adults, 1 kid: RM 662.00
We checked out of Al-Kiswah Hotel and took an Uber to the station. My husband had bought the ticket online. Once the train arrived, we boarded the designated carriage and looked for our seats. It was a 2-hour-plus ride at a speed of 300km/hour. Before this service was available, Jemaah would take the 6-hour bus ride to Madinah. The fare is of course cheaper.
We enjoyed our doughnuts, and soon enough, we arrived in Madinah. The temperature was slightly cooler compared to Mekah.
Al-Mustarah Hotel, Madinah
5D4N: RM 968.00
It is a new hotel, and we loved that it has a shuttle service. The shuttle would leave 30 minutes before prayer times. Occasionally, the shuttle was full, and visitors needed to find their own transport to the masjid.
The hotel is located near eateries as well. We did not include breakfast services with the room. Overall, it was a really comfortable stay. The hallway smells clean and fresh all the time. The sheets were crisp, and having a mini pantry to prepare our beverages was great. They even have a Netflix service in the room.
Masjid Nabawi
The beauty of Masjid Nabawi rendered me speechless. I could only pray that Allah would bestow His Mercy and Rahmat towards those who keep this place beautiful and clean for all worshippers. Finally, I get to see the majestic umbrellas, the prayer halls and sniff the smell of the masjid. Although I did not get to set foot in Raudah, the chance to just be within the grounds of it was a grateful experience.
We were very relaxed in Madinah. We joined the obligatory prayers, and we read the Quran. We ate, we shopped and we rested. Then we prayed again.
We bought souvenirs here. My daughter bought bracelets and chocolates for her friends. I did the same. We also bought Saudi snacks to bring back home. We had sips of Zamzam water in the masjid. In short, our main focus there was just to perform our ibadat.
I wish to revive the spirit of my personal ibadat in Malaysia. Slowing down in my prayer movement. Improving my Quran recitation and supplication. Perhaps polishing my Arabic. I learned it in secondary school. When everything you do is focused towards worship and pleasing Allah, indeed, I do feel that my problems back home are so small.
I can see why muslims want to return for Umrah again and again. It resets your life and thoughts. It stills your heart and programs your mind to believe that Allah is The Al-Mighty and that He loves you and will take care of you, no matter what you’re going through. Trust in His plans and at the same time strive to become a better muslim.
Our time in Madinah passed by really quickly. Soon it was time to go home. That will be the matter in my next post.
Over 14 days of holiday + umrah, I survived with 3 sets of jubah, 3 T-shirts, 1 pair of cargo pants, 1 jacket, 5 pairs of socks, 5 bras, 2 inner scarves and daily disposable underwear with pantyliner. Additionally, I brought three pairs of telekung, one bawal tudung, and one shawl.
My daughter had 5 outfit changes, including underwear, 1 jacket, 2 jubah-hijab sets, and 1 telekung.
My husband packed his own luggage, but I think he had way less. We did not use any laundry services. We washed them with our bare hands and hang it to dry in our hotel room.
The Umrah
After checking into the hotel, we walked up to Masjid al-Haram at a comfortable pace, just after 7PM. We started with the tawaf on the 1st floor. I wore tawaf socks. In my 2nd umrah, I changed it to hotel slippers, and in my 3rd umrah, I decided to just wear a clean pair of Crocs. That was the most comfortable for me.
My daughter wore croc-like shoes. A clean pair, never been worn outside. For each round of the tawaf, I made different do’as. I made them for myself, my parents, my siblings, my husband, my children, my friends/co-workers and for all the muslimin and muslimat. I also made a prayer that the cleaners and guardians of the holy land be rewarded handsomely in dunia and akhirat.
In between the tawaf rounds, we had sips of Zamzam water. On our 2nd umrah on a different day, our tawaf met the prayer time of Maghrib. So we paused tawaf to give way to our obligatory prayers and continued on. We also got to perform tawaf on the rooftop. There, I saw buggy cars lined up for Jamaahs to hire. My husband’s friend used it before and said that it took him roughly 15 to 20 minutes to complete the tawaf on the buggy.
Saie comes after tawaf. I have to admit that umrah nowadays is far more comfortable than it was before. Nowadays, the hallway is air-conditioned and beautifully lit. They even install Zamzam fountains for refreshments. Based on pictures taken many decades ago, the facility they had was far less than how it is today.
Once saie is done, we perform tahallul, and just like that, our umrah is completed. It took us approximately 1.5 to 2 hours to complete. We did not rush, as we did not want our daughter to feel too tired and burdened by the rituals. After that, we walked around the masjid to soak in the beautiful atmosphere of people worshipping.
Before this, I had thought that New York was the city that never sleeps. I was wrong. Mekah is indeed a city that never sleeps. There will always be people walking around the Kaaba 24 hours a day, and they come from all over the world. We were able to use the shuttle bus back to our hotel. My daughter had a really restful night.
For the subsequent umrah, we took the taxi to Miqat Aisyah first. A fair fee is 50SR to and fro. At Miqat Aisyah, I see some Jamaahs kissing the pillars of the mosque. I don’t really know why, but it was interesting to see. After the niyat and prayers there, we returned to Masjid al-Haram and continued our umrah.
Overall, we managed to squeeze in 3 umrahs over the 5 days we were at Mekah. I performed one on behalf of my mom, who passed away 5 years ago. It was also an incredible experience to be able to do this with my daughter. I rewarded her with 100SR for her efforts. She was delighted and spent it on gifts for her friends.
Mini thoughts during umrah
Arabic is the main language (obviously). Everyone just assumes you can speak Arabic, and the best that I could utter was probably ‘waalaikum salam’, ‘syukran’ and ‘eywa’.
The guards/soldiers may look fierce, but they are very kind and accommodating. My husband used a selfie stick to take pictures of us after tawaf. A guard spoke in a stern yet gentle manner (using Arabic) that he should keep the selfie stick in his bag. It felt like his name should be Abu Ubaidah. The guard had so much authority in his voice tone.
There were times when I forgot what doa I wanted to recite during Tawaf and Saie. I ended up saying the Asmaul-Husna and mathurat.
Drink and take back to the hotel as much Zamzam water as you like. You will miss this once you reach Madinah.
Food options are wonderful and affordable (as long as you don’t go for selera T20). The portion is also huge. Maybe we are not big eaters as well.
The toilet outside the masjid is big. It is almost the size of the mall. It has escalators going down to the toilet and wudhu area. The cubicle is slim. It also has both squat and sitting options.
A visit to Bin Dawood is a must.
Umrah is the ultimate healing method that one should go for if you are able to do so. Prayers feel so different here. The mind does not buzz frantically like it did for me back home. It felt weird to attain that peaceful feeling while I was there. Although some would say that they focused on ibadat 100% there, for me, it was more like worldly problems felt so small there. So distant. Solvable.
It is because I still have to update my HRMIS online. It is a government body platform that stores the end of the year performance reviews. But I did it calmly. I felt that there was no reason to panic. And remembering how not all people like me back home, there, it doesn’t seem to bother me at all. I was amazed that I could experience the ‘I have Allah with me all the time’ moment. That Allah will help me, and whatever He has planned for me is the best for me. Even if I do not know it yet.
I hope that all Muslims can perform umrah at least once in their lifetime. It is a priceless experience.
It takes a bit of planning for my dear husband to match the itinerary with our mental and physical capabilities as a family. That is one of the perks of doing DIY Umrah. You can plan your time around your needs. Our flight from Cairo to Jeddah was in the morning. We left the Turquoise Hotel in an Uber and arrived at the airport promptly.
At passport control, we had to fill out a non-Egyptian declaration form first. Once we’d passed that, we had breakfast in the waiting area. My husband changed into his ihram. I put on my mini telekung.
FLYADEAL
Flyadeal is a low-cost Saudi airline. Our journey from Cairo to Jeddah took just over 3 hours. In the plane, we were served a croissant and mineral water. The pilot made an early announcement 30 minutes before reaching miqat. Perhaps other passengers are keen to change into their ihram on the plane. He then broadcast the next information upon arriving at the miqat so that we could make our niyat.
On arrival, my daughter has stomach ache. Alhamdulilah, she made it to the airport toilet on time. I was so worried that her clothes would be soiled. After picking up our luggage, we headed to the lower ground floor to the bus booth. My husband bought 3 bus tickets (2 adults,1 kid) from Northwest. We were relieved that we caught it on its scheduled time. Otherwise, we would have to wait for another hour for the next bus. The total fare was 100SR.
The bus was really comfortable, and the journey took just 1 hour. The bus dropped us at Jabal Kaabah Terminal, and we wheeled our luggage downhill towards Al-Kiswah Hotel. The plan was to check into our room, clean and relieve ourselves a bit before going back uphill for our Umrah.
AL-KISWAH HOTEL
Al-Kiswah Hotel seems to be a favourite among muslims coming from “The Stans”. I hardly saw any Malaysians or Indonesians during our stay there. Husband paid RM 700.00 for a 5D4N stay. I have only come to realise later that I did not take any pictures of the room. Basically, our room has 3 single beds with the usual amenities like FREE WIFI, a fridge and a hot shower. There is no hairdryer in the room. Best bet, bring your own. However, I do have to caution you regarding the use of the public WIFI. My credit card ended up getting hacked as I tried to pay for my CELCOMDIGI roaming pass. I was able to make the initial payments over a very slow-loading page, keying in my CVC number numerous times. My bank must have detected subsequent suspicious activities and blocked the card. Of course, I knew about it only later, upon returning home. In hindsight, I should have paid for my roaming pass before I was in a foreign country. On a different note, the Celcomdigi roaming service is really convenient and fairly priced at RM98 for 14 days.
Al-Kiswah Hotel has a shuttle that brings us back uphill. However, by the time we reached the hotel, it was already past Isyak, and since the shuttle took quite some time to arrive, the 3 of us decided to walk back up to Masjidil Haram for our umrah. We were a bit concerned that our daughter would be able to continue with the plan. Seems that she was in really high spirits and was able to do it. The shuttle was easier to access on subsequent trips to the masjid for prayers and umrahs. Just not that night. Although we had to ‘fight’ for our seats in the bus, Jemaahs from ‘the stans’ are so lovely, nice and courteous towards each other.
Minci Moss 