The beauty of the Islamic faith is that its followers are closest to Allah. They are bound by the values of equality, humility, faith, and conviction. The divine teachings of our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) encourage its followers to share the blessings of Allah. Those blessings could be in any form. In the shape of health, wealth, success, family, and freedom.
One of the best ways to thank Allah for His blessings is by performing Umrah. 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 of the Muslim countries are low to middle income, it’s not always pocket-friendly for these people to perform Umrah. However, because of their love of Allah, they save money for years to be able to perform Umrah.
However, Umrah is a physical exercise as it requires pilgrims to walk daily from their accommodations to the Grand Mosque. Moreover, the movement inside the Haram as well as the process of Umrah is also physically demanding. For all these reasons it is really important what time you select for Umrah.
What makes winter months ideal for Umrah?
Hot weather
Winter months are 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 only come with mild temperatures. Moreover, the city of Makkah is quite hot to the point where warm dressing is not necessary. Hence winter months are the best months for performing Umrah.
Heat-related health problems
As Saudi Arabia is a hot country with the Makkah province being unusually hot. This makes winter months become the ideal time to depart on this journey. Those pilgrims who come from cooler countries cannot bear the heat in the summer months. Even pilgrims who come in the winter months get sick. Stomach issues are common in people due to the unfamiliar environment, hotel food, and climate.
Umrah is effort-worthy
However, Umrah is a physical exercise as it requires pilgrims to walk daily from their accommodations to the Grand Mosque. Moreover, the movement inside the haram as well as the process of Umrah is also physically demanding. For all these reasons, it is really important what time you select for Umrah.
Apart from the ritual of Umrah, pilgrims take a walk from their accommodation to the haram for every prayer. Not all accommodations are around Haram, the majority of them are at a distance which requires constantly coming back and forth on foot which becomes draining in the hot summer months.
Even in Madinah pilgrims walk from their accommodations to the Prophet (PBUH) mosque to offer prayers. Imagining doing all this physical work in summer makes it harder for pilgrims. In winter the temperature is moderate and pilgrims can comfortably walk towards haram without being exhausted.
Visiting holy sites
Those who go to perform Umrah also visit the sacred places of Islam that are located within the parameters of Makkah and Medina. These places are of immense 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 sought forgiveness. Even in winters it is hot enough to obstruct people from climbing this mountain. So one can imagine how anyone can display the courage to climb that in the blistering heat of summer.
Buying souvenirs and presents
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 winter, it may become very difficult for pilgrims to conduct these long walks. The heat may consume their energy before they complete all their purchases.
Eating 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.
Similar food options are available in Makkah. The Ibrahim Khalil Road is the street closest to the grand mosque and has abundant food options ranging from fast food to desi items. It has multiple shops displaying souvenirs of pure gold. Pilgrim has to conduct a walk on this street to explore all of these offerings. Hence, comfortably exploring the streets leading to the Haram during winter months is ideal.
Conclusion
All the reasons mentioned bring us to the conclusion that winters are the most suitable months to perform Umrah. Believers, however, defying temperature visit the holiest cities all around the year. However, the comforts of hotel availability, less airfare and accommodation charges, normal crowds, and above all bearable temperature make winters the best season to perform Umrah.
