Guys/Gals:
I’m sure, most of us, perhaps all of us long to atleast visit the holy cities of Mecca and Madina atleast once in our life times. I’ve seen many people inspired by just hearing stories of those that have been fortunate and blessed with this privilege. Please share your experience(s), go all out. How you felt as you got closer and closer to the place that you faced all these years, now that you were about to be there physically? Details of trip, what did you do, how and when…etc…a diary of the trip if u will.
Hopefully this will serve to inspire some of us, maybe one of a few of us would be blessed with such opportunity and pray for the rest to be able to experience the same…
Please share from the depth of your heart…
Re: Share your trip/Pilgrimage experience
Beautiful thread and topic (I must say): :k:
I did umrah back in June, 2005 Alhamdulillah and the experience was great. I was really excited to go to Saudi for many reasons. The most important was obviously Umrah and the other one was meeting my Mamoo (my uncle) who last met me like 10 years ago because he has been living in Saudi for about 30 years now. The moment I was close to Masjid-al-Haram, I could see the huge minarates from far away. This was the moment I had been waiting for. As soon as I entered the masjid and and saw the kabah, I was just amazed. All this time, I had only seen it in pictures and on TV. Allah listens to you everywhere but at that place, I felt as if I was more closer to Allah Raheem-ul-Kareem than at ANY other place. There were no worries about doing house chores, or worrying about other stuff that goes on in my life. I saw brothers and sisters from all around the world who came all the way there to worship the one and only Allah. Everything seemed beautiful and pleasant there.
Then ofcourse I went to Madina as well. Prayed there in Masjid-un-Nabwi and visited the graves of Muahmmad (S.A.W), Abu Bakr and Umar (R.A). I must say that compared to Makkah, Madina was more fun and ‘alive’. Almost everyone who went there has to say the same thing. Visited a lot of other historical places with my uncle as well.
And if Allah wills, Insha’Allah I will try to go for Hajj too.
Re: Share your trip/Pilgrimage experience
u literally took the words out of my mouth!!! i cant add much to that!
hey, i met a Maamo I hadn’t met for a really long time as well 
and i did it at the end of june
one thing that was really special was that we once got to pray nafil so close to the kaaba that when I’d do sajda, there’d be about 0.5 foot space b/w my head and the kaaba wall… it felt like i was at the centre of gravity, Subhanallah!
And i also ended up grabbing onto the cloth on top of the kaaba (i.e. wall) a couple of times and prayed to my heart’s content…
one thing that i really envied are all those not-so-well-off muslims (unke kaprhoun se andaaza ho ga ta hai)… and u can tell that they have been saving up thier entire lives to visit this place, Subhanallah! and how they sit on the ground and eat tandoori roti and yougurt… made me wanna cry… these are the ppl that will enter heaven first inshallah…
May Allah bless all Muslims with opportunity to visit these blessed places, and grant taufiq to those who dont value it, Amin.
Wassalam
Re: Share your trip/Pilgrimage experience
can’t type everything here, so here it is 
Re: Share your trip/Pilgrimage experience
u literally took the words out of my mouth!!!! i cant add much to that!
hey, i met a Maamo I hadn't met for a really long time as well :) and i did it at the end of june :)
one thing that was really special was that we once got to pray nafil so close to the kaaba that when I'd do sajda, there'd be about 0.5 foot space b/w my head and the kaaba wall... it felt like i was at the centre of gravity, Subhanallah!
And i also ended up grabbing onto the cloth on top of the kaaba (i.e. wall) a couple of times and prayed to my heart's content...
one thing that i really envied are all those not-so-well-off muslims (unke kaprhoun se andaaza ho ga ta hai)... and u can tell that they have been saving up thier entire lives to visit this place, Subhanallah! and how they sit on the ground and eat tandoori roti and yougurt... made me wanna cry... these are the ppl that will enter heaven first inshallah...
May Allah bless all Muslims with opportunity to visit these blessed places, and grant taufiq to those who dont value it, Amin.
Wassalam
Who knows, maybe I saw you :D
True. I also prayer many time when I was literally right in front of the kaabah. I also prayed in the semicircle area known as Hijr Ismaeel at a Maghrib salah once. When you pray inside that, it is the same as if you have prayed inside Kaaba itself. :)
Re: Share your trip/Pilgrimage experience
Who knows, maybe I saw you :D
True. I also prayer many time when I was literally right in front of the kaabah. I also prayed in the semicircle area known as Hijr Ismaeel at a Maghrib salah once. When you pray inside that, it is the same as if you have prayed inside Kaaba itself. :)
i know, i got to pray there i think 2 or 3 times... once when we did an all-nighter so the croud was a bit less...
ohhhhh all this talk of makkah makes me wanna go back there right now... I dont wanna be here :(
Re: Share your trip/Pilgrimage experience
i have been there twice...i went for Umrah in august 1998 the first time and then in july this year....
its such a great experience and feeling that i don't think any words can do justice....may Allah (swt) bless all fellow Muslims with this opportunity to atleast go to the holy place once in their lifetime....ameen....
just sitting in front of the holy Ka'aba and praying there,makes u feel as if u are face to face to God.....
And Madina is such a place that it feels as if u have come home....
thinking about it makes me wanna go back there...again and again......
Re: Share your trip/Pilgrimage experience
Alhamdu-Lillah! it's all so good to hear about you lucky ones that have been there. I wish i get the blessed opportunity to do the same some day. i can imagine me weeping like a child when in the vicinity of the Kaaba/Masjid-Al-Nabwi, for we are sinners and our tears may bring salvation!
Please continue sharing.....
Re: Share your trip/Pilgrimage experience
The most fascinating factor is once you reach withing the haram boundary i am talking about the boundary till they are marble stones till the kaaba you feel so much in peace and you have no worldy thoughts, and that peace vanishes away once you cross the boundary. Thats my experience
Re: Share your trip/Pilgrimage experience
I got a question that has chased me for quite a while now. I wanna know (i've heard and read you cannot do hajj until you are free of debt) so does that mean even if i'm able to go, i really cannot, until i pay off my debts (credit cards, people i owe (i have no contact with these ppl anymore).. etc..etc..?)....what about making arragements to pay off the debt (installments, etc... can i go then?) or does it have to paid off in full and i should be debt-free before performing the hajj or Umrah for that matter? please help....
Re: Share your trip/Pilgrimage experience
as salaam'alaikum wrt wb
Alhumdulillah !!!! i've done quite a few Umra's & did Hajj last year...the feeling was just wonderful......it felt like it was just me & Allah(swt).....n nothing else matterred......the feeling was just inexplicable !!!
just didn't want to come back from there....
if Allah wills...will try to do hajj this yr too....
& yes as HHL said...madinah is more fun & alive......
& makkah is only n only worship........once u r out of the haram boundaries...u feel like u r going too far away from things very very dear to u....u just feel like going back.....
But in the end..u can just pray to be able go back once again.....
May Allah(swt) bless all of us with the opportunity to do hajj & umra again.....
PS: AQ's blog explains everything with such minute details...its wonderful to read
Re: Share your trip/Pilgrimage experience
hey this story is cute:
this guy was sitting in a masjid here in sydney, crying and praying to Allah SWT... the Bangladeshi Maoulvi finally asked him what the matter was, why he was crying so badly and what he was praying for?
the guy replied... i am desperate to go to Hajj but have never been anle to financially afford it. The Moulana Sahab left the guy, came back with $5000, and gave it to the guy... the guy was astounded... i mean that much money? the Moulana said that he saved this money up to go to hajj, however, it would be his second hajj, and felt the guy needed it more then he did, Subhanallah!
Re: Share your trip/Pilgrimage experience
indeed .....SubhanAllah....!!!!!!
Re: Share your trip/Pilgrimage experience
hey this story is cute:
this guy was sitting in a masjid here in sydney, crying and praying to Allah SWT... the Bangladeshi Maoulvi finally asked him what the matter was, why he was crying so badly and what he was praying for?
the guy replied... i am desperate to go to Hajj but have never been anle to financially afford it. The Moulana Sahab left the guy, came back with $5000, and gave it to the guy... the guy was astounded... i mean that much money? the Moulana said that he saved this money up to go to hajj, however, it would be his second hajj, and felt the guy needed it more then he did, Subhanallah!
If this is real than may Allah reward the brother in a handsome manner insha'Allah.