Allah SWT said in Holy Quran:
“Accomplish Hajj and Umrah to please Allah”
Umrah is known to be the ‘minor Hajj’ and is a Sunnah that a Muslim can perform anytime of the year except for the five days of Hajj. One who steps out with the pure intent in the path for Umrah is considered to be a pilgrim until he reaches his home back.
In a Hadith mentioned in the book of Ibn Maajah, Holy Prophet PBUH said: “The performers of Hajj and Umrah are deputations of Allah Almighty. If they call Him, He answers them and if they seek His forgiveness, He forgives them”. The significance of Umrah is clarified in this Hadith.
- The major and most eminent purpose of Umrah is to clean one’s soul from the sins committed in past. A Muslim can perform Umrah more than once in a lifetime so the sins he done between first Umrah till the performance of second Umrah would also be forgiven as Allah Almighty always accepts the confession of his Hazrat Abu Huraira RA narrates that Prophet SAW said, “An Umrah to another Umrah will be refurbishment of sins for whatever (minor) occurs between them. One can strengthen his faith and worship on Allah Almighty in a better way when his body as well as his soul clean and his intention are pure solely for the sake of his Lord.
- Since Allah Almighty has a reward for every good deed of His people so when a person spend his wealth, time or anything in the way of the Almighty then Allah shelter him from troubles as a reward. Similarly, performing Umrah protects one from poverty and misery of life as one spends his money and time in the way of Allah SWT. Ibn e Masood RA said that the Holy Prophet SAW said, “Follow up the Hajj and Umrah, because they certainly remove poverty and sins as fire separates the impurities from iron, gold and silver”. The narration makes the idea very much clear that Umrah not only clean up your soul but also prosper your life. Also Umar bin Khattab RA narrated that Prophet PBUH said: “Follow up between the two of them increases the life span and dispels poverty and sins as fire confiscates impurities.
- Like Hajj, Umrah is amongst the best conducts to please Almighty Allah. Allah dears and satisfied from those who walk through His path in hopes to please Him and it is an action in which He considers the pilgrims to be answering His calls. Ibn e Umar RA narrates Holy Prophet SAW said, “The warrior in the cause of Allah, the pilgrim and the one who is performing Umrah are all the delegations of Allah. He called them and they responded and they will ask of his conferrals and he will give it to them.”
- The best chance to get the reward of performing Hajj with the last Messenger of the Almighty is by performing Umrah is in the month of Ramadhan. Holy prophet SAW told his companions about the significance of performing Umrah in Ramadhan and He SAW also mentioned that performing Umrah in the month of blessings has rewards that are equivalent to performing Hajj with the Prophet SAW Himself. In one of the Hadith an incident is narrated in which a woman heard that the Allah’s Messenger was going for the sake of Hajj performance and she asked her husband to permit her to go along with the Holy Prophet SAW. Her husband said to her ‘I do not possess a conveyance with which I can carry you upon’. She said, ‘Take me on such and such a camel of yours’. The husband said, ‘That is held up in the way of Allah’. The men went to Holy Prophet SAW and said, ‘my wife expresses her greetings to you and she has asked me to carry her on Hajj with you’. I told her, ‘I do not have something to carry her upon.’ And then the husband told the Holy Prophet the whole incident happened at his house. Holy Prophet then told him, “if you carried her upon it for Hajj, it will still be in the path of Allah”. She also told me to ask you SAW ‘what equals of Hajj with you O Allah’s Messenger? He SAW said, “Convey my greetings to her and apprise her that Umrah made in the month of Ramadhan is identical to Hajj performed with me.” There are several instances relating to get the remuneration of Hajj in Ramadan by performing Umrah. Among the strongest Hadith in this regard is the one in which Ibn Abbas narrated that Holy Prophet PBUH said: “Umrah performed in the month of Ramadan will equivalent (in rewards) to that of Hajj or Hajj performed with me PBUH”.
- The one who is in the way of Umrah and passes away in this sacred trip will definitely be awarded with Jannah. Hazrat Aisha RA reported that Holy Prophet PBUH said: “Whoever leaves his home solely for the purpose of Hajj or Umrah and he dies, nothing will be presented to him nor will he have any liability on the day of judgement and it will be said to him, enter into Jannah.” Jannah; the desire of every Muslim will be the destination of such individuals.
