The Trip of The Soul.

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious and Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah and Allah only.

When I was a kid, I have always wondered what is it like to perform the tawaf or circumambulating the Kaabah. Heard stories from grandma, uncles and aunties but I couldn't imagine myself in that position. Read a lot of peoples' experiences too in magazines, and most of them would be telling about how they couldn't see the Kaabah, or how they got lost in the Masjidil Haram etc. and this happened due to the sins they did in the past. I too then became anxious and worried. Will I be able to see Kaabah when I set foot in front of it? 

This question lingered in my mind frequently when my father came home one day and told us that we will be going for Umrah or the lesser pilgrimage. Allahuakbar. The feelings were of a mixed one. Happy and excited, because I can finally perform Umrah, moved and affected because Wallahi I realised that this is the call of Allah s.w.t. and my family & I are about to become His guests in Haram. But I was scared too. Anxious to bits. What if I passed out when my feet touches Haram? What if I can't see the Kaabah? What if? WHAT IFS? 

All of these WHAT IFS were negative thoughts that need to be burned with the thoughts of how much Mercy Allah s.w.t. has for His slaves. Tawbah. Yes. Before one sets for an umrah or hajj, one has to prepare one's self for this journey. It is a journey of the soul, so the soul must be purified.

Habib Ali Zainal Abidin told us that to perform the Umrah means bringing one's heart, purified, for Allah's sake. 

So I took the steps little by little.

And eventually my worries subsided. Alhamdulillah :')

Put your utmost faith in Allah s.w.t. He will not let you down. That's the lesson I've gained throughout this process.

InsyaAllah, I'll continue sharing my heartfelt Umrah experience soon.