Umrah 2026

I was going to full tilt rant about how each trip to the two holy cities is less pleasant than the last, about how there are too many Muslims there now, and how the whole thing feels like a Disneyland resort what with all the selfies and content being generated.

Except that it turns out I had exactly the same thoughts the last time we visited, down to the Disneyland quip. So much for originality then, but at least the consistency in my feelings lends some robustness to them.

New this trip was us flying Wizz Air, a budget airline. This isn't my first taste of a cheap flight to Saudi - last time I flew there via Pegasus and that long haul flight destroyed me even with the stop in the middle, so the thought of a long haul 6 hour flight was a little scary. Turns out that it's not too bad - the return leg from Madinah was worse than the trip going out but we'd probably do it again in order to keep to a budget - it may even lend itself to a new model where we go for an even shorter amount of time to a single city and instead include a day trip to the other.

Otherwise the trajectory is the same: more people, more problems and more changes. Of note: all of my post-Umrah tawafs were done in outdoor footwear which was a bit of a sad indictment. To the credit of the Saudi authorities they seem to be doing okay managing the crowds, but until they do something extreme like banning smartphones I can't see any kind of reversal in the lack of etiquette shown by the great unwashed.

Empire - Live

The only non-boardgame podcast I listen to is Empire, hosted by William Dalrymple and Anita Anand. I don't really have anything to compare this podcast to, but the conversational style seems to be unique (and dividing) amongst history podcast enthusiasts, and is exactly why I enjoy it so much. That and the robustness and depth with which the hosts explore a topic.

Seeing them live was rather like listening to the podcast and so there weren't really many surprises here. This being an event, the topic had to be standalone ("Booze and Brews") which although not personally relevant was fun and interesting nonetheless. And in typical Asian fashion the event started and ended late (although it did run at a generous length) and we even had a costume change.

There really isn't much more to add to this review - if you are interested in more the first place to check out would be the podcast itself. Both that and watching them live come thoroughly recommended.

Film: Dune: Part Two

I have two opinions, possibly related, about Dune: Part Two. Firstly on the superficial level it was an okay film. I enjoyed what I saw, thought it was faithful enough to the book (despite accusations of Islam-erasing - but more on that later), but hardly a classic that I felt the need to ever watch again.

The acting was fine, the writing fine, and the direction... fine. Some of the action was good, if a bit fleeting. So, so far so medium and as it stood it would have gotten a recommendation.

However dig a little deeper and a more insidious and problematic layer can be found. Ultimately this movie is about white-saviourism, religious fundamentalism and its exploitation, and any attempt at not making it about contemporary issues falls pretty flat on its face.

Perhaps still a recommendation then, but with the caveat that you should go with your critical eyes open and not fall for the romanticism and reduction of the subject matter.

Eid in Edmonton

The main reason for timing of this trip was to celebrate Eid.

Eids in London tend to be quiet affairs for us, so we were looking forward to spending it with such a big local community, both throughout the day and during organised gatherings like the Eid salaat (which was wonderfully efficient and took around 30 mins) and the community party at a banquet hall (arranged for 100 heads).

It all paid off, and we finally got to see what a busy and varying "all-day" Eid could be like. The party had the double benefit of allowing us to greet our extended family in one place. A bonus was that others from outside Edmonton had also chosen this period to visit, giving the whole time more of a party vibe.

Given many of us would be together, we also set today for our game of "Don't Get Got" which kept us on our toes throughout, and even managed a couple of games of Clocktower late into the night.

It was a good time and very dossy... although at times overwhelming as it stretched my social battery.

Umrah 2022

Every time I visit the holy cities I convince myself it'll be my last.

Each time the reasons vary, but it almost always has to do with the change. In that sense having been blessed to have visited as frequently as I have can be a bit of a curse. That said, I do think part of the problem is how precious some can get about visiting.

It's becoming a bit of a Disneyland. Pilgrims on Facebook or Instagram live while on their tawafs, expert dua poses for the hero selfies. Dawdling and gossiping to whittle away the time. It's not as much sad as frustrating.

The four-plus-four days were just about enough for me, although one of the days in Makkah was spent visiting Taif - a first for us with our shiny new tourist visas (spoiler: it wasn't worth the wait, but at least it let us do another Umrah). We are still yet to use the inter city train - the maths just don't work for us once you consider the numbers and convenience of door to door service.

The post COVID crowd management is a mixed blessing. Makkah seems artificially busy, with only pilgrims (or technically those dressed as pilgrims) were allowed into the mataaf. Madinah did it right though - finally introducing a queue for salutations to the Prophet and a quite nifty and well organised booking system for a slot in the Riaz ul Jannah.

We managed to do everything we wanted to this trip, although for us that doesn't mean much. As a bonus we had a World Cup to watch during the evenings which was fun - particularly as a well supported Morocco over-performed. Flying Qatar Airways back ensured we watched the final in the air which was a sweet bonus.

So yeah, a pretty standard trip and optimised to the hilt. I can of course imagine going back as the frustration is forgotten, but I suspect the key is to go for even shorter periods of time and get out before it all becomes too much.

Twenty Years of Jummah

I can't exactly remember when, but there came a point in sixth form (so aged around 16-17) where I fell into an almost obsessive pattern to attend Jummah, the weekly Friday congregational prayer that Muslims are strongly encouraged to attend. Now, I'd be the first to say that however strong the recommendation is, it's not a matter of life or death, and no one will go to hell for missing a week. It was just one of those streaks which, as it got longer, became harder to break.

I managed to keep it up all through my academic studies, and past my graduation in the autumn of 2001. That five year (or so) streak was already pretty decent, so it was upsetting when it finally broke - ironically because my flight to Saudi for Hajj was leaving just after noon on a Friday. If there was ever a reason, that was probably it, although in hindsight I think it would have been more than possible to arrange an ad-hoc congregation at the gate or whatever. The following week's Jummah was also missed, as we were in transit to Arafat. That wasn't too bad as my streak was technically zero anyway.

Despite having to start again, my zeal to attend Jummah hadn't diminished - if anything it had gotten stronger. And so it started again, the first Friday after Arafat, which by my calculations fell on the 1st of March. Praise be to God and with his help, I have been able to attend Jummah every week since.

That's not to say it hasn't been precarious. Multi-night hospitalisations came and went, mercifully falling between Fridays. Most recently, COVID lockdowns had been a massive scare, mitigated only by kind neighbours humouring me with socially distanced prayers and blessedly dry weather. Its probably the closest I've come to having this streak broken.

The most consistent inconsistency however has been during travel. Two which spring to mind are during a skiing trip to Courchevel and a week away in Santorini. The former was simply done DIY, as there were enough on the trip to make a congregation. The latter was a little more tricky as there were only two interested parties on the trip - however after making friends with a dodgy DVD street selling Afghani, we managed to whip up a posse, proving once again how doors will be opened for you if you search them out.

It's not just academic stubbornness that drives me to seek out Jummah. Meeting fellow Muslims itself is a culturally valuable exercise - particularly abroad. Seoul, Ambodifototra (on the island of Nosy Boraha, off the coast of Madagascar main), Bali, Phnom Penh and Arequipa are all congregations that I have very fond and exciting memories of - some have been practical too when I had been lucky enough to have been fed on multiple occasions, usually in the places where Muslims made a tiny minority. Isfahan gave me the opportunity to join a state congregation in majority Shia Iran. The mosque in Rio was found at the end of a massive mystery. Warsaw and Split were both tiny self-conscious affairs, Las Vegas hilarious just for the contrast.

There's plenty more, from China, to the obvious picks in the Middle East and even those more vanilla ones in Pakistan (both Karachi and further afield) and here in the UK. An awareness of Jummah and it's facilitation is now an embedded part of any planning process I have, regardless of the scope - amusingly I will only visit the Galapogas and other far flung islands in a troupe of other Muslims, only to ensure I have a congregation on tap. If anyone is interested, let me know.

So yes, twenty years and over 400 Jummahs later I'm left wondering what the future holds. A part of me was aiming to relax a bit and stop counting after hitting such an arbitrary landmark, but I already know that's not going to happen.

Of course ultimately every opportunity to offer Jummah is a blessing, and those are for which I give thanks rather than take credit. I can only pray that those blessings continue till the end.

Lisbon, Day Four: Jummah, Trams and Tarts

As usual, the day being Jummah meant we had a focal point to build the day around. We found the mosque quite early, so we took the opportunity to to visit the nearby Parque Eduardo VII - a splendid way to kill some time while waiting for prayers.

After lunch at the mosque we headed back to Martim Moniz to catch the famous tram 28. Except after seeing the queue we decided to go with the circular 12 instead, which had the added benefit of keeping us within the vicinity of home.

All that was left for us was to enjoy some tea and pasteis de nata on the square in the sun, in anticipation of our taxis back to the airport. Which brings me to my final hot tip for Lisbon: that terminal 2 is an absolute dive.

Overall I was pleasantly surprised by Lisbon. The place is accessible, cheap and provides enough to remain interesting over a small number of days. It reminds me of a small but closer Istanbul in fact, providing just the right framework to have a stay that allows you to do pretty much whatever you want.

Umrah 2019, Day Fourteen: Signs

In what seemed like an apt sign telling me to go home, I got asked for ID by who appeared to be immigration control on the way back from my farewell tawaf. Another first for me, and I don't know whether to be flattered or insulted by the approach.

And just like that another Umrah trip comes to an end.

Umrah 2019, Day Thirteen: A Ziyarat After All

We spent our last night in Makkah (and Saudi) doing a ziyarat of sorts - to the local shops. Still, this did mean getting to see the less developed areas of Makkah and it served as poignant reminder of what the Haram zone used to look like before the rapid and fancy development took place. Just imagine: we used to rent rooms of private residences that used to be across the road from the holiest site in Islam. It's hard to imagine that now.

Umrah 2019, Day Twelve: Timekeeping

Because this is me, I was keeping a fairly accurate record of how long certain rituals were taking me to complete. So in the interests of accurate record keeping, here are my highs and lows for completing a tawaf.

The fastest took 15 minutes, performed at around 915am.

The slowest took 49 minutes, and was a stroll between Maghrib and Esha on the first floor.

Just for comparison in the "good old days" a tawaf took a matter of minutes to complete. We're talking 4-5 minutes. Therefore multiple consecutive tawafs were not unheard of.

Umrah 2019, Day Eleven: Tolerance

We've reached the point of the trip where my ability to tolerate is running thin. If you smell like you've not has a shower for a few days, then I'm going to move away. If your cough sounds infectious, then I'm going to move away. If your beautiful but loud and distracting Quran recitation is obnoxiously stopping me from reading my own, then I'm going to move away.

Of course the problem here is that you'll find these annoyances in every corner of the mosque. In short... it's time for me to go home. After all, there's only so much space in the Haram to hide from the great unwashed.

On the other hand my photobomb game is strong. Selfies and videocalls be damned.

Umrah 2019, Day Ten: A Lack of Ziyarat

I just realised that we skipped any ziyarat in Madinah and will probably skip it here in Makkah too.

Missing out on Masjid Quba is unfortunate but I don't feel that we missed out on any of the others.

Umrah 2019, Day Nine: More Maldivians

Looking at demographics, there does seem to be many more Maldivians visiting than I've noticed before. Many complain about the development/numbers management going on in the two holy cities but if it makes it more accessible for those who wouldn't even consider the idea of visiting then I'm all for it. And hey, if you really want to come multiple times a year you can always pay the penalty anyway.

Umrah 2019, Day Eight: Koshari

Today we discovered Koshari, the Egyptian street food. It's cheap, clean, vegetarian and tasted decent enough.

I'm not sure if it's a new addition to the Saudi fast food scene or if it was just dismissed by us previously, but thanks to our new friends we have been introduced to what I can honestly see as our staple going forward.

Umrah 2019, Day Seven: More Changes

Another (perhaps more welcome) change: I don't notice as many designer hijabs anymore and yet I'm not sure when the fad was finally killed off. Gone are the days when you'd see Louis Vuitton and Gucci embossed headscarves, and it's a good example of how not all changes are for the worse.

Umrah 2019, Day Six: Expansions

Today I completed what might have been my fifteenth Umrah.

No place in my travels changes so much on a visit by visit basis than Makkah does. For example the clocktower is now ten years old, yet memories of its building are still vivid. It also broke my heart when the public access to the Zamzam pump was taken away.

The more recent work being done is in the Mataaf, with us witnessing its various inconvenient states during at least the last two visits. However now that the work is more or less structurally complete the value is clear and it's a pretty good job. The main casualty is that the direct walk from the main gates to the Kaba is now but a memory. That makes me sad as no matter how needed it is, its yet another reduction in intimacy.

Umrah 2019, Day Five: Optimisation

It's always fun to see the novel ways pilgrims express their devotion to their belief. From Zamzam acquisition to finding the perfect place to pray everyone has their own little strategies and tricks. It's only a matter of time before they learn how to siphon Zamzam from the water buckets.

One habit we picked up during this stay is to get into the Green Dome hall for a congregation (easy enough if you either wait for the Riadhul Jannah partitions to come down or if you use the Abu Bakr Siddiq Gate early). After congregational (as well as any janazah) prayers have concluded you should easily be able to send your salutations to The Prophet with ease while the organisers busy themselves with setting up the cordons for the Riadhul Jannah again.

Umrah 2019, Day Four: Well, That Didn't Last Long

It seems that my FOMO is strong, as we subjected ourselves to a 90 minutes queue for the Riadhul Jannah. Of course it would be criminal to say that it wasn't worth it, but at least I completed a juz of the Quran while I was waiting.

My personal lack of discipline aside it does seem like the mosque authorities are doing a good job with crowd management. Aside from minor "devotional" pushing and shoving the queuing system (which was usually established between prayers) was well organised and a generous amount of time was given to those who participated.

Umrah 2019, Day Three: Here Comes The Rain

Another first for me I think: rain in Madinah. A blessing, of course.

Umrah 2019, Day Two: The Fast Track

Continuing on from yesterday's theme, I seem to have successfully let go of some of the things which I've previously had the opportunity to do under more ideal (read: less busy) conditions. These are things that not only seem just plain too difficult (if not impossible) now, but could even be seen as me taking away the chance for someone else to do the same[1].

In the case of the mosque here in Madinah, we've had chances to pray in the Riadhul Jannah a fair few times with no contention - these were the times when a congregation wouldn't even be big enough to fill up the green dome part of the complex. Similarly I fondly remember being able to pass by the resting place of The Prophet in comfort as a family (ie with both of my parents) and spending as much time as we liked there. It's safe to say that those days are now over.

So spiritually there seems less profit in queuing up in the mad rush for the Riadhul Jannah and the immediate opportunity afterwards to pass salaam to our Prophet within an arms distance, when we could instead just stick to the much more effective and pleasurable fast track just 2-3m away instead. So my tip of the day is to just head to the Salaam Gate and pass your salutations in comfort and peace.

A part of me laments probably never being able to do these particulars again, but it's also liberating and perhaps even more pure of thought and intent to let go of ritual practice and find comfort in the, perhaps more genuine, pragmatic. And of course I'm ever thankful for being in the position where these things can even be considered optional to do.

[1] Disingenuous, I know.