What every Muslimah should take to Hajj/Umrah- Tips and Tricks

Asalam waliykum, 

In Sha Aallah, I hope to share with you a few tips and what a Muslimah should take when traveling for Hajj & Umrah. I was blessed to visit Mekkah and Medina and perform Umrah in the blessed month of Ramadan last year. Click Here to see my post on my travels there. 
As the blessed month is less then 20 days away I thought this would be a good time to share my experiences, tips and tricks. 
This will not be an exhaustive list, but just what I thought are vital to carry when in Mekkah or Medina. 

Before my trip, I searched online for tips and ideas for what a Muslimah should take with her. There were a few sites given advice to the brothers but not any for the sisters, that I could find anyway. So I did go a little crazy with the preparation and it took me a few days to decide what would be the key items to pack in my cross body bag. 
So, In sha allah this list will help sisters who are preparing to undertake the pilgrimage either for Ramadan to do Umrah or for Hajj. So lets begin! 

1) A bag of some sort. I decided to opt for a cross body bag (from River Island for £14.99) instead of a back pack. Why? Well a backpack is out of sight and unfortunately Mekkah and Medina are both hot spots for thief's and those who pick pocket. Don't think because you are following the rules others will too. You still need to apply some common sense even in the Masjid Harram. The good thing about this bag is that it has many pockets both inside and outside. I am able to keep it to the front of me and also I wore this under my Khimar/overhead Jilbab for extra security. 

Regardless of what bag you choose to take make sure it is small and compact, the security at the doors of the Harram in both Medina and Mekkah will stop you from taken large bags in, be warned. So do not try to take sports duffle bags, or hand luggage that you take on the plane (suitcases).  Believe me I saw with my own eyes people try to do this and were refused entry. 

2) Below an over view of some things I packed. 

Take a simple phone. Many, many people become victims of theft while performing hajj and umrah either money or phones being stolen etc. At your own risk take a fancy phone. I reccomend, and I took a basic Samsung with a basic camera. Just in case, you never know when you will need to record/photograph something. Although I do not usually recommend carrying the Phone around your neck, due to the radiation to the breast tissue. If you want to make sure it is extra safe, keep it around your neck out of sight under your khimar/hijab/abaya. 

Do not take a wallet/purse with you. Take a simple purse with a few pockets, small enough to be discreet, but large enough to hold your passport, cash, and change. If you are traveling between Mekkah and Medina or Jeddah you will need to take your passport with you. If you are traveling within the city and if it is safe to, keep it in your hotel (If safe).  

I also took a note pad Plus my dua book, I wrote all the duas my family, friends and FB and Blogger readers asked me to make while there. You think you will remember them... But believe me when you are standing in front of the Kaaba you will forget yourself and everything. Also take a pen, in case you need to fill in forms (you will need to at the airport upon arrival) and also to take notes and jot down your feelings. This is also better then videoing your trip (vlogging), which can become annoying and intrusive to other pilgrims (respect other pilgrims!!). 

3) Umrah and Hajj booklets! I recommend you take at least one of these books. I can not speak enough of these two books. Both available online, I purchased mine from an Islamic book store online, I forget which one. I think you can also get them from Amazon and eBay too. 

The Manual of rites of Umrah is detailed, yet compact for travel, a brilliant book with every action, and every dua explained in detail in Arabic and translation. I will definitely use this book again. The Hajj and Umrah made easy is the booklet I believe no Muslim should go without. It comes with a soft cord that goes around the neck. I used this while performing the rites of Umrah, very easy to hold and read, clear and colorful and simple instructions. I saw a few Muslims from the UK with this while in Mekkah. 

4) Quran, and Dua books. I took a slightly larger Quran, because I wanted to read in Arabic but also reflect upon the meaning in English. Many just take the Arabic and do not reflect on the meaning, if Arabic is not your native language then take a Quran with Arabic and English/ your language so you actually benefit from reading the Quran while in Mekkah. 

The best Dua book for traveling, I have 4/5 Dua books, and Fortress of the Muslim is my favorite it has Duas for Umrah and Hajj. Very small, compact and contains Arabic, English and transliteration, you can buy this online nearly anywhere and only costs £5-6.

5) Other essentials I took. A travel prayer mat (from Ummah Couture online, America) the cheapest place I could find it. Brilliant item, the floors in the Harram are washed often throughout the day but it does get rather messy with food, water, mud, sand etc. Even if you find yourself praying inside the harram I recommend using a prayer mat. However, this will not be good to use outside the Harram on the streets, believe me I tried it. 2 days before Eid it was extremely busy and the crowd was so large I was unable to reach the Masjid Harram, and so I prayed Dhur on the streets near the shops and only had this prayer mat, the floor was like 50'C and I could not bare the heat. 

A small pouch (pink Moroccan money pouch) for lose change, or small things (hijab pins, keys etc). 
Wet wipes, I took one large packet and a smaller packet, great to freshen up your body and face. Make sure they are scent free if you are using them while in Ihram refer back to my previous post on why, Here! 
Lots and lots of packets of tissues, I got extremely Ill while there and had the worst chest infection in my life. I think I took a huge packet of 20. I got from Lidl or somewhere similar.
Unscented hand cream in a tiny bottle, hands and feet get extremely dry, a freshening gel for all over use and Alo Vera antibacterial gel. I used this a lot before eating, washing/bathroom facilities are spaced out a lot and can take you forever to get to one. 
Unscented lip balm, it gets extremely hot and on top of that when you are fasting your lips will turn into raisins. 
And a Wudu mate.    

6) WUDU MATE- I believe this is an essential item, although you would think the wash room facilities would have adequate ways to wash yourself and perform Wudu, No. When I went last year, there was a lot of building work going on and "work in progress" so I found that having my own wudu mate made making wudu and even washing my hands really easy. Especially if you go on Zeyara/Ziyarat, visiting the sacred places in and around Mecca and Medina and you are in the middle of  nowhere. 

This is how it looks open, It holds 1 litre of water, and folds nicely. It has its own carry pouch and fits into your pocket. To show you how small it is when folded just have a look below.

7) A thick prayer mat. I ended up buying this from Mekkah after my ordeal from praying on the burning hot floor outside the Masjid Harram. I got this from the shops just opposite the main entrance to the Harram, it is brilliant and is easy to carry and can be worn across the body and I could carry my water bottle in this. A thick prayer rug will allow you to pray anywhere and sit anywhere more comfortably. I used the compact mat also to sit on when I was just chilling around the Kaaba. I do recommend getting one of these travel, thick mats because they allow you to pray outside anywhere, also it is large enough to just about fit two people, so great for sharing a great way to perform good deeds.  

8) Crocs/slippers/scandals.  I recommend taken 2 pairs with you. The ones they sell in Mekkah are cheap, thin and break easily. I took two closed toe crocs, one was the lovely pink as below and the other pair were white. They are very comfortable to walk in, protect your feet and will take a good battering and still survive. I found them better for walking on slippery surfaces then other slippers. Believe me the floor is marble and when people spill zamzam it gets really hectic, so do be careful and wear sensible shoes/slippers. 

Also do not leave slippers at the door. They will be taken, or those who work there will pick them up and throw them to the side. During Ramadan, there were men handing out cheap plastic bags for you to put your shoes/slippers in. A little tip: I  tied the handles of the plastic bag around the strap of my cross body bag to free my hands for other things. 

Finally a few other useful tips:

- Always carry a water bottle with you, it gets extremely hot in Mekkah and the last thing you want to do is get sunstroke. Even if you are fasting use the water to pour over your face. When I was in the Harram and fasting I would just pour the water on my head to cool me down and to rinse out my mouth. 

- DO NOT, leave your bags unattended, even if you lie down to sleep, you will be an easy target for thief's. I heard so many horror stories while I was there. 

- DO NOT, and avoid at all costs wearing shoulder bags or backpacks and keep valuables in them. I met a Nigerian sister who had a shoulder bag, the usual type, and had 3 men wizz by on their mopeds and snatch it off from her shoulder. She had her passport, money and visa and all her documents. Alhamdulillah If you do become a victim to theft, report it straight away, Alhamdullilah the Saudia authorities will often help you cover expenses and give you your money back and provide you with an official document to allow you to travel freely without hassle. 

- That leads me to my next point. Photo copy your passport, visa and any form of identification and keep them in a separate location.

- Try your best not to carry large amounts of money with you when you do go out. Try to only carry the amount you will need for the day, and a little extra for emergencies/sadaqah. 

- Try to leave early from your hotel to get to the Harram in enough time to pray Nafl and Sunnah and get a comfortable place. 

- DO NOT fight back. Yes, I am sad to say while in Mekkah during the last 10 days I became a victim of physical assault at the hands of other Pilgrim women, not men  This is when you will be tested, in my head I may want to react back, but do not, and try to keep calm and be the bigger person. Remind the person like the Prophet SAW did and say "I am Fasting, I am Fasting" whether they understand you or not, and try to get away from them if you can. 

- DO NOT violate the rules in the Harram, similar to what I mentioned above, do not swear, fight, get angry, be rude, be sarcastic, or cruel. 

- Do help others, be respectful and try give the benefit of the doubt and overlook the shortcomings of people. 
Understand that these people come from very different places to you, have very different cultures where perhaps acting out violently is acceptable. Do not think they grew up like you and had the same education as you, just be open minded and be prepared for the unexpected. Most important of all try to focus on being a good Muslim and focus on your worship do not participate in Harram acts. 

- Do get water for elders, help people up, wake people up for prayer, share your food, share your seat/or mat etc. Try be the best Muslim you can be, after all the last thing you want is for other pilgrims be be making Dua against you while in the Masjid Harram. 

- If you do spend a lot of time in the Masjid Harram between prayers then do not become a nuisance and prevent the people that work their from doing their job, also do not sit in places where you become a obstacle and possible risk to health and safety. Try sit in designated areas in the Masjid, between prayers you can usually get a nice spot in the designated area for women.  If you are performing the two rakaa after the tawaf then try pray with a group of women or with your back up against the wall of the harram, which is what I did. 

- Do not choose to pray in front of men, just to be closer to the Kaaba. While I sat with my back against the wall in the harram looking at the Kaaba I saw two women pray near the Kaaba, as close as they could get to those making the Tawaf, and infront of me where men sitting and watching as they went into ruku and sujood. The women should of acted with haya and so should the men, they are both at fault. So remember maintain Hijab and the rules that normally apply in any Masjid, segregation and MEN always in the front.

- Only use the designated Zam Zam points for women. They have zam zam points/taps that are clearly labeled in English, Arabic and Urdu saying WOMEN or MEN with silhouette of a man and woman. Please respect and act accordingly there is no excuse. DO not push and shove, if someone pushes you, step back and wait until the crowd calms down. Usually there is a group who will scratch your eyes out to get water. Try not to hog the taps and take what you need. You can come back later when it is quieter. 

- To the best of your ability ability and where possible never pray with the men, if you must make sure you are at the back and create a distance between you and them. Free mixing is not permitted in the Harram, that is one reason it is called the Harram. 

- Do pray the Janazah prayer. This is different to normal prayer. You remain standing up and no bowing or sujood. The imam will always announce the prayer before it will be performed and what ever you are doing STOP and participate. You are praying for someone who just died and in the hope when it is your turn people will stop and pray for you too. So do not be selfish it takes 5 mins to pray. I stopped in the middle of the Saee to perform the Janazah prayer many times. And you will find a lot of people around you will carry on doing what they want and ignore the special prayer. But this is wrong, you should conduct the prayer. 

- Do socialize and try interact and mix with sisters, even when their is a language barrier, sign language is universal. I met some wonderful sisters from Tajikistan and Malaysia. They knew a few words in English but through body language and sign language we got on very well and that is when I really felt the sisterhood and the unity. That regardless of the obvious language barrier we had the same faith. 

- DO NOT gossip, yes people go sit in the Harram and gossip. Authobillahi... If you are near a group who are gossiping, the best thing to do is to get up and move away from them if you can. 

- DO NOT, make wudu with the men. The men have open wudu areas outside the doors of the harram and yes many, many sisters go and make wudu with the men, exposing their awrah. Just because you are in the Harram does not mean the rules of hijab no longer apply, and if anything they are stricter there. Wudu facilities for women are located underground near the harram, so no excuses to do it with the men. 

- Do Not wonder off alone outside the Harram, it is safe as a woman to sit and walk around the masjid inside alone. But once leaving the Masjid make sure you are with your mahram or group. I heard of a handful of sisters both my age and younger being kidnapped. One reason naivety, they think its the scared place for Muslims and no Harram will be committed  WRONG! Mekkah is a hot spot for traffickers, and abductors and other major crimes are committed there to. 

- If you wish to take photos of yourself in the Harram and of the Kaaba by all means do so but be discreet and DO NOT photograph other pilgrims. This is disrespectful for one, you should ask permission, and also another valid point is a lot of sisters who wear niqab like to follow the sunnah and remove the niqab while praying and performing the rites of umrah, the tawaf and saee. So it is disgusting that you would then shove a camera in their faces, deliberate or not, and photograph them without their knowledge and permission. 

- The Harram clearly states no Photography allowed. There are those who work in the Harram dressed normally and if they see you photographing you will be humiliated in front of everyone and if they are feeling extra nice (I say that sarcastically) they will confiscate your camera. So again, take your cameras and phones at your own risk.

- Also remember the umrah and Hajj is a spiritual journey so leave the modern day gadgets alone. After you finish your rites then you can be more relaxed. But to see people in full ihram photographing and videoing the whole thing negates the pilgrimage, you are meant to get away from the Dunya and get back to basics and the only time your spirit is center stage in your life. So for a few days should you not at least try and forget the material aspects of life?

- Label everything clearly. That includes your luggage and any zam zam you bring back with you. Yes you are allowed 5/10 litres per person. And you are given special bags, You are also only permitted to use the special water tanks to bring back the water which you can buy from Mekkah and Jeddah. If you do no label it correctly you will not get your water at the end.

- Be very strict with luggage weight allowance when leaving the UK, but on the way back I found the Saudis in Jeddah extremely relaxed and allowed me to take 5 kg over the limit and also allowed me to take a 10 litre bottle of zam zam on top of the 5 litre I had. result!!! Also I want to add, because this is a free allowance you are not covered by luggage insurance and if they go missing which 70% do, then you can not complain as it was free and you did not pay for it to be transported. Unfortunately, I have been told that the water is stolen and sold by staff. Which is extremely bad, and may I add I heard this from Heathrow. So be aware even if you label  everything clearly and correctly you still may not get your Zam Zam at the end.

- I nearly died of chest infection and suffered with it for 2 weeks while there and continued to suffer with it for 1 month after returning. Remember people from all over the world with different bacteria and strains of viruses are meeting in one small place. So you are bound to get sick. despite good hand hygiene you can not help people coughing in your face, and sneezing. Sadly, One thing I forgot to buy was face masks, you can get them from any pharmacy in Saudia. they only cost 10p a mask, I recommend you do get them and use them. I saw a few people using them. Also before leaving make sure you are up on your vaccinations (if you believe in all that) 

- In Medina the security will search your bags thoroughly. They do not allow cameras into the mosque, and they will inspect your phone to see if it has a camera. I had to hide mine under my abaya. They will confiscate your phone or prevent you from entering, So be warned.  

- I want to add women who are menstruating are able to perform the rites of umrah apart from the Tawaf and normal prayers because you must be in Wudu, and she must remain in Ihram until she has completed the rites. Other then that if you are menstruating you should not go to the masjids and pray or sit there. Stay in your hotel, or go gift shopping!


In Sha Allah I think I have covered everything I can think of. I do hope you find these points and tips somewhat useful. Please do feel free to ask me any questions, I may of missed out some things it was a year ago. In Sha Allah I want to explain janazah prayer in more detail in a future post. Also dress code in a another post to. Do feel free to share this post, and re-post on FB or google etc. 

Jazakallah khier

Wasalam -x-