10 Tips to Endure your Spiritual Voyage to Haramain

Some people may be heading for the spiritual journey of a lifetime soon. So I just wanted to take a moment and give a few quick tips for those who will be traveling soon to perform the beautiful journey.  One should have an idea about what kind of challenges they’d be facing. And what can help them make this journey fruitful.

1. Learn some basic Arabic phrases. Not everyone have a good grasp on English. Sign-boards are in Arabic and it may become difficult for you to understand them. A few words or phrases will be helpful.
   
   
2. Start hydrating yourself so that your bladder is used to of that a lot of water, because hydrating yourself during Umrah means going to the bathroom every hour. And start walking daily to built up the stamina.
   
   
3. Take enough clothes so you don’t have to hand wash them constantly. Keep some cash in Riyals with you for: Fidyah , Sadaqah, to buy dates and Zamzam and for general use and food.
   
   
4. Emotions are no doubt are very high when you are going for the first time and somehow you tend to accept everything anyone tells you to do. Since everyone wants to make the best of their journey, you un-intentionally give it a try. But you have to be very careful because small things can sometimes render your bigger deeds useless. Instead, ask the knowledgeable people around.
   
   
5. Upon arriving at Jeddah Airport get a Saudi sim. It is for around 50 riyals. It is a must for your safety if you get lost in the crowd.
   
   
6. Avoid standing in the middle for any reason or just to offer prayers, instead choose corners, so you can pray calmly. Unfortunately, this is a very common practice over there. People stand in the middle of Tawaf to take selfies without even knowing that they have become a reason for holding off the Tawaf of other people.
   
   
   
   
   
7. AL-BAIK is mandatory and is an exceptional case, but try to avoid junk food as much as you can. Don’t stuff yourself when you plan to walk a lot.
   
   
8. Don’t push or abuse others. Avoid crowded places, if you find yourself stuck in between a lot of people try going back or ask for help if possible. Take your time while visiting Rawdah, Be kind, and give space to others instead of fighting for it.
   
   
9. There are two kinds of Qurans available in Haram, a green and a blue one. If you don’t know how to read the Quran without some of the ‘Harakats’ over the alphabets, then read blue colored Quran which is easier to read.
   
   
10. DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT try to recover anything from the ground if you lose it. Not even that gold ring you cannot afford to lose. Not even think of it!!! Stampede is common in crowded places. Nothing is more important than your own life, everything else is replaceable.

The Yearly Kaaba' wash - 15th Muharram 1437

As a yearly ritual, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, Makkah, Emir Prince Khaled Al-Faisal along with President Haramain Sheikh Abdul Rehman Al-Sudais washed the Holy Kaaba today at 17th October 2016. The Kaaba is given ghusal twice in a year; once in the beginning of the Islamic year and second on the 1st of Shaban.

The interior walls of Kaaba were cleaned with a white cloth dipped in rose, ‘Aab-e-zam zam’ and musk perfumes. Zamzam water mixed with rose perfume was splashed on the floor and was wiped with bare hands and palm leaves. And around 45 liters of Zamzam water is utilized for the Kaaba Wash.

The Kiswa (the cloth covering the Kaaba) around the Black Stone corner and the boundaries of the Meezab Rahmah (the golden spout from where rainwater from the roof of the Kaaba falls) was adorned with golden borders this time. 

Security guards after paying 4 hours of duty during yearly Kaba wash were seen availing the opportunity to kiss black stone (Hajra.e.aswa) and pray at Multazim.

Free Wi-fi service in Makkah Grand Mosque courtyards

Pilgrims and visitors to the Grand Mosque in Makkah can take advantage of free Wi-Fi service in the courtyards of the mosque.

To connect to the free wifi service, connect to Haram Wifi from your connections. The speed of the internet may wary depending upon the crowd.

This is part of a series of technological services being introduced by the Presidency for the Affairs of the Two Holy Mosques for the benefit of the pilgrims.

4 Best Cities to live in Saudi Arabia

There are various reasons why someone would want to move to Saudi Arabia, the most alluring reason is of course the Two Holy Mosques. But there are many more reasons to love the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 

Here we would like to share a list of 4 best cities in Saudi Arabia, though they never encourage tourism but few cities are considered as the core part of the Kingdom.

Madina - The City of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH)

Medina is a most peaceful city in the world and most of all it is the city of our beloved Prophet Muhammad. Medina itself is beautiful, with large minarets and a rich heritage. The city is developing and you can find many coffee shops (Starbucks), as well as plenty of amazing eateries to explore while staying there. You will found Medina’s local people to be very kind and welcoming and they just know every other language!

Makkah - The city that never sleeps

Mecca is the largest of the Two Holy Cities of Islam. Over one billion Muslims pray in Haramain every day. The expansion of the Haramain has changed a lot of the city structure. The city holds many world records, which include the tallest clock tower in the world, the world’s biggest clock face and the biggest hotel in the world.

Jeddah - The bride of the red sea

Jeddah is one of the best cities in Saudi Arabia for expats to live in. First of all, it is full of people from around the world. You’ll find them every where around. The city has an amazing beach. Some great activities for sea lovers are scuba diving or deep sea fishing. Jeddah has some huge malls and the best thing about it is the Haramain is just an hour away!!

Riyadh - The capital of Saudi Arabia

As opposed to Jeddah, Riyadh is a peaceful or maybe a not so happening city. It is in the middle of the desert and can get very uurrrgghh cold at night during the winters. Riyadh often gets hit by sandstorms, which increases the possibilities of various allergies. The Mutawas can be seen more in Riyadh than other cities and law is strictly enforced.

New Kiswa adorns Kaaba

Visitors to the Grand Mosque in Makkah are admiring the new Kiswa (the cloth that covers the Kaaba) which replaced the old one on Monday. The new Kiswa has a line of golden embroidery added for the first time to embellish the Kaaba’s Yemeni corner.

The Kaaba has four corners: the northern one known as the “Iraqi corner,” the western as the “the Levantine corner,” the southern as the “the Yemeni corner,” and the Black Stone is placed in the eastern corner.

Some of the upper calligraphy of the Kiswa has been changed as well.

Instead of having the words, “O the Living, the Eternal One” to describe Allah, it now has “Allah is the greatest.”

The Kiswa is made of pure silk with gold threads made at the cost of more than SR22 million ($5.8 million). It is manufactured in a special factory in Makkah which is manned by 240 technicians, weavers and administrators.

The Kiswa is 658 sq meters. It is made up of 47 pieces which are joined together to cover all the corners of the Kaaba.

The Kaaba is dressed in its new Kiswa on the Day of Arafat every year when the Grand Mosque is usually empty because all the pilgrims are gathered in Arafat.