Arrival and umrah
Arrival
You will arrive by plane at either Madina or Jeddah Airport.
If you have the option, pick Madina as it is far less crowded and you will go through customs and immigration in no time.
If you don’t have the option, then don’t worry about it!
Your passports will be taken by Saudi officials at the airport and will be returned to you near the time of your departure.
Umrah
Upon arrival in Mecca, umrah is to be performed. Depending on your agency’s plan and itinerary, it might be any number of days before the start of hajj on the 8th of Dhul Hijjah. You may perform umrah as soon as you arrive in Mecca. The closer you are to the start of hajj, the more crowded the mosque will be.
Nevertheless, it will be a very significant and exciting time in your life! If you’ve never been there before, then you will be laying your eyes on the Kaaba for the first time! There are a lot of prayers that may be said upon entering the mosque and seeing the Kaaba for the first time, or you may recite whatever you wish.
Umrah comprises of tawaf, saee and cutting of the hair.
Tawaf is going around the Kaaba seven times.
Tawaf-i-Umrah: In this tawaf, men are to uncover their right shoulder and lightly jog in the first three rounds only. After the third round, they must cover their shoulder and walk normally. The history behind this act is that when Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and his companions came to perform hajj for the first time, it was rumored among the pagans of Mecca that they were weakened by the fever of Yathrib. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) told his companions to do this to show them that they were of good health and strong and were not going to buckle under the pressure of the on-looking Meccans.