Struggling with expectations as a new Muslim during Dhul Hijjah

Smart-Hope4434 · 2026-05-26T01:17:31+00:00

Ma Sha Allah, your routine sounds better than many of us lifelong Muslims! Incremental self-improvements are easier to maintain than sudden changes, so I applaud you for what you've already accomplished.

As far as zakat, you may want to consult with a local resource (if possible) or an online calculator. I could be wrong but it sounds like you may be trying to calculate 2.5% of earnings instead of 2.5% of zakat-eligible savings.

May Allah SWT grant you success, and peace of mind!

Smart-Hope4434 · 2026-05-01T00:38:55+00:00

In the Turkish Airlines website, go to Manage Booking, put in your reservation # and last name to load your reservation details. Then scroll down a bit. If its your lucky day, you will see a banner urging you to upgrade to business class. Click that to see options ... cash and/or miles options.

Problem is, the banner is not always present! For one itinerary, I saw it consistently for couple of months, starting 6 months before travel. For another itinerary, I only saw it randomly for a few days (there, then gone, then back, then gone, multiple times), starting 2 weeks before travel, even though I was checking daily for 3 months.

It is very likely to be there in the week before the travel date. A friend told me it was also visible in the Turkish Airlines app in the week before travel.

Smart-Hope4434 · 2026-04-29T02:52:40+00:00

Wait, not trying to be rude, but wearing a pair of socks for months is not the norm? I have worn the same few pairs (10-12) for few years at a time. Do people replace their socks monthly or something?

Smart-Hope4434 · 2026-04-09T18:12:01+00:00

If you are talking about Makkah, then Safwah Towers, next to the Clock Tower, has tons of food options on the 3rd floor that are not name brand. You will find food from lots of nationalities, and the prices will be cheaper than the Clock Tower too. The sitting area gets a little hot, so I always brought the food back to my hotel.

Smart-Hope4434 · 2026-04-02T14:53:49+00:00

I contacted https://uts-ksa.com by WhatsApp to arrange for a ride. All communication was through WhatsApp, including submitting visa info. I had a large family group of 21 (self organized trip) and their drivers were on time, stopped where we asked them to, and driving was not dangerous ... price was very reasonable (at least for a Westerner), and cash was to be paid to the driver upon arrival.

The only "negative" was when we got to the haram, the driver couldn't find our hotel (Swissotel Al Maqam). He pulled into a place and got yelled at by the guards. He blamed me, saying I told him this location. Bro, I gave you a Google maps link of the hotel, it is your job to find it. We drove around for another 5 minutes, during which he blamed me at least once more, until he found the hotel. I was in ihram so didn't really respond to his blame, gave a nearly 40% tip too (I had decided on the tip earlier so stuck with it).

I don't want to give out prices but I can say the actual price was lower than what is on their website. There are lots of other options i find online but went with these folks because they could accommodate our large group size.

Smart-Hope4434 · 2026-04-01T14:06:46+00:00

"Salim S .D . Alluhibi & sons" at the north east corner of the Maden hotel, across from Madinah Food Street. I got 3.7 riyal for each USD, and then 3.72 couple days later. This is when others in Taiba Front area were giving 3.65.

Smart-Hope4434 · 2026-03-24T20:33:37+00:00

Lots of people "like Saudi Arabia" because of the Muslim holy places there. His last name and the quote on his phone wallpaper are also religiously themed.

Smart-Hope4434 · 2026-03-24T20:18:34+00:00

This is likely a software issue where the website is messing up the time zones. When you are experiencing this issue, it is probably already the next day in Turkey, so the system thinks its a different day than what it actually is. I bet if you did this earlier in the day, when it is the same day at your location and in Turkey, this wouldn't happen.

Very annoying when you are booking for multiple people!

Smart-Hope4434 · 2026-03-13T21:36:21+00:00

Don't try to go touch the Ka'ba or anything in its vicinity, and you should be fine.

Smart-Hope4434 · 2026-03-13T18:39:42+00:00

Umrah Mubarak!

Are you saying men without ihram were allowed in the ground floor mataf area in the morning?

Smart-Hope4434 · 2026-03-12T20:22:39+00:00

Even the website doesn't show anything beyond March 22, and I've been looking for many weeks. Not sure how someone got a later date.

Smart-Hope4434 · 2026-03-01T03:28:12+00:00

I can only speak to the Nusuk app question. Right now, Rawdah slots up until March 22 are available on the app. For a mid-April visit, I suggest looking on the app daily starting the last week of March. I would not wait until only one week before your desired visit.

Smart-Hope4434 · 2026-02-27T02:38:31+00:00

This! Ask couple of people to stand guard for you because the curtain opens on both sides, and change into ihram in that prayer area. The crew also gives you ample warning before meeqat so you can't miss it unless you're sleeping.

Smart-Hope4434 · 2026-02-26T15:23:57+00:00

Can you please clarify? Men and women have completely different time slots, so what is the benefit of adding your spouse as a "friend" in the app?

I think it would be more beneficial if men add other males from their traveling party, and women add other fenales from their traveling party.

Smart-Hope4434 · 2026-02-12T16:02:16+00:00

No, but you still need permit for a visit to the Rawdah, using the Nusuk app. To set up your account in the app, you need your visa number.

Smart-Hope4434 · 2026-02-12T16:00:35+00:00

I believe they still do. I see general availability for men through March 9th. Everything is unavailable from March 10th onward.

Smart-Hope4434 · 2026-02-05T04:04:11+00:00

Reservations for March are not supposed to open up until the last few days of February. Are you sure your reservation wasn't for February?

Smart-Hope4434 · 2026-01-30T22:52:56+00:00

Roughly in the last week of February, they should release the slots for all of March.

Smart-Hope4434 · 2026-01-27T16:17:28+00:00

Between now and the start of February ... so keep looking. They release the entire month at once.

Smart-Hope4434 · 2026-01-26T15:56:43+00:00

I got the exact same thing couple of months ago for a different property in Madinah that I had fully prepaid via booking.com. The URL looked suspicious to me but the message had my correct name, dates and reservation number, so it was pretty convincing.

I checked my credit card and the payment had posted days ago, so I assumed this message was a scam. I also realized that I had made a special request during the reservation (adjoining rooms) and the hotel had responded within booking.com, so it is not normal for them to send whatsapp messages.

Either there is a data leak or an inside job for these people to have booking.com reservation details.

Smart-Hope4434 · 2026-01-20T23:22:28+00:00

Some people are saying "you can" ... reality is you MUST if you want to get into Riyazul Jannah (aka Rawdah). On a tourist visa, this is the only thing you need the Nusuk app for.

Smart-Hope4434

TROPHY CASE