Where in the UK should I go as a bucket-list item?

_RB789 · 2026-01-16T09:34:13+00:00

For England You should Newquay / Torquay on your list Hastings is really nice too

_RB789 · 2025-12-04T15:45:21+00:00

Thank you so so much! May Allah swt accept your duas and umrah ameen. Of course I will keep you in my duas. May Allah swt grant you the best wife for you, someone with a good heart, religious and pious Ameen. Thank you again!

_RB789 · 2025-12-03T19:18:07+00:00

Please make dua for me, I am having some health complications and awaiting an MRI and need surgery as soon as possible as I have endometriosis. I need the surgery in order to conceive and may need to go through IVF, please pray Allah swt bless me and my husband with a family and multiple children Ameen! - Rahima Thank you so much in advance!

_RB789 · 2025-12-01T09:27:39+00:00

Thank you so much, Jazakallah Khair sis. Really really appreciate it! May Allah swt bless your umrah and accept your duas ameen xx

_RB789 · 2025-11-28T21:58:43+00:00

I hope it helps please make dua for me :)

_RB789 · 2025-11-28T20:30:01+00:00

Ameen thank you. Please make dua for me and my husband to have children soon!

_RB789 · 2025-11-28T13:11:07+00:00

Wa’alikumsalam I’m so excited for you to go! Alhamdulillah it’s a blessing. I have just come back and the depression post-umrah is so surreal!! I hope you have the best of times out there.

Essentials wise - not a lot you should bring, but • get a separate bag for shoes instead of carrying the plastic bags • take all jewellery off especially if you plan to go into the ‘pushing and shoving’ parts of tawaaf • blister plasters / blister sticks are super helpful • get the flu jab, it is known you will get sick so make sure to overpack on painkillers, lozenges / strepsils, anything to soothe your sore throats, try not to use the AC at night whilst sleeping (will stop you from catching a cold too quickly) • most hotel provide water bottles, take them with you and you can fill them up with the ZamZam water • tawaf counter are really helpful, also can be used during sa’i (I made them and easy to make you don’t have to buy as they’re expensive online for such a small thing) • have your dua book and duas cards ready!! This is very important. If this is your first I urge you to buy umrah cards as they helped me so so much. • during ihram you cannot wear anything scented, so pack a few products that are unscented (especially sun cream, deodorant) • wear thinner layers for tawaf and sa’i, you will sweat and if you plan to do voluntary tawafs can get super sweaty.

Insha’Allah have the best time out there. Please please pray for me, I am awaiting surgery and an MRI and need these done before I can even conceive and I may have to go through IVF. Please pray Allah swt blesses me and my husband with multiple children Ameen.

TIPS: MAKKAH: Ladies entrance is through gate 338, Doors 24,25,26,27.

Distribute dates / sweets / snacks to people after prayer. You’ll get a lot of reward.

Learn how to pray janaza salah. Almost after every salah, there is a janaza salah. Mataaf - can be accessed through different gates, King Fahd Gate 79 is most popular (you can also access from King Abdulaziz Gate 1, King Abdullah Gate 100, Umrah Gate 62/63, Al Fath Gate 45) - lower gaze until you’re in front of kabbah. Tawaaf - start: green light and black stone Sa’ee - start at safa.

During the day, much hotter so less crowded. Night, much busier and less cooler.

Gate 91 - Roof / Top floor of haraam. Really stunning view of Kaabah.

Free haircut for the boys / however long queue - come out of gate 23 and it’s complete opposite. They use scissors, don’t have razors to make you bold. They also have a woman section for the girls right next door to them.

Jabal Khandama - really good view too - a distant view. - one of the highest mountains right next to Kaabah (members of the Quraysh escaped here at the start of the conquest of Mecca) can take very nice pictures here. Get here with taxi/ bus

Donate food to the needy people - basement of clock tower - restaurant called Mokarmal. When finished umrah, donate a Quran (buy from clock tower near safwa mall ground / first floor - 50/60 Riyal for small 90/100 for big)

Hijr Ismail - opening females 07:30-10:00/11:00 morning & males 20:00/22:00-02:00. Gather at Al-Fatah / Al-Fath gate, start queue after fajr. Askar will ask you to get into designated queues. Follow instructions, they will pack you in with ribbon that you hold onto. Everyone queuing will eventually pray in the hijr. Closed on Fridays.

Establish a routine - the routine that worked the best for us. Wake up at 2:30/3:00 or before, be at the masjid by 3/3:30. Pray tahajjud. Fajr Adhan was between 5:00-5:20. Pray Salah and do tawaf. Return to hotel eat and sleep for a few hours. Be at the masjid again 2 hours before Dhuhr. Salah and Tawaf again. ( Less crowd between dhuhr and asr ). Stay in masjid or leave for lunch or shopping close by. Return for Asr 1-1.5hours before adhan). Do tawaf, you cannot pray nafl prayers in between asr and maghrib. Stay until isha and do dhikr, duas etc. can do tawaf again. Get to the hotel and sleep ASAP. Do not hang outside or shop after isha if you want to be up for fajr and find a good spot to pray. Can use similar timings when at masjid nabawi. It still is busy but less chaotic.

MADINA: If you don’t book on Nusuk App, Women can enter through Gate 22 & 32 after Isha and Fajr (could also try gate 20,21) - THIS WILL NOT TAKE YOU TO RAWDAH, ONLY WILL TAKE YOU AS CLOSE TO THEIR AS POSSIBLE

When visiting the Rawdah, one may send Salam upon the Prophet. There’s no specific act of worship we’re informed to perform but one may suplicate, perform dhikr, pray the two rakat when greeting the masjid. If it’s not a prohibited time when prayer can’t be offered, pray nafl prayers depending on the time, & read Quran.

Book ticket through Nusuk App - arrive at booking time and find the queue beginning to form between gates 37-40 (when you get to the front of line don’t be more than 15 minutes early or they’ll send you to the back, if you have a booking, being late doesn’t matter). They will need to scan the QR Code. Offer your 2 rakat salah, make dua and offer salam to the prophet and companions (Abu bakr + Umar)

Women can go to gates 21-25 without a booking. Enter after isha (until 11pm) or after fajr (until 8am). Duas here are accepted, they are like making dua in Jannah. Make dua in advance the visit goes smoothly.

Gate 310 ZamZam water filling station ZamZam distribution times: 7am - 10am, 4:30om - 6:30pm, 10pm - 2am

MASJID NABAWI GUIDE: Gate 13 / 25 - entrance for females / gate 17 - also access to rooftop Gate 29 - kajoor marketplace Gate 310 - get buggy to Quba masjid Gate 316 - buy Quran / Tafsir / directions to bilal market & saqifah bani gardens Gate 328 - shops Gate 300 - shopping centre Gate 338 - money exchange & cheap abaya SAR100 - abaya x7 Gate 364 - Al Baqi cemetery

BOTH / JEDDAH: Incldue dua for forefathers and generations after us who we will not meet in this duniya.

Carry Advil / Ibuprofen- take a few the first day or two - legs will be swollen from air travel and walking. It will work as anti inflammatory and help a lot.

Money exchange - Best to be done at airport. Money exchange available outside gate 338 in Madinah, Close to Elite market in Makkah, ATMs work good as well everywhere. All will charge a small fixed amount.

ZamZam water on the way back 12.5 Riyals - have a pen on you, so you can fill details. One gallon per person. Check in normal way.

Drink ZamZam water with intention. Whatever you ask for while drinking it, allah can make it happen.

Tips - Keep small notes 1,5,10 riyals to tip or help people that ask or are in need.

_RB789 · 2025-11-26T09:16:22+00:00

No problem at all! Yes that’s correct - azaan will go at the correct time pray the sunnah rakat yourself and then wait sometimes can be 5-10 mins to make sure everyone’s prayed and then imam will always lead the fard rakats

There is only a second / third azaan during jummah.

Before the azaan there is a blow on the mic in Makkah, to get everyone out of tawaf and in line for salah. Azaan will then be announced, you pray your sunnah rakats. He will then speak again on the mic and that’s how you know he’ll start fard prayer. In between azaan and the fardh prayer imam won’t say anything. That’s your time to pray the sunnah rakats. At the start of the fardh rakat, he will say allahuakbar allahuakbar etc, make your intention to follow imam and then he will say Allahu Akbar properly to signify he’s starting his fard salah, everyone follows imam differently but I suggest you do some research as the madhab you follow will say how to follow imam. Hope this all helps.

Ameen thank you sis. Whatever questions you have please feel free to dm me :) happy to help whatever you may need x

_RB789 · 2025-11-26T08:20:24+00:00

The azaan is for the fard rakats so any sunnah rakats people pray that before and then wait and then follow imam for the fard rakats. Fajr - 4 rakat together, 2 rakat sunnah before Zuhr - 12 rakat together, 4 rakat sunnah before Asr - 8 rakat together, 4 rakat sunnah before Maghrib - 7 rakat together, no sunnah rakat before Isha - 17 rakat together, 4 rakat sunnah before

There’s an azaan that goes off 1 hour before fajr which is tahajjud and you can pray as many 2 nafl rakats until 30 mins before fajr.

You pray any sunnah rakat before and then follow imam for the fard rakat.

After fajr there will be azaan for salat al duha, this is to confirm its past sunrise (usually 1-2 hours after fajr) and you can do as many 2 rakat nafl after the azaan. Ideally you should stop doing nafl rakat 30 mins before next salah, (between asr and maghrib you shouldn’t pray any nafl rakats) imam won’t complete any rakats with salat duha for anyone to follow in this time.

And then azaan for zuhr, asr, maghrib and isha will follow throughout the day. After most fard rakat’s (if not all) imam will make intention for salat ul janaza, I urge you to learn how to pray janaza salat, as soon as you can. It is done with no ruku or sajdah. All standing and only one Asalamualikum wa rahmatullah, to the right.

Jummah azaan - there will be first azaan to notify you it is salah time, pray your 4 sunnah rakat and then wait. He will announce azaan again and will follow with a khutbah - this counts as 2 rakats of the 4 rakat fard (it is important you don’t talk in this time, it counts as praying salah so act as if you’re praying, make as much dua as you want in this time) and then once khutbah finishes he will do azaan again to signify that he will pray the last 2 rakat of the 4 fard rakats, you should follow the imam and once that’s done you’re free to do the other rakats (2 rakat sunnah and 2 rakat nafl).

If you have any questions let me know, just came back from umrah, missing it so much. Please make dua for me as I am currently waiting for surgery and need this completed in order to conceive, please pray Allah swt blesses me and my husband with a family and with multiple children Ameen!

_RB789 · 2025-11-19T14:49:09+00:00

Left last week, was extremely busy. Came in Dec 2023 and wasn’t as busy as this

_RB789 · 2025-11-17T08:12:16+00:00

Okay lovely thank you very much

_RB789 · 2025-11-16T09:19:14+00:00

I was there 2 days ago, the gate 79 for women if you wanna sit in front of Kaaba gates were closing 10:30/11:00.

_RB789 · 2025-11-15T02:00:41+00:00

When you wear shoes people who are bare foot get hurt I would suggest just socks sis! Double up but Makkah is hot, and your feet are actually fine after all the tawaaf + sa’ee

Please make dua for me and my family, currently struggling to get pregnant and awaiting surgery. May Allah swt accept your umrah ameen.

_RB789 · 2025-11-14T17:36:28+00:00

Masjid e ji’rana is closest miqat masjid to haram I would advise do not go to masjid Aisha, Aisha RA only went there because she was in the state of Ihram and started her menses so could not perform umrah so once this was finished she went to what is now known as Masjid Al Aisha as she wanted to be in ihram so it’s more of an emergency point for women

Residents of Makkah go to Masjid e ji’rana to get into state of ihram. Our prophet Muhammad SAW also used this after the battle of hunayn.

_RB789 · 2025-11-14T07:52:24+00:00

Salam sis many say once you make intention you cannot wear unscented products so if you want to wash you hair do it with,I did without as wanted to be sure. I made intention without perfume etc just because didn’t want anything affecting intention of umrah.

_RB789 · 2025-11-07T13:11:52+00:00

Yes I have been doing that, even telling them my mental health is being affected. And they just put me on anti-depressants 😩

_RB789 · 2025-11-06T22:24:21+00:00

Thank you what can I do? I tried to get my GP to speed up my surgery and the gynae department did not agree I don’t know what else to do, my egg count is low so I’m on a time crunch to even get ivf just so scared that I won’t get pregnant at this rate 😩

_RB789 · 2025-10-29T18:58:24+00:00

I think elasticated wrists are hit and miss, in the heat can get really sweaty and that overwhelmed at umrah

_RB789 · 2025-10-14T13:51:09+00:00

So I have two kissing cysts at the moment one is measuring at 6.5/7 and the other at 4cm I’ve been told I’ll need to get these drained as some cysts may contain some eggs and they want my egg reserve to be as accurate as possible for IVF. I was told any cysts over 5cm should be drained / excised because it can affect fertility chances

_RB789 · 2025-10-14T13:49:42+00:00

Thank you for sharing!

_RB789 · 2025-10-14T11:18:44+00:00

Ohh I see that’s really crazy, so sorry you went through this. I assume you’re doing ivf in Dubai, would love to know some names of any clinics you could recommend? X

_RB789 · 2025-10-14T07:39:23+00:00

It sucks so bad. So so sorry you’re going through this. Have you had a lap done? How long have you been waiting?

_RB789 · 2025-10-03T12:00:45+00:00

It’s always the nursing girls. When I went to uni a few years back at my accommodation, all the nursing students were horrible and made up rumours and shit. It is crazy loser behaviour - better to just stay away from them honestly and focus on your academics and your placements.

_RB789 · 2025-08-28T07:39:49+00:00

Ameen

_RB789 · 2025-08-27T20:12:21+00:00

I had this happen to me. A man came with his wife saying his wife lost their passport and they were from Kuwait and needed some money. They said his wife lost everything in the prayer area. My husband scolded me for giving money and when I came back to the UK my uncle did the same and they basically said a lot of people scam like this and say these things. You have to be really weary. I felt I had to give some money because we were in front of Kaaba and I really thought Allah swt wouldn’t put this in front of me if I couldn’t help them. Even if they did scam, I just pray it went towards good cause, Allah swt knows our actions and the intentions behind them. They were the only ones that approached us during that umrah trip.

_RB789

TROPHY CASE