Umrah Ziarah Jordan 2010 The Series- Preparation

February 27, 2010

My husband surprised me when he suggested we both go perform umrah in the very near future. He said that the time has come for us to 'meet' our Creator, Allah the Almighty.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I am ready"

That smile on his face...His eyes was sparkling when he said this. I am the happiest person in this world. I have long been persuading him to take me to Makkah for umrah, but he always said he's not ready yet.

"There's no purpose of you going there when your heart and mind is absent. It will be a great waste".


But this time it's different. I know his decision is firm. He will not change his mind. He has decided that we are now ready physically and spiritually. This is the time. My prayer has been answered. I'll soon become the Almighty's guest of honour. Syukur alhamdulillah!

We immediately searched the internet for the best travel agent that handles umrah packages. We found Andalusia Travel and Tours Sdn Bhd and my husband agreed instantly that we should travel with them. Finding the appropriate date seems not a problem at all. I told my husband that I have longed to visit Jordan and he agreed to fulfill my wish. When we enquired about Jordan package, there's only ONE travelling date left, with only TWO seats left, as if it is meant for us to be on that plane. Date of travel is from April 6th to 20th, and I have checked that on these dates, I am free from teaching workloads, my PhD supervisor should be on maternity leave therefore she will not miss me, my colloquium will be held in June, my schooling children have no monthly tests or exams, my husband should have cleared his works before the auditors come into the office and most important of all, I should be free from my menses so that I could perform my prayers without barriers. Wonderful! So wonderful, as if it has been pre-planned carefully.

Is this co-incidence? I don't think so! I told my best friend about this and she said,

"That's because you have received a special invitation from Allah to visit Him!"

Agree! I have been invited...



March 3, 2010

My husband and I settled three important things yesterday in preparation for umrah:

We went to the Immigration Department at Wangsa Maju to renew our international passports that have already expired. Arrived at 8.30 am, but the queue was already long till it reached the outer side of the building. My husband has prepared the necessary documents from home to save time and all the hassle- renewal forms filled in and signed, a photocopy of national identification card, passport-sized photos and the expired passports. These items must be ready to be submitted to the officer or else you will not be given a number, thus your application not processed. We decided to renew our passports for a period of two years at the cost of RM100 each.

Waiting in a trance gave me headache. I need to move around,  or at least do something. Simply putting both hands on the lap and daydream will cause my brain to rot. My husband yawned, and yawned, and yawned..... After three hours waiting, we collected our passports with relief  *yay!*. By the time we left, the Immigration Department was so packed up with people that I almost suffocated for fresh air.

Next stop was Zarif Clinic at Celcom HQ Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz. We went to see the doctor for our menangitis injection. This is a must for those who want to leave the country and travel to countries with dry and hot weather like Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE. You'll get a card that record the injection. Ouch! My arm hurts!

Our final destination was Andalusia Travel and Tours located at Taman Maluri Kuala Lumpur - the travel agent. We submitted all necessary documents to apply for visa, paid the remaining balance for our package, and that's it! Everything is settled. Now waiting for our turn to attend a half-day course conducted by the travel agent before we depart for Jordan and Saudi Arabia. Tentatively that will be in two weeks time. In the mean time, we will be reading more books on the dos and don'ts when visiting and performing umrah.

I pray Allah will make this easy for us both, and also protect our families that we left behind when we are away. I am so excited that I started to get sleep disorder. I am counting my days eagerly. Thank you Allah. Thank you for inviting me to Your House.