However, the festival did bring back some memories of when I performed the umrah (minor Islamic pilgrimage) in Mecca with my mother in 2014. It was a true journey of spiritual awakening for me, and an extra special one too as we flew to Mecca on my birthday. Apart from ihram, there are three other important rituals that pilgrims must undertake during umrah: The tawaf, saie and the cutting of your hair. Lastly, the cutting of hair symbolises that pilgrims are ready to break out of their state of ihram. After a week in Mecca, we went to Medina which was a six-hour journey by bus.

Source: The Star August 18, 2021 00:00 UTC