Umrah or vacation,what is the priority?

Vacations are completely for pleasure and umrah is a holy trip in which you have several benefits
related to islam and peace of mind which each muslim can consider.

Assalamualaikum and a very good afternoon i bid tothe chairperson, the honorable judges,
teachers and my fellow friends. Before we go further let’s thank to our god, Allah s.w.t for giving
us his mercy and blessings. I’m muhammad afiq aiman and today I would like to give a talk on a
very interesting topic which is “umrah or vacation. What is the priority?”
Talking about this topic surely make many people are wondering whether which one is better.so
on this stage, i would like to take the step to vote for umrah. Why? I will enlighten you in the next
moment.
Umrah is one of the most beautiful sunnah of the prophet muhammad (peace be upon him). This
is a particular act of worship that now millions of muslims do throughout the year. In
arabic, ‘umrah means "to visit a populated place." in the sharia, umrah means to
perform tawaf round the ka‘bah(arabic: ‫كَـ ْعـ َبـة‬, 'cube'), and sa'i between safa and marwah, both
after assuming ihram (a sacred state). It is done with intensity, love, desire and gratitude. Umrah
is a spiritual journey to the house of allah and in return there are rewards for the travelers. The
journey will be one of the most beloved journeys of your life. This is guaranteed. It is sometimes
called the 'minor pilgrimage' or 'lesser pilgrimage', the hajj being the 'major' pilgrimage which is
compulsory for every muslim who can afford it. The umrah is not compulsory but highly
recommended. There are four reasons why i believe umrah should be given more priority
compared to vacation.

The first reason is we become the guest of allah!

Abu hurairah (ra) said: allah’s messenger (pbuh) said, “the guests of allah are three: the ghazi (i.e.
The warrior who fights in jihad), the hajj (i.e. The pilgrim who performs hajj) and the mu’tamir
(i.e. The pilgrim performing umrah).” – hadith no. 2626, book of the rites of hajj, sunan an-nasa’i,
vol. 3.
Just imagine what a guest of allah will enjoy! On the other hand simply contemplate that allah is
the host. And what a magnificant host. His grace and bounties are limitless. This is a magical
moment to be in the company of allah and his rewards. Once you visit and perform umrah you
will also realize and feel the inner gratitude, calmness and peace. May allah reward this gift to
all. The rational is simple. You have come so far to visit him and have left so many things behind.
Money, family and friends only to ask forgiveness. And for that, allah will ensure he is the host of
such a pilgrimage

Secondly, performing umrah will help in the removal of poverty

Ibn abbas (ra) said: allah’s messenger (pbuh) said, “perform hajj and umrah consecutively; for
they remove poverty and sin as bellows removes impurity from iron.”
And on many accounts and experiences of people that perform umrah, they keep on telling us
that this is certainly a wonderful reward and it comes unexpected. Millions of muslims do not
perform umrah just to eliminate poverty. However, this is a blessing of allah. People who witness
and perform umrah have found their financial problems crumble and a sound financial model
kicks in. What a beautiful gift for all mandkind!
Next, umrah will definitely expiate our sins
It was narrated that abu hurairah (ra) said: allah’s messenger (pbuh) said, “from one umrah to
another is expiation for what comes in between, and ‘hajj al-mabrur’ brings no reward less than
paradise.” Hadith no. 2630, book of the rites of hajj, sunan an-nasa’i, vol. 3; hadith no. 2888,
chapters on hajj, sunan ibn majah, vol. 4.
This particular reward is simply spectacular. Imagine simply performing the umrah you will be
graced and your sins forgiven. Where does that happen. Hence, when allah gives you the time
and opportunity to perform umrah, you need to seek this reward earnestly. I personally love this
particular reward. And the beauty is that this is not the first time only. All the times you visit, your
sins will be expatiated. This is the beauty of islam.
So, keep on begging for forgiveness and the rewards will come. This is the promise of allah!

The last reason is doing umrah is equivalent to jihad for some muslims (OPTIONAL)
It was narrated from abu hurairah (ra) that allah’s messenger (pbuh) said, “jihad of the elderly,
the young, the weak and the women, is hajj and umrah.” – hadith no. 2627, book of the rites of
hajj, sunan an-nasa’i, vol. 3.
For this jihad is one of the greatest feasts and actions of man. Jihad is of many types. However,
the importance of jihad has been told and retold. Muslims of great honor and wisdom wish and
beg for martyrdom and await a chance of jihad. The reward of jihad is shahadat. This is the
magnitude and significance of jihad.
So imagine what it will be like if this reward is equivalent to jihad itself. This is the beauty of islam.
See through this hadith that allah is giving this reward to the people who are not strong. And
gives them hope and precious rewards.

Overall, Umrah is a blessing of allah. And millions of muslims need to perform umrah to enjoy
the inner satisfaction and calmness that comes with performing umrah.
Nevertheless, both umrah and vacation will allow you to have a quality time to yourself or your
family at a nice place that relaxes your mind and body, and act as a soul restoration process.
Negativity is released as you are in a holy place. Both will not only make you happier and
healthier, but also give you the space to spend time with your loved ones who crave for your
time and make them happy as well. Nonetheless, as muslims, we should know our priority in this
life which is to get the blessings from Allah as much as possible in order to be the best muslim.
Thus, in this case, umrah is better to be performed first rather than having a vacation. So what
are you waiting for? Start saving some money and prepare yourself for the unforgettable journey.
Insyaallah.

~thank you and wassalam w.b.t