4 Psychological Benefits of Umrah You Didn’t Know Existed

Umrah is a spiritual journey and that’s why it has transformative effects on the body, mind, and spirit. Remember the last time you received your loved ones at the airport after they arrived from Umrah? The physical changes are noticeable as they shed quite a lot of weight due to physical exertion.

The spiritual effects can also be noticed by both the pilgrim himself and his close ones. However, most of these effects occur due to mental healing and transformation or vice versa. This is exactly what this article is about; how does Umrah transform your mind? Also, if you’re going through a rough patch in life then don’t delay and book November Umrah Packages to embark on a holy journey in pleasant weather, that will set you free from the shackles of mind.

How Does Umrah Transform Your Mind?

Islamic rituals aim to promote your mental well-being. Umrah is also one such practice that elevates your mental health and gives a new direction to life. Let’s see how:

Positive Perspective

Perspective means to view a certain situation from a specific point of view. For instance, you were desiring to get a job in a big company, but couldn’t make it due to unfortunate circumstances. Either you can view it as a stroke of bad luck or a blessing in disguise. Your mind gets affected depending on the positive or negative outlook you develop on such situations. Umrah helps you view life issues from a positive mindset by increasing faith in Allah.

Developing a Positive Perspective with Umrah

As you walk and run between Safa and Marwa, the story of Hajra A.S. comes to mind; how she ran between the two mountains in search of water for her child, prophet Ismael A.S. It was a temporary test from Allah which ended up with the water gushing out of the spot near the little Prophet. The story of Hajra A.S. changes the way you view your own issues. It gives you a perspective that hardships are part of life and are small tests from Allah. You just have to put in the hard work while remaining patient and Allah will make matters easy for you as He did for Hajra A.S. and her child.

Forgiveness & Healing

Hatred, fear, anxiety, jealousy, sadness; all these and other negative emotions impact your mental health if retained for a long time. At this stage, your mind needs healing to get rid of the negative emotions.

Getting rid of these feelings is certainly an intense process but the healing starts from forgiveness. Many psychologists like Robert Enright prove a correlation between forgiveness and healing. They hold the view that to get rid of bitter memories and cultivate a healthy mind, forgiving people, situations, or yourself is important.

Healing Process with Umrah

How does Umrah help you make peace with your past and heal mental wounds? Well, it all starts from the moment you see Kaabah for the first time. Whether you’re a person who strictly follows Islam or not, watching Kaabah hits you right at the core as you feel like coming back to your roots. All your uncatered emotions pour out of your eyes in the form of tears and you put all your sadness, fear, guilt, anger, and bitterness in front of the Creator, Allah.

This process of crying is part of the healing process. Psychologists believe that pouring your heart out in front of someone you trust is important to heal past wounds. Spending days and nights in the House of Allah, who you trust the most, sharing all your issues with Him, is a positive exercise that helps you get rid of past traumas. Forgiving yourself or others becomes easy as you develop the perspective that Allah has been taking care of you right from birth and He will do so in the future as well.

Mental Discipline

Most of our worries are caused due to laziness. For instance, you plan on starting your own business but show laziness and keep delaying the project. Psychologists hold the view that such laziness can cause sadness in the long run as you become unmotivated and start losing interest in your goals and life in general.

Remember this verse of the Quran in which Allah asks believers not to lose heart or grieve? This verse 139 of Al’ Imran sheds light on the fact that Allah recognizes the grave effects of being lethargic and sad. That’s why Islamic rituals like Hajj and Umrah are hectic; to make Muslims go through a difficult physical training process to discipline their mind. How? Let’s see.

Cultivating a Tough Mindset with Umrah

We all know that to achieve anything in life, you have to shun idleness and become mentally strong enough to keep working hard without giving up. When we say idleness, it is usually cultivated by being physically inactive.

For this reason, rituals like Hajj and Umrah play an active part in getting you out of your comfort zone through rituals that are hard on your body. As psychologists state a direct relation between physical strength and mental toughness, it is not a surprise that Umrah helps you get off the lazy routine.

From the time you wear Ihram, you’ve to strictly follow certain rules. This is the first step in disciplining your mind. Then you’ve to complete rituals like circling the Kaabah and running between Safa and Marwa while facing intense heat and maintaining the rules of Ihram. Don’t forget the five daily prayers you’ve to observe at specific times. This daily exercise is enough to keep you mentally disciplined while Umrah takes it to the next level.

Self-Reflection

Something that people seldom do in today’s times. Self-reflection is a vital part of self-discovery, which is the journey of the mind to find answers to fundamental questions. What is my purpose in life? Where am I in life at this point and what I’m going to do about changing myself for the better? All these and other basic questions need to be answered because they clear the mind.

Umrah & Self-reflection

During Umrah, you’re one with God. During this time, He inspires you to reflect upon your life. While circling the Kaabah or sitting in the mosque watching the House of Allah, you reflect upon the life choices, behavior, sins, and everything you’ve done until now.

Allah inspires you to reflect on whether you need to make amendments in your life, make peace with the past, develop a positive attitude toward others, etc. To cut it short, anything that is good for you in this life and the hereafter, Allah inspires you to ponder over it and make positive changes. This journey of self-reflection helps you clear your mind, identify new life goals, and set on this new path with a positive mindset.

Embark on the Umrah trip that can transform your mind and help you start a new life with a positive outlook. So don’t delay your mental and spiritual healing and reserve your seat for the pilgrimage. Winter is right around the corner so you can opt for December Umrah Packages offered by a reliable Umrah travel agency like Muslims Holy Travel.