Dear Brothers and Sisters!  

It was the sixth year of the Hijra. The Messenger of Allah (saw) yearned for the Kaaba. He entered the ihram with the intention of umrah with a group of 1400 mostly young people and set out to Mecca. His intention was to meet with the Kaaba again and perform umrah. After all, the meaning of Umrah is to visit.
When the Messenger of Allah (saw) and his companions approached Makkah, they encountered the Makkan [Mushriks] polytheists. Although they stated that their purpose of coming was to visit the Kaaba and that they had no other purpose, the polytheists were not allowing this. But they made the agreements during the Hudabiyya treaty, which Allah (swt) had announced as a “clear conquest”. With this agreement, our Prophet (saw) performed the umrah, which he could not do a year ago, with a group of two thousand Companions in the seventh year of the Hijra.

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

Umrah is a Sunnah Muakkadah in other words a worship that is stated to be a once-in-a-lifetime obligation. Our Prophet (saw) performed umrah, his companions did umrah and until today, Muslims have performed umrah. Amongst people also called “mini hajj”. Because both hajj and umrah open new windows in the life and world of a Muslim and reveal horizons full of meaning. For this reason, our organisation has been guiding and encouraging our community to perform Hajj and Umrah since its establishment and trying to bring them together with the Kaaba. As you have witnessed, performing the pilgrimage due to the changing world conditions is getting more difficult every day, both financially and due to the newly introduced

legislations. It seems that these negative conditions in regard to performing these worships will continue to worsen in the coming years. However, as of now, there is no obstacle to performing Umrah. As Allah (swt) commands in Surah Al-Baqarah, “And complete the hajj and umrah for Allah”^[1] On this note, our Prophet (saw) said, “Two Umrahs are expiation for the sins committed between them. The reward for the pilgrimage accepted by Allah is only Paradise.”^[2]

Dear Jama’ah!

As seen in the Umrahs of our Prophet (saw), it is extremely important for young people to perform their Umrah. Because, in Umrah, it is a question of bringing together the Messenger of Allah (saw) and young people who are in love with the Kaaba. This is a means to bring together the youth of the coming generations at the Kaaba and give practical training to know Islam. Even though we as parents cannot go ourselves, we should encourage our children to perform Umrah. Through our ICMG branches around the world and our other organisations that organise these trips, our organisation reveals its vast experience to serve our people. In this way, it is ensured that the pilgrims reach these holy lands, get to know the geography where the revelation was descended and visit Prophet Muhammad (saw). Visiting and seeing the places where the most important events in the history of Islam took place serves as a spiritual charge for them. New brotherhoods and friendships are established, Islamic solidarity and awareness develops, young people who will return to their communities perform their services with more love and enthusiasm. We call on the youth to perform this spiritual trip and may it be accepted by Allah (swt). Ameen

[1] Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:196.

[2] Buhârî, Sahih, 6/274, H. No: 1650; Müslim, Sahih, 7/71, H. No: 2403.