Qasswa Travel & Tours: Umrah, Aqsa & Muslim Tour Packages

Alhamdulillah, our first umrah as husband and wife. Our mutawwif patiently repeated the intentions and supplications for the older pilgrims. When we finally entered the Raudhah on our second day in Madinah, the tears simply came.

We brought our three children and their grandmother during the school holidays. Masha'Allah, watching our eldest push his grandmother's wheelchair during tawaf is a moment we will keep for life. Madinah was never rushed; we prayed in congregation at Masjid Nabawi for every prayer.

A childhood dream of prostrating in Masjid Al-Aqsa finally came true. From the Cave of the Sleepers in Amman to the Old City of Jerusalem, every visit came with its story from the sirah. Then on to Madinah and Makkah: three holy sanctuaries in one journey.

I had only ever read about Al-Azhar in books; this time I prayed inside it myself. Walking the lanes of old Islamic Cairo while hearing about the scholars who once studied there made knowledge feel very close.

In Linxia the adhan rose from mosque after mosque almost at once. It felt like coming home in the middle of China. Our guide knew when we needed to stop for prayer, and we ate at Hui Muslim restaurants all the way from Xining to Lanzhou.

We had no idea Yunnan had such a long-rooted Muslim community. In Dali we joined the local congregation for Asr, and later enjoyed the snow on Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. A journey that left us more grateful.

Walking through Bukhara, birthplace of Imam al-Bukhari, was deeply humbling. Khiva and Samarkand felt like living museums of Islamic civilisation. Our guide spoke fluently about the great scholars, and our small group felt like family.

We prayed Fajr at the Blue Mosque and then heard the story of Sultan Mehmed the Conqueror in front of Hagia Sophia; our children were spellbound. Then the Grand Bazaar, and every meal was halal without our having to ask.

We worried about halal food and places to pray in Korea. Alhamdulillah, our guide always made time for prayer, including at the prayer room on Nami Island, and lunches were at Muslim restaurants. Wearing our hijabs around Suwon Hwaseong was no trouble at all.

Riding a shikara on Dal Lake after Asr, surrounded by snow-capped mountains, all we could say was SubhanAllah. In Delhi we prayed at the historic Jama Masjid. The pace was comfortable for a couple our age.