My feet were ahead of my body, and my heart was throbbing with joy, as I was about to arrive for the first time in my life to the honorable Kaaba, to the first house placed for people on earth, to the Sacred Mosque, where God Almighty commanded us to turn our faces towards it... There is a difference between worshiping and praying. Hearing, reading, habits and education, and seeing with your own eyes what you believe in and settled in your conscience.

Rather, I may regret that I did not do that until it was too late.

  I chose this timing, about two weeks after Eid al-Fitr, so that I would try to perform the rituals of Umrah calmly, as I was seized with fear and anxiety of making a mistake or falling into any forbidden thing that might spoil my first Umrah. : You are an Egyptian ? I didn't want anything to distract me from these special moments between me and my Lord.

Crowds come between you and the Black Stone, so that it is enough to point and say takbeer to prevent jostling or harming others or yourself. After completing the circumambulation and going out for sa‘i between Safa and Marwah, it is necessary to decompose by shaving the head. Soon, the better, because the effects of fatigue appear later, and the pilgrim needs all his energy to complete his journey of faith in Mecca or when visiting the beloved Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, in Medina.

I stayed in Makkah for two days before heading to Madinah, and my curiosity prompted me to explore some of the prominent landmarks in the fragrant Prophet’s biography, such as the Jinn Mosque near the Grand Mosque, where Surat Al-Jinn was revealed. The mosque was built on the same site. I also went to Jabal al-Nour, where the cave of Hira’ was located, in which the Prophet was worshiped before the prophecy. What a great hardship it was to climb to the top of the mountain, which I could not accomplish. It is surprising that the majority of the visitors to the place are from the Asian community, and I did not hear an Arabic language in the place except from the driver who drove me and another who took me from him back to the place of residence.

After concluding the visit to Makkah, we headed to Madinah... The Haramain train must be commended for the ease of transportation from Makkah to Madinah and from Madinah to the airport... and for the phone applications that facilitate various reservations.

In the city, there was a wonderful comfort and tranquility that overwhelmed the soul. On the way from the airport to the hotel, I saw Mount Uhud, and next to it was Mount Al-Rama, where the driver pointed out to me, and I glimpsed its summit from afar by some visitors.

Only one of them disturbed me while I was in the Prophet’s Mosque, minutes before the sunset call to prayer, when he greeted me with peace and its consequences with questions from a sample: Where are you from in Egypt? And he tells me about his separation and origin as if he is about to propose to ask for the hand of a bride.

I enjoyed a lot in the city and was sad to leave it, but I resolved to return at the earliest opportunity... A person should not deprive himself of a spiritual pleasure amidst the concerns of the fleeting worldly life.

A funny situation ended my trip at Jeddah airport when I helped an Egyptian woman to go to the departure lounge for her flight to Cairo while I was on my way to Doha. The kids told me to buy from him. He said what do they want to try because it is very popular, but it is cunning and expensive. I laughed and told her it's called Al Baik Restaurant, but it's fried chicken and the travel is long? And between you and me, you need Kentacky in Egypt is better. She murmured in her secret that the dog's children should eat Kentucky... She laughed and each of us went to our destination...