Most of the people that visit Umrah speak of being blessed with incredible feelings and spiritual sensations. People often refer to these as a 'connection with Allah'. The outcome of this is somewhat irrational and illogical. For example, why do we rush to drink water from Zamzam when in all fairness it doesn't taste half as good as the freshly squeezed juices that we often consume? Moreover, why do we not find it a burden to make the long walk from our hotel rooms to the Al-Haram, in most very high temperatures?
These questions can be answered easily. At the core of it all, we enjoy doing these things because we are doing them for Allah. By doing these things, we feel a close connection with him. For example, when we look at the Ka'bah we don't focus on the black cloth. Instead, we are connecting with Allah. Despite thousands of people all participating in the same act, we understand that Allah is giving us his undivided attention. It's not a concept that we explain logically, but one that we feel beyond doubt.
Zamzam is a result of Allah's mercy, which makes it a special drink for us all. Although we may return to our hotel rooms exhausted, we feel proud and content and can't wait to get back to the Al-Haram as soon as possible. We cherish every detail and moment of the stay; it's as if the rest of the world no longer exists.
Upon returning from Umrah, Shaytaan wastes no time in moving us away from Allah. He makes us feel as if all the experiences are emotions we felt are solely tied to Makkah. The same feelings and emotions cannot exist unless in the presence of Makkah. We are made to feel like we should continue with our healthy lives while focusing on planning our next pilgrimage.
Mekkah alone cannot account for the feelings we experience; it is also the proximity we felt towards Allah. This sense of closeness can be achieved from wherever we are in the world. If we can channel the same energies as we do while at Mekkah, then even the biggest of hardships can easily be overcome. Moreover, we would gain great satisfaction after performing the smallest of deeds.
For most people Umrah is a life changing experience. It should modify the way we carry out our day-to-day life activities. It shouldn't be like a dream that we forget after a few moments. We spend the time to reminisce, similar to ideas, but we fail to focus on ways to bring those dreams closer to reality. Although it's not possible to bring the Ka-bah back with us, there are many other factors that from Umrah that we can use in our futures.
So, the overall question I pose to you is how different would our lives be if we maintained some of the feelings we had during our time at Mekkah and transferred them to our life after Mekkah?