EXTREMELY IMPORTANT: DO study the fiqh of Hajj & Umrah before you go, well in advance. (I mean
      really advanced, not the weeks before it'll be so hectic you won't be able to do it at your leisure.
      Think 2-3 months in advance.) Get some good books, tapes and videos. Look online and print
      everything out. Write all the Duas out on index cards. Try to memorize as many as you can BEFORE
      you go. Make flash cards whatever it takes!

      DO NOT go there and expect to learn how to do everything from your guides/ppl with you. This is too
      important not to know for yourself. Remember if you do anything incorrect your umrah or hajj WILL
      NOT BE ACCEPTED. There are many stories of the tour people taking people to do things too early or
      too late. Also, the crowd there is so enormous it is incredibly difficult when millions of people are all
      trying to do the same thing at the same time. This is where your fiqh of hajj knowledge comes in. It
      makes it much easier if you know things like you can pray your 2 rakats of Maqam Ibrahim all the way
      back in the Haram, or on the different levels or even anywhere in the Haram, or that you can do your
      Saiyy on the secod level or that you can throw your stones from after sunrise to anytime at night. If
      you know things like this you can avoid the crowds of people who will try to stick to only one thing
      because they don't know what else is allowed. Also if something happens you will know what you
      should do to compensate for it and you may save your hajj or umrah.

      A NOTE about all the books and info. Everyone will tell you something a little different. Try to piece
      everything together so that you at least know what the required conditions you must fulfill are and
      what things would break your hajj or umrah absolutely or what things will necessitate compensation.
      Ask your Imam or local knowledgable people to help you understand the Fiqh and answer any questions
      you have.

      Also VERY IMPORTANT: Learn the fiqh of praying a Janaza (funeral prayer). You will be doing it after
      every single prayer, no joke. (There was only one prayer in our entire 2 week stay that we didn't.)
      Learn the dua for it too. Praying at someone's janaza is a very good thing and you have ample
      opportunity of participating so take them. Also learn the different ways to send Salams on the prophet
      (saw) for the time you are in Madina. Another good suggestion is to draw a chart of the Kaaba
      (looking from above) and along each of it's walls (and along each of the special points), write the
      relevant duas.

      The best times to visit the Haram of Makkah, do tawaf and saiyy, ibadah and to try to touch the black
      stone etc is from 1AM until Fajr and from about an hour after Fajr until 9 or so. A good schedule would
      be to sleep from Fajr until Dhuhr, pray Dhuhr in the Haram then go back to the hotel and eat and rest.
      (After Dhuhr about noon to 2 it is HOT.) Go back for Asr. Then go back for Maghrib and STAY there for
      Isha/Taraweeh. After you can take a few hours to go shopping if needed. Otherwise stay at the
      haram, alternating doing different things like Tawaf, reading Quran, praying until Qiyam which is about
      1AMish Then stay until Tahajjud which is about an hour before Fajr. Then stay for Fajr. If you are
      going to Ziyara or doing multiple Umrahs and can't sleep after Fajr, take a few hours at night before
      Fajr to sleep. (You might say to yourself.. gee doesn't look like there is any time for sleep there!
      That's true.. don't waste your time sleeping.. you can always sleep when you come home :) But know
      when your body is tired and can't take it anymore. Don't make yourself sick. Naps of 3-4 hours worked
      for me.)The best spots in the Haram are right in front of the Kaaba on the marble surrounding it or on
      the second level at the front. If you want to be on the haram floor you have to go early and stake out
      a spot. Sisters should head towards the Zamzam area and sit right near there, otherwise you'll get
      kicked out of any other area after awhile. A really good spot I found for sisters is upstairs all the way
      in the front of the sisters section. You have an incredible birds-eye view of the entire haram and can
      still pray witht he Kaaba in sight. Remember to bring your prayer rug to sit on. This is so that people
      don't come and sit right in front of you or back of you so you'll have room to pray later. Two things
      that I wish I knew before hand about this.You can pray anywhere in the Haram without a sutrah ie
      people can walk in front of you without breaking your prayer. (This was extremely annoying to me at
      the beginning when people would walk right through my sutrah every time!) (But you should try your
      best not to do this to others). And you can also look at the Kaaba while you pray in the Haram.

      PREPARE yourself mentally for alot of frustration, mental anguish, annoyance and anger. To obtain a
      Hajj Mabrur (one that is accepted and forgives all your sins) you must not let these things interfere
      with your goal.

      PREPARE yourself physically for alot of walking and physical exercise. You may be walking back and
      forth from your hotel to the Haram at least 10 times a day, not to mention logging Tawafs and Sai'ys
      that come out to miles in the end.

      DO NOT bring alot of clothes. All you need really is 3-4 jilbabs - mostly black for umrah time (lighter
      colors for hajj and summer season) and a few clothes underneath that you can mix and match. Bring
      enough socks and underthings. You can always wash clothes if you have to. But bringing alot of
      clothes just wastes your time and suitcase room. A regular travelling rule of thumb is to never pack
      more than you can carry for a trip!

      It goes without saying that you should bring some comfy shoes/sneakers for when you go on Ziyara or
      shopping. Also bring some good chappals/shibshib for when you are going to the haram. Don't overpack
      your suitcase. You won't be able to get it all back home especially if you buy things. You can always
      give away some of your clothes/shoes while there or try this well-known travelling tip: bring an extra
      empty suitcase/bag with you or buy one there.

      A NOTE for Madina. The weather there is very different from Makkah. Madina is much cooler. We were
      in 80-90 degrees everyday in Makkah and then in Madina we were at 60-70s and it was extremely
      COLD around Fajr, so bring a sweatshirt/sweater and a few warm clothes so you don't get sick.

      DO NOT bother bringing anything expensive, like jewelry or electronic equipment. If it's lost or stolen
      you'll never see it again.

      DO NOT change money before you go. There are tons of exchanges there that you can go to on the
      streets and you'll get a better rate than the usual bank rate too. Bring enough cash for what you want
      to buy. Don't rely on using your credit card. There are finance charges of at least 2-3% and the
      exchange rate of Visa sux.

      DO bring alot of medicine - Tylenol, asprin, Theraflu, Tums, Pepto Bismol, Midol, Chapstick/Vaseline.
      Believe me you'll be glad you did and if by some miracle you don't get sick other people in your group
      will.

      DO bring some snack food like granola bars, goldfish, dried fruit. You'll be glad when your stomach
      starts doing loops or you are starving in the haram. Not to mention sometimes getting stuck for hours
      on a bus during heavy traffic or waiting for clearance.

      DO bring a cheap plastic bag/canvas bag to put your shoes and janamaz (prayer rug) and quran in
      when you go into the haram.

      Don't bring a janamaz from home. Just buy a nice one there. You can also bring a small bag/purse you
      can wear under your jilbab for your money/passport. Don't bother with big handbags- you'll get
      searched every time you enter the haram and will have to watch it all the time.

      DO NOT waste your time shopping. You're only in Makkah once in your life (anything could happen and
      due to life circumstances, being busy, illness etc you may never return again).

      Make a list of what gifts you have to give to whom beforehand and write down what you need to buy
      and quantities. That way you won't waste alot of time trying to decide what to get for who.

      Some common gifts include:
           Dates (yes they have chocolate covered dates :))
           Zamzam water
           Tasbeeh Beads
           Hijabs & Jilbabs
           Prayer Rugs (called sajadahs there)
           Jewelry (gold, fake and everything in between)
           Metal work (tea sets etc)
           Incense Perfumes & Perfume bottles
           Thobes
           Kufis
           Cards
           Desi (IndoPak) dresses
           Books
           Watches

      DO NOT bother going any malls. They're usually WAY too expensive, but if you want to waste your
      time window shopping or looking at American and European designer stuff go ahead.

      A NOTE about shopping, every shop owner and I mean EVERY (even those who are very nice and
      islamic and kind to you) will try to get every penny (riyaal) from you if they can. For your first time out
      just walk around and ask for prices of different things until you get a handle of how much things go
      for. (Brothers please ask your mothers/wives what a good price for gold/gram is before you try to buy
      anything there!)

      DO NOT speak English or any foreign language in stores, just urduor arabic. . They will totally rip you
      off. Even if all you know is "Kam Hatha" and they know you don't speak Arabic as your native language
      because of your accent for some reason if you speak English they up the price 200% automatically.
      You must bargain for everything you buy. Everything is marked up as par for the course. A good trick
      is to offer half then work your way up. Remember to go to many stores to get an idea of price range.
      Sometimes they will tryto bully you into buying something by grabbing it and stuffing it into a bag.
      Don't let them.. take yourtime, get what you want and check it. If you feel that the guy is ripping you
      off but really want/need the stuff, buy it anyway because you'll regret it after. Anything there is
      cheaper than anywhere here. Don't let pride stand in your way :)

      DO learn all the Arabic numbers (1 to 20, and every 5 after that till a hundred and you'll be set) and
      phrases like that "Kam Hatha?" - How much is that?, "BiKam?" How much?, "Shuayyeh" Move over, and
      "Laa..." No...

      Don't tell them you're from America unless you're window shopping. Don't dress expensively, shop
      keepers there are extremely sharp. You can even wait a few days until everyone else has found the
      best places to buy things cheap - find out where they are and THEN save time and just get what you
      want.

      SISTERS be careful about going shopping alone (as in, DON'T) always go with a bro (hate to say it but
      you're safer from harassment) or with a group of sisters.

      DO be careful about taking pictures and bringing cameras.They don't let cameras into either of the
      Harams and they'll check your bags too.

      DO agree on prices for cab rides, camel rides and any other service in between beforehand. A note
      about the camel rides. They will immediately go and take polaroids of you on the camel/horse and then
      force you to buy them. Tell them beforehand NO PICTURES please. (One guy cursed our group and
      made dua that Allah never answer our duas b/c someone refused to buy the pics !!)

      BEGGARS - There are beggars everywhere. On the streets of Makkah, at historical sites like Uhud,
      Arafat etc. They'll even come up to you (to sisters too!) and tell you stories about how they lost all
      their luggage and possessions and need to get back to Jeddah/Makkah/Madinah. It's hard to figure out
      who is faking and who isn't. I would suggest deciding on an amount you would like to give as Sadaqah
      beforehandand. Then give that to a reputable Islamic relief agency or relatives you have in poor
      countries or even friends/ppl traveling back to their home countries.They would know better who is
      truly in need.

      MAKE SURE to go to Ziyara. Ziyara is visiting the local historical sites in Makkah or Madina. It's
      extremely important to visit those sites, give your salams to the dead, to really get a feeling and
      understanding of how Islam began in this place. I would say it should be almost as important to you as
      making sure you do your Umrah. (But please don't think it's fard or anything else. :)) Don't go there
      thinking it's part of any worship practices. Many people do go to those sites and commit strange
      innovative practices (you'll see all the Saudi signs in Arabic, English, French, Urdu and Turkish!! telling
      ppl not to). This is where learning some Seerah (study of the life of Muhammad (saw) and the early
      Muslims) is extremely important before you go so you can actually feel where you are visiting. Just
      take one day after fajr and have some cab driver take you out to the different places. Get a map of
      Jannat al-Baqi` and make sure you say salam to all the sahaba/saliheen buried there. For both Ziyara's
      go immediately AFTER Fajr at the haram, come back BEFORE dhuhr, pray dhuhr at the haram and then
      rest at the hotel for awhile.

      DO NOT forget what gate you enter the Haram from and the hotel you are staying at.

      DO make multiple Umrahs. It's not hard to take theshort cab ride to TAN'IM sometime after Fajr. (The
      place you'll need to go to state your intention andre-enter Makkah in Ihram). Make ghusl and change
      into your ihram before you go. Then at Tan'im you just pray 2 rakats and make your intention for
      umrah again. Comeback before Dhuhr and perform your second (or third orfourth) umrah... Remember
      you can also make umrah on behalf of another person, a dead relative or someone back home who
      could not make it.

      DO NOT look at pictures of the Kaaba before you go. From now until you see it with your own two
      eyes It RUINS the impact it has on your heart.

      REMEMBER you are there to worship. Shopping, eating, etc are all just a waste of time. Food: it will be
      tempting to eat all this food there, but remember this much: the more you eat, the more tired you will
      get and in Makkah you will NEED your energy.

      Take all this advice with a grain of salt. Every situation/time is different. Most of the information here
      is suitable for umrah. Hajj may be a completely different experience!

      Some Tips from Br. Khalid:

      HOTEL - Choose one within 5 mins walking distance of Haram if you can. When the crowds descend it
      will take you 20-30 mins to get to the Mosque.

      JUMAH - Go EARLY!!!! Our first Jumah in Makkah the Adhaan was 12:05 or something and we got to
      Masjid Al Haram at 11am. BIG mistake. The concourse outside the Masjid was full let alone trying to
      get in there. We sat in the beating sun for over an hour and prayed. The next week we got there at 9
      am !!!

      TAWAF - There are large groups who perform Tawaf together and link hands. If you see them
      approach you, then let them pass or step aside and give them way. Also watch out for the elderly who
      are being carried around the Kabah and people taking their relatives around in wheelchairs. As a rule
      the nearer the Kabah you perform your Tawaf the more squashed you will get and I mean squashed.
      This is especially true when going around Maqam Ibrahim because of the people trying to pray.

      ARAFAT - Make the most of this day as possible. Don't eat too much after Zuhur. The last thing you
      want to do is feel sleepy from having over eaten

      MUZDALIFAH - You have to pray Fajr on the morning of Eid before you go back to Mina. Make sure you
      make a note of what time Fajr was when you were in Makkah. Some people make the Adhaan too early
      in an attempt to get to Mina early. Don't let them make you pray your Fajr before time.

      MINA - For those of you who haven't been there are three Jamarat all in a line with each other
      separated by 200m or so. The Saudi authorities have created what I can only describe as a flyover so
      that you can perform your stoning from the above tier as well as the lower tier. There is also a one
      way system on the top tier so that everyone starts from one end and moves to the other. Each
      Jamarat is surrounded by a circular wall and it is this circle that your stones have to enter after you've
      thrown. We were very fortunate enough to be on the side of the mountain and we could see how the
      Hajjis were performing the stoning. On the top tier most Hajjis walk in a straight line and reach the
      front of the circle, consequently there is a HUGE crowd at the front of the circle as people wait for
      those in front to finish. Because of this you should walk at the sides hugging the fence and avoid the
      front entirely. Walk PAST the Jamarat and then double back on yourself and throw from the back of
      the circle.Alhamdulillah we were able to place our hands on the circle wall and throw from there using
      this piece of advice.

      SHOPPING - Check out the many bookshops. Lots of good stuff out there

      PATIENCE - You'll understand the meaning of that word when you encounter the crowds, the queues,
      the long waits etc etc etc