By Yusuf Rasul
July/August 2023
The feeling of excitement as you embark on the journey to Makkah. The awestruck gaze as you see the Ka’bah for the very first time. The feeling of serenity and peace wash over you as you pray inside the Prophet’s mosque in Madinah.
Performing umrah is a life-changing experience for many Muslims around the world. However, there are some who are unable to make this spiritual journey due to their special needs. Most umrah groups do not welcome those with disabilities or the elderly. This is somewhat understandable as umrah is physically exerting, and there are many other factors that can make it difficult. Nevertheless, even though it can be hard, there are still countless Muslims with disabilities who aspire to complete umrah. With no umrah groups being able to properly accommodate them, there was not much they could do.
Until MUHSEN came along.
Founded in 2017 by Imam Omar Suleiman, MUHSEN (which stands for Muslims Understanding and Helping Special Education Needs) has achieved much in a short period of time. Their Umrah program is dedicated to help those with disabilities complete the journey of a lifetime. They provide many special accommodations to ensure that everyone has an easy and beneficial experience.
“There’s an individual volunteer assigned to every person with special needs,” said Feryaal Tahir, travel and events coordinator at MUHSEN. “The devotion of these amazing volunteers is truly inspiring.” Leading up to the umrah, the volunteer and family video call and get to know each other. During the umrah, the volunteer accompanies the family for around eight hours a day, helping them with anything they need. And even after the umrah is complete, they remain in touch. Finding the right volunteers for this specialized umrah trip is no easy task. “Out of the 500+ volunteers we have across the country, only twenty to thirty are selected,” Tahir said. The volunteers go through interviews and have many chats with the family beforehand to see if they’re the right fit for one other.
“Umrah with MUHSEN is unlike any other because you never know what you have until you’ve been without,” said Dia Suleiman, a volunteer on the 2022 trip. He was inspired to become a part of the umrah group after seeing how much time, love, and care MUHSEN puts in all their efforts. While he was assigned to help Yousuf on the trip, it was way more than just a 1-on-1 interaction. Suleiman would even play around with Yousuf’s younger siblings and talk to his parents and grandparents as well.
One of his most memorable moments was when he helped bring Yousuf to visit Prophet Muhammad’s (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) rawdah (resting site) in Masjid an Nabawi. The dense crowds were making it hard to get close, but Suleiman kept asking guard after guard if they could make an exception. Thankfully the guards let them get so close that Suleiman said it truly was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Apart from a dedicated volunteer assigned to every special needs pilgrim, MUHSEN makes many other arrangements to make sure that the families have a profound experience. They travel with scholars who can answer questions and keep everyone together with motivational talks. They provide them with wheelchair assistance, ushering services, sign language interpretation, and more. For many parents, it’s not their own disabilities preventing them from making umrah, but it’s due to not being able to leave their special needs child without proper care. Thanks to the Special Needs Child Care program, parents have the amazing opportunity to perform umrah knowing their kids are being cared for by the right people. They can immerse themselves in worship with peace of mind.
The first MUHSEN umrah comprised around sixty people. Since then they have grown consistently with 145 people on their most recent trip. They have already completed four umrah trips and plan on completing two more before the end of 2023. Now many families of those with disabilities gravitate towards MUHSEN umrah because of their great reputation. The level of care and proper accommodation is unmatched anywhere else and it shows just how devoted everyone is in order to help make hundreds of dua‘ come true.
MUHSEN is continuing to improve its structure so that more families can avail of this opportunity. There are currently more than 500 people on their waitlist, and still millions of Muslims with special needs around the world who haven’t been able to perform umrah yet. With their unwavering dedication, MUHSEN has proven that if you receive a Divine Invitation, no one can stop you from fulfilling your dream.
Yusuf Rasul, who is studying marketing at DePaul University in Chicago, has a passion for entrepreneurship, basketball, and getting the perfect sear on a rib-eye steak.
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