Am I being ungrateful about my first Umrah experience?

experience

Hey everyone. I just got back from my first Umrah, which I was beyond excited about. I went with my husband and his parents. My husband has been once, his parents multiple times.

I feel really conflicted and need to know if I'm just being ungrateful or if my feelings are valid.

So, from the beginning, my mother-in-law made it... hard. Constant policing about everything, big and small. I'm a fairly religious person and careful about things, but she'd point out obvious stuff in a way that just sucked the joy out. It felt like I couldn't do anything right in her eyes. She would even ask me i made wudu for namaz 🤦🏻‍♀️ which is OBVIOUS.

In Madinah, we were so lucky to get an appointment for Rawdah Rasool. Walking back to the hotel afterward, I was feeling this incredible happiness and love. She immediately started with negativity, going on about how the Ummah is doomed and we're all terrible. It totally ruined that beautiful afterglow.

I started praying and going to the masjid separately just to keep my peace, and honestly, it was so much better.

Then, in Makkah, the first time I saw the Kaabah... I was crying, completely overwhelmed. But since my in-laws had seen it before, they didn't let me stop for a moment. They were just in a hurry to start the Umrah rituals. They rushed past it, and it felt like my special moment was taken.

The actual Umrah felt like a stressful checkbox for them. They were SO anxious and rushed through everything, talking constantly. I wanted to be mindful, to feel every moment and make my duas properly, but I forgot most of them because of the chaos and pressure.

The weirdest part: One morning at like 10 AM, my father-in-law started violently knocking on our door. We were asleep because I'd spent the night praying in the Haram and was exhausted. He said it was time to go touch the Hajr-e-Aswad (Black Stone). I was hesitant because of the crowds and pushing, but my husband insisted we go, basically out of fear of his dad.

The whole way there, my FIL was shaming me, saying "you have to do this much to get to the Kaabah, you should be prepared for Hajj." As we got closer, the pushing got extreme. I was groped.. my chest rubbed against men, my butt was touched. I felt sick, nauseous, and completely freaked out. We were super close, but I just couldn't. I told my husband I had to turn back.

We left, and my father-in-law made comments about it for the rest of the trip.

Another thing that stung: After completing Umrah, I wanted a simple picture with my husband near the Kaabah for our memory. My MIL said it was wrong and didn't allow it. But then she took multiple pictures with her husband and posted them in the family group chat.

I’m left feeling so sad. The moments I was alone were peaceful and I truly felt a connection. But so much of the trip was dominated by their anxiety, criticism, and rushing. It ruined the essence for me.

So,am I wrong? Am I being an ungrateful brat for feeling this way about what should have been the most beautiful trip of my life?

Posted Jan 25, 2026, 12:23 PM UTC

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