Reflections & Updates

The Niyyah Journeys Blog

Meet the team behind Niyyah Journeys, plus travel tips, spiritual reflections, and updates from our journeys.

Meet the Founder

From Jubbah Palace to Niyyah Journeys

By Talha Jogiat, Founder

Before Niyyah Journeys, there was Jubbah Palace — the Islamic clothing brand I started back in 2022. I loved every bit of it: meeting people who shared the same vision, building something on my own schedule, and learning lessons I still carry with me today. Alongside my brother, Hafiz Arshad Patel, we later founded Halal ToothFairy, bringing halal gummies handcrafted in Turkey to market. We're proud to still operate both of those ventures.

But after years of building customer-facing product businesses — apparel, then food — I felt pulled toward something more on the service side.

In 2023, I traveled for Umrah for the first time, alongside my family. It was, by every measure, a life-changing trip — but it was also an eye-opening one. Booking hotels, coordinating flights, and arranging ziyarah meant piecing together a dozen different vendors, with little guidance and even less attention paid to what the trip was actually for. That gap stayed with me.

Then, around 2026, I had the opportunity to visit an orphanage in Kenya. Seeing the level of poverty and struggle those children faced firsthand changed something in me. I knew that whatever I built next couldn't just be a business — it had to try, in some small way, to bring real change. That's how Niyyah Journeys took shape: a business built on service and intention, with sadaqah woven into every trip we lead.

I'm deeply grateful to our partners at Amax Travels for helping bring this vision to life, and to everyone who's trusted us with their journey so far. Read more about our story and our sadaqah model on our About page.

Reflection

Preparing Your Heart for Umrah

There's a difference between packing your bags and preparing your heart. Umrah is, before anything else, an act of niyyah — pure intention. Before departure, take time to reflect: renew your intention, ask for forgiveness, reconcile with those around you, and set your heart on the journey ahead, not just the itinerary.

Practical prep — visas, flights, packing — matters. But nothing outweighs walking into the Haram with a heart that's ready. Our advice: give yourself a few quiet days before you fly out. Make dua. Read a little about the history of the places you'll visit. Let go of what's weighing you down before you go seeking closeness to Allah.

That's the mindset we try to build into every Trip Labbayk group — plenty of guidance, so your energy goes toward your ibadah, not logistics.

Travel Tips

What to Pack for Trip Labbayk

A practical, no-fuss packing list for our October 2026 group:

  • Ihram (2 sets recommended for men)
  • Modest, breathable clothing for travel days
  • Comfortable sandals or slippers for tawaf and sa'i
  • A small backpack for daily essentials — water, snacks, phone, dua book
  • Unscented personal toiletries (scented products aren't allowed in ihram)
  • Any regular medications, plus a basic first-aid kit
  • A portable charger and adapter (Saudi Arabia uses Type G plugs)
  • Physical and photo copies of your passport, visa, and travel documents
  • Light layers — Makkah and Madinah can be warm by day, cooler at night

We'll share a full checklist with your group closer to departure, but pack light where you can — most of what you need, we've already handled.

Our Story

Our Trip to the Orphanage in Kenya

In 2026, our founder had the opportunity to visit an orphanage in Kenya. What we saw there — the poverty, the resilience, the sheer number of children without a place to call home — is something that doesn't leave you.

We sat with the children, heard their stories, and left with a heaviness that stayed long after we'd returned home. We knew, standing there, that whatever we built next couldn't just be a business chasing profit. It had to give something back.

That visit is what inspired us to add the sadaqah side to Niyyah Journeys. Every group that travels with us today takes on a fundraising goal, together — and when they reach it, they're rewarded with a shared moment along the way, like a steak dinner in Umrah. But the real reward is what those funds go toward: causes like orphan care abroad, the same cause that moved us in the first place.

Business and charity were never meant to live in separate lanes. Kenya is where we learned that. It's why, with every booking, a part of your trip is already giving back before you've even left home.

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