Time with your teacher
Imam Dawood walks every mile, sleeps in the same camp and sits at the same fire. The question you have carried for years finally gets asked, because there is time.
Mecca to Medina · December 2026Starting from $5,999
Walk the road he ﷺ walked.
For the believer ready to leave the noise behind and draw closer to Allah.
Limited capacity, while seats last. Financial aid and student discounts are available on a case by case basis.
Having been blessed to travel with Imam Dawood to Mecca and Medina before, I would encourage you to consider whether this journey may be something meaningful for you.
Imam Khalid LatifExecutive Director, Islamic Center of New York CityTravelling with Imam Dawood
Life-changing, in their own words.
I feel as if I’m changed forever … Imam, thank you for your teachings and guidance and inspiration. Thank you for letting me ask you all the “dumb” questions.
We all became family in that desert.
People talk about “Trip of a lifetime” and I must say that this was not only a Trip of OUR lifetime but also one for our Akhirah.
Why this walk
Why people come home changed.
Most of us have made Umrah and felt it fade by the second week home. This journey is built to stay.
Days inside creation
Five days away from ceilings and screens, under the sky he ﷺ slept under. Long enough for the noise to stop.
Companions who know you
A small group who start as strangers. In one walker's words: we all became family in that desert.
How it is different
Most tripsThis walk
The seerah through a coach windowThe seerah under your feet
A scholar on a stageA teacher beside you all day
Hundreds of pilgrimsA small, intimate group
Fades by the second week homeWalked, earned, and it stays
Is this for you?
Read this before you decide.
This is for you if
- Life has gone well, and your heart still feels restless
- Your last Umrah was beautiful, and it faded once you were home
- You want real time with a scholar, not a seat in a hall
- You spend most days indoors and miss the open sky
- You want companions you can be honest with
- You have been waiting for the right time to do something that matters
This is probably not for you if
- You want a comfortable Umrah package and nothing more
- You are not willing to walk a few hours a day, or sleep in a tent for five nights
- You need to be on work calls every day
- You want to set your own schedule and sightsee
Station 1 of 6
The cave at Thawr
The road north was watched, so they went south. Three nights inside a mountain while search parties passed close enough to hear. Everything that follows starts with a decision to leave.
Do not grieve. Allah is with us.
Umm Ma'bad's tent
A woman with a starving ewe and nothing to offer. From an hour of hospitality in the middle of nowhere came the description of him the tradition has quoted for fourteen centuries.
Splendid of countenance, not marred by leanness, nor by a small head.
Where Suraqah turned back
A bounty hunter rode them down and his horse sank into the sand. He rode home and told the road behind him it was empty. The man sent to end the journey became the reason it continued.
Where he looked back
The junction where the road to Mecca splits from the road to Medina. Here he turned toward the city that had thrown him out, and was told he would return to it. You stand at the fork and understand what leaving cost.
Quba
The first thing he did on arriving was not rest. He stopped for days and built a mosque, raised before he had a roof of his own. The Qur'an calls it the mosque founded on taqwa from the first day.
Medina, illuminated
Anas ibn Malik was ten. He said it in one line: the day he entered Medina, everything in it was lit. The city came out to meet him, and the children sang from the rooftops.
Tala' al-Badru 'Alayna.
A day on the road
What the five days feel like.
- Before dawn
Fajr together at camp, then dates, coffee and chai.
- Morning
Walking in the cool, at the group's pace, with a few words at each halt.
- Midday
Dhuhr and lunch on rugs in the shade.
- Afternoon
One more stretch on foot, then a short drive into camp.
- Evening
Showers, dinner at camp, Maghrib and Isha together.
- Night
Reflection with Imam Dawood by the fire, under more stars than you knew were there.
Where you sleep on the road
Your own tentWalled tents, set up and waiting before you arrive.
Showers and bathroomsAt every camp, with wudu stations.
Every mealHot food cooked at camp, and water and snacks at every halt.
A light day packYour luggage travels by vehicle. You carry water and layers.
The eleven days
Mecca, the road, Medina.
Three nights in Mecca, five on the road, two in Medina.
Mecca3 nights
Hyatt Regency Jabal Omar
Umrah together on the night you arrive. Then the city before the Hijra: the thirteen years, the places where access allows, your kit, and the route briefing.
The road5 nights
Camp on the route
You leave Mecca the way he left it. Walking, dhikr, and long stretches of quiet, with the teaching where the events happened and muhasaba in the evenings. The last stage is the approach the Ansar came out to meet.
Medina2 nights
Dar Al Hijra InterContinental
Prayer at Masjid an-Nabawi, and the Rawdah where access allows. What he built once he arrived. Closing sessions, then the founders dinner at a farm outside the city.
Group ADec 19 to 29, 2026
Leave the US on December 18, home before the new semester. Jumu'ah falls on the route, prayed together in the desert.
Group BDec 30 to Jan 9, 2027
Leave the US on December 29. Jumu'ah in Masjid al-Haram and again in Masjid an-Nabawi.
The day-by-day itinerary comes with your registration, so you can book flights against it.
Your teachers
Imam Dawood Yasin
He walks the whole route with you, on foot. He is not meeting you at the hotel.
He has walked this road before, with the same camp team. The teaching happens on the trail, at the fire, and in conversation.
Read his full story
Imam Dawood Yasin is an educator and community leader dedicated to principled dialogue, holistic wellbeing, and Islamic scholarship.
Before joining ICGA, he served as Director of Student Life and the Center for Ethical Living and Learning at Zaytuna College and as Muslim Life and Service-Learning Coordinator at Dartmouth College. He also held leadership roles at the Zayed Center for Islamic Culture in the UAE and taught Arabic at Yale University and Zaytuna College.
Imam Dawood embraced Islam in South Africa, then spent five years studying Arabic and Islamic sciences at Abu Nour Institute in Damascus, Syria. He later served as Imam of Masjid Al-Islam in New Haven, CT, while also engaging in academic research at Yale.
He holds a B.A. in Community Studies and an M.A. in Globalization Studies.
With a lifelong commitment to education and service, Imam Dawood continues to build bridges between diverse communities and promote ethical and spiritual development.
Abu Nour Institute, Damascus. Five yearsM.A., Globalization StudiesZaytuna College, Director of Student LifeDartmouth College, Muslim Life CoordinatorImam, Islamic Center of Greater Austin
Shaykh Hasib Noor
A scholar who has lived in Medina for nearly twenty years. He leads the tours in Mecca and Medina.
Can I do this?
If you can walk a few hours today, you are in range.
Your body
A support vehicle stays close on every stage. Ride any stretch you need to.
Prepare together
From the day you reserve, you train with the group, guided by Imam Dawood.
Get the free Trail Ready guideWho comes
Men and women, including women travelling on their own. Women on our team.
Where you stay in the cities
Five-star in Mecca and Medina, minutes from the sanctuary.
Mecca · Nights 1 to 3★★★★★
Hyatt Regency Jabal Omar
Facing the Haram. Walk to prayer at any hour. Breakfast included.
See it on the map
Medina · Nights 9 to 10★★★★★
Dar Al Hijra InterContinental
Moments from the Prophet's Mosque. Breakfast included.
See it on the mapStarting from
$5,999
Per person, depending on your room.
PlacesLimited capacity, while seats last. Financial aid and student discounts are available on a case by case basis.
At registrationA $1,000 deposit confirms your seat in the group you chose.
Then monthlyEqual monthly installments, cleared before you travel.
FlightsYours to book, with our help.
Financial aidFinancial aid and student discounts are available on a case by case basis. How it works.
Your seat includes
- Five-star hotels, both cities
- Your visa, arranged
- All ground transport in Kingdom
- Teaching throughout
- Four guided tours in the holy cities
- Meals
- The Founders Arrival Kit
- The founders dinner
Not included: international airfare, travel insurance, personal spending, gifts, and anything outside the schedule.
Financial aid
We want this walk to be open to everyone.
We are here to support you. If the cost is a stretch, we have financial aid available if needed. Email Imam Dawood and tell us a little about your situation. Every message is read personally and kept private.
Students: ask about student pricing in the same email.
After you reserve
What happens next.
- 1
Reserve
Pick your group and room, and place the deposit.
- 2
We confirm
Your room and payment dates, within a day.
- 3
Prepare
Join the group, get the guide, book flights with our help.
- 4
Fly to Jeddah
Umrah together the night you land.
Travelling with Imam Dawood
Journeys that changed lives.
- I was nervous going into this, but … you all made this experience phenomenal and eye opening for me. Ahsan
- This week far surpassed anything I could have imagined. My love for Rasul ﷺ has deepened, and so has my love for each of you. Mona
- Imam Dawood thank you for sharing your knowledge and, really for making the trip, despite all the challenges that were in your path to Mecca. … What a time, and what a trip, Alhumdulillah! Aisha
- I don’t have words to describe how deeply I felt during this trip. My heart is full of gratitude and love. Ayesha
- May Allah … make this trip an inflection point to making us better Muslims and human beings. Mustafa
- Alhumdulli Allah this was the most memorable trip ever. Maliha
Questions
The things people ask before they reserve.
If yours is not here, write to salam@5fullcircles.com and a person answers.
Getting a seat
How do I actually get a seat?
Pay the $1,000 deposit on this page and your seat is held. We email you within a day to confirm your group and your room, and to set your installment dates. Seats are held in the order deposits arrive.
What if it fills before I get there?
There are 50 seats and far more interest than that, so this will happen to some people. You go on a real waitlist: first in line if someone withdraws, and first offered the next walk. We run two or three a year.
Can I register my whole family?
Yes. One person registers as the primary traveller and lists everyone else. Your whole party moves together at your place in line, rather than each person taking their own.
Can I switch groups later?
If there is room in the other group, yes, and there is no fee. If it is full you go on its waitlist and keep your original seat until something opens.
Money
What does it cost?
From $5,999 per person, land only, four sharing. The exact number depends on your room type, shown when you register. It covers both five-star hotels, your visa, all ground transport, breakfast and meals on the route, teaching and four guided tours, your arrival kit and the farewell dinner. Flights and travel insurance sit outside it.
How do the payments work?
$1,000 deposit when you register, then the balance in equal monthly installments, cleared before you travel. Your exact dates come with your registration. Nothing is due all at once.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. Financial aid and student discounts are available on a case by case basis. Email dawood@5fullcircles.com.
Why is the deposit non-refundable?
Because each group is kept small and the costs behind your place are committed months ahead. When you take a seat, it is one nobody else can take. We would rather say that plainly than bury it in a cancellation clause.
The walking
How hard is it, honestly?
Five walking days of roughly six to nine hours at a group pace, on desert track and mountain valleys, warm in the day and cold at night. Both groups spend the same five nights on the road. A vehicle stays with you the whole way and you can ride any section without explaining yourself. If you can walk two hours two days running, you are in range.
Do we walk the whole way to Medina?
No, and we will not tell you otherwise. It is around 450 km, which nobody covers on foot in a week. You walk selected stages of the real route, with support vehicles closing the distances between.
Practical
What about my visa and passport?
Your visa is arranged through our operator and included in the price. Your passport needs at least six months left on it from your travel date. We send exact instructions and a checklist once your deposit is in. Check your passport today if there is any doubt.
Do I book my own flights?
Flights are not in the price. Tell us your departure city when you register and our travel partner will quote and book for you. Or book your own and meet the group in Jeddah.
How does rooming work?
Single, double, triple or quad. Name a roommate when you register. If you do not, we pair you within your own gender.
Can women come? What about mahram?
Yes, on both groups, and there are women on the staff team. Rooming is arranged accordingly. Saudi entry rules no longer require a mahram for adult women. Bring your own position on this and we will work with it.
Can I bring my children?
Under-18s are welcome alongside a parent or guardian who is also registered. Talk to us first so we can be straight with you about whether the walking suits them.
I have a medical condition or dietary needs.
We ask about diet, allergies, medication and any condition at registration. Tell us everything. It changes how we plan. It never changes whether you are welcome.