How The Retreat Began
For centuries, the families of Makkah have carried a sacred calling known as the ṭiwāfah — the honored tradition of receiving pilgrims, guiding them through the rites, and caring for them as guests of the Sacred House. And this calling was never something one could simply take up: it passes by blood. The ṭiwāfah is inherited, handed down from parent to child within Makkan families across generations. It cannot be bought, franchised, or adopted by an outsider — you are born into it.
The Retreat is that lineage, alive today. When Naila looked at what was offered to women seeking Umrah, she saw large mixed groups, rushed itineraries, and packages assembled by companies with no roots in the city — journeys built as products by outsiders, not as hospitality by inheritors. What was missing was the very thing Makkah’s families had always done best: welcoming the guests of Allah personally, knowledgeably, and with love.
So she built The Retreat — sisters-only journeys carried in the true spirit of the ṭiwāfah, guided by those whose right to this work runs in their blood. This is not a tour package to us. It is an inheritance, and a duty of care.
What We Do
The Retreat curates sisters-only Umrah retreats and spiritual journeys for Muslim women from around the world. Each retreat weaves the rites of Umrah together with learning from international female scholars, guided ziyarat through the historic sites of Makkah and Madinah, and unhurried time for reflection in the company of sisters.
Because we are of Makkah, we open doors that foreign operators simply cannot: the insights, stories, places and etiquette that never appear in a guidebook, shared the way locals share them — from the inside. And we never run the same journey twice. Each Umrah retreat is planned fresh around its own theme, teachers and season, so no two trips are ever identical — your journey is yours alone, designed to be remembered for a lifetime.
Curate is the word we mean. Every teacher, hotel, route and quiet moment is chosen with intention — because this work is a calling before it is a business. We keep our groups small on purpose: a retreat with us feels less like a tour and more like traveling with family. Whether it’s your first Umrah or your fifteenth, whether you were raised in this deen or embraced it last year, there is a seat for you here.
What Sets Us Apart
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Heirs of the ṭiwāfah
Makkah’s centuries-old calling of hosting the guests of Allah, inherited by lineage, not learned from a manual.
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Women-led, sisters-only
Founded by a woman, guided by women, created entirely for women.
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Local insight you can’t package
As Makkah natives, we share the stories, sites and etiquette only locals know.
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No two journeys alike
Every retreat is planned fresh around its own theme, teachers & season.
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Guaranteed Rawdah visit
Scheduled and confirmed — never left to chance.
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Revert-friendly
First Umrah? We walk every step with you, no assumptions made.
Behind The Retreat
Naila Althagafi, PhD, is the visionary founder behind The Retreat. With her doctoral study in Communications completed in the United States, Naila brings both academic depth and cultural fluency to the heart-centered experiences she creates. Fluent in Arabic, English, and French, she uniquely bridges worlds—curating Umrah retreats and spiritual journeys with clarity, cultural sensitivity, and soul-deep intention.
Living between Saudi Arabia and the U.S. has shaped her passion for crafting spaces where women can gather, reflect, and grow in sisterhood. Through The Retreat, Naila offers more than a journey—she invites women into sacred connection, where every gathering becomes a transformative act of heart-work.