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How to Perform Umra

    • Put on Ihraam before entering Meeqat Boundary. This can be done before leaving for the airport or on the plane. Not all airlines will announce when you are entering the Meeqat Boundary, so it is advisable to put on the Ihraam two hours into the flight.
    • After wearing Ihraam, perform 2 Rakaats Nafl Salaah. After performing Salaah, make intention for Umra/Haj.
    • Start reciting Talbiyah. Recite Talbiyah as much as possible.
    • On reaching Makkah, perform Wuhdu/Ghusl.
    • Enter Haram Sharif with the right foot and if possible through Babus Salaam.
    • Prepare for performing Tawaaf by uncovering the right arm, Ithitba. (Ithitba is only for the first 3 circuits). Stop reciting Talbiya.
    • Make your way to Hajarul Aswad and stand just to the left side of the black line on the floor. Move onto the black line, make intention for Tawaf and turn to face Hajarul Aswad.
    • Raise both your hands and perform Istilaam, either by kissing or by directing palms on Hajarul Aswad.
    • Turn to your right and start your Tawaaf in an anti-clockwise direction. Ka’aba must always be on your left. Only men perform Raml and only on the first 3 circuits. While performing Tawaaf , do not stop, do not push others and do not face the Ka’aba until you are peforming Istilaam. The corner before Hajarul Aswad is Ruknul Yamanee, if possible touch it but do not face Ka’aba.
    • As is mentioned, perform Raml in the first 3 circuits, then walk normally in the remaining 4. Perform Istilaam at the end of each circuit. There will be 7 circuits and 8 Istilaams.
    • After Tawaaf perform 2 Rakaats Salaah, preferably behind Maqaami Ibrahaam. However if it is not possible then anywhere convenient. Then make Du’aa at the Multazam. (This is the wall between the door of Ka’ba and Hajarul Aswad ).
    • After performing Duaa, proceed to the well of Zam Zam. Drink as much Zam Zam as possible. It is mustahab to then return to Hajirul Aswad and make the 9th Istilam.
    • Proceed to the 2 hills of Safaa and Marwa to perform Sai. Start from Safaa and make Du’aa facing Ka’aba, then start walking towards Marwah. There are 2 sets of green lights. When you reach the first set of green lights, quicken your pace until you reach the second set of green lights. This distance is about 50 metres and is known as Meelain Khadarin. Women do not quicken their pace.
    • When you reach Marwa stand facing Ka’ba and engage in Du’aa. Walk back to Safaa. Complete 7 rounds in this manner ie. From Safaa to Marwa is 1 round and Marwa back to Safaa is another round.
    • The final act for Umrah is shaving or trimming your hair. Once this done, you are free to release your Ihraam.


To say that the kingdom of Saudi Arabia has a rich religious history would be an understatement. Every year, over two million Muslims come to the cities of Mecca and Medina to visit the place where the Quran was revealed to the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) and he first introduced the Islamic religion. Many come to fulfill one of the five pillars of Islam the hajj, a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca for those who are physically and financially able.

While the hajj must be done from the eight to the 13th day of the last Islamic month Zy El Hijah,umrah, a sacred trip to the holy city, can be performed at any time during the year. Many Muslims prefer to do this mini-hajj during the holy month of Ramadan, because Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) said, Completing umrah during Ramadan is equal [in reward] to performing hajj with me. A Ramadan pilgrimage is therefore considered more blessed than one done at any other time of year.

Associated Press
After hajj, Ramadan is the peak time for pilgrims visiting the Al Haram Al Sharif mosque.

Umrah, which can be done as many times as you like, is a visit to the Kaaba, the house of Allah, at the Al Haram Al Sharif mosque in Mecca. Even those who are physically unable to make the journey may receive the benefits of pilgrimage. Islam allows those who are seriously ill or have passed away without performing umrah to have their relatives or friends complete it in their name. Sheikh Safwat Hagazy, founder and secretary general of Dar El-Ansar for Islamic Affairs, cautions, The person who actually performs the umrah for another has to have performed umrah for himself. Dar El-Ansar is a private Egyptian organization dedicated to Islamic research and outreach. The sheikh points out that a person cannot perform two umrahs at one time; he must leave the borders of Mecca and come back to make the second pilgrimage.

Umrah basics

courtesy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
The interior of the Prophets Mosque

The most important sources in Islam the Quran, the Sunna (the prophets sayings and practices) and syllogisms do not clarify whether umrah is a must, so Muslims turn to one of the four schools of thought, or mazahib, for guidance. According to the Hanbali and Maliki mazahib, umrah is a must, done once in a lifetime like hajj, says Sheikh Hagazy, who wrote his doctoral dissertation on prophets and Gods messengers in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam at the University of Lyon, France. The sheikh notes that Hanafi and Shafi schools do not regard umrah as a necessary trip.

Although Muslims usually spend several days in Saudi Arabia to complete umrah, the actual process consists of three main ritualsihram, tawaf, and sayi that should take no longer than three hours.

courtesy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
A Saudi embroiders a new covering for the Kaaba.

The first stage of umrah is ihram, which is a series of rituals that prepare you for the pilgrimage. By doing these actions, you are physically and mentally purifying yourself before entering the holy city of Mecca. In that sense, ihram is a state of being, one that the pilgrim maintains until he has completed all of the umrah requirements

To start, the pilgrim recites the talbeeyah, the phrase that declares his intention to embark on the umrah process and complete all of the rituals as prescribed in Islam. Next, he changes into ihram clothes. The Dar El-Ansar sheikh says that men must wear slippers and two seamless white cloths one wrapped around the upper body and draped across one shoulder, the other wrapped around the waist. Women, he adds, must wear long, loose, nontransparent clothes of any color and a hijab that covers the hair. Different schools of thought disagree on whether women are allowed to cover their face, but Sheikh Hagazy says it is sunna for women to show their face.

Pilgrims must assume ihram before reaching the borders of Mecca. Within Saudi Arabia, there are five meeqaats at varying distances from the sacred city; these are points that cannot be passed by pilgrims who have not assumed ihram. Since there are no airports in Mecca, most flights land in Medina, six hours north. Here, travelers can perform the ihram rituals before leaving for the sacred city.

Ali Al Shami, sales manager of Shaaer travel agency in Dubai, says that pilgrims flying into Jeddah, only 72 kilometers west of Mecca, will need to assume ihram on board the airplane because some meeqaats are inside Jeddah. In most cases, the pilot will inform the passengers before the plane crosses these points. With organized pilgrimage groups, if the number of travelers exceeds twenty, an experienced, professional guide goes with them on board and instructs them about everything concerning umrah, Al Shami says.

According to Sheikh Hagazy, certain acts are prohibited after you have assumed ihram, such as cutting your hair or nails, using perfumes, killing animals, or wearing clothes other than those specified for ihram. Men are not allowed to cover their hair or wear socks. Married couples should not engage in any sexual act during ihram, the sheikh says, adding that if you do something that is prohibited during ihram, you should check with an Islamic scholar before continuing the umrah process.

The next part of umrah, the tawaf, is done at Al Haram Al Sharif, the large, enclosed area around the Kaaba. Starting at Al-Hajar Al-Aswad, a one-and-a-half-meter-tall black rock at the southeastern side of the Kaaba, the pilgrim circles the house of God seven times in a counter-clockwise direction. As he walks around the Kaaba, he recites la byak allah labaehk, (You have called me, God, and I have come.)

According to Sheikh Hagazy, there are no other required utterances for any of the umrah rituals. The religious scholar says that it is wrong to follow the lead of someone reciting the Quran or other prayers, as umrah is a time to pray and ask God for your own needs with your own intentions and emotions. Between the Black Rock and the door to the Kaaba is an area called the moltazem, and it is believed that here, God answers any worshippers prayers.

Sayi, the final umrah ritual, is completed by walking from El-Safa to El-Marwa Mountain located next to the Kaaba seven times. This act pays tribute to Hajir, Prophet Ibrahims wife, who was stranded in the desert with her baby. In her search for water, Hajir ran back and forth between these two mountains until, finally, God responded to her prayers by causing a well of water, calledzamzam, to spring from the ground.

The zamzam has been enclosed and is located within Al Haram Al Sharif near the Sayi walkway. While drinking from the zamzam holy water is a sunna, people should not use it to wash themselves.

A one-way walk down the 400-meter long walkway takes about 15 minutes, depending on how crowded it is. Once you have completed this last stage of umrah, you can come out of ihram by cutting a piece of your hair, Sheikh Hagazy says, noting this act can be done at any time in any place including after you return to your hotel.

Making the most of umrah

Because Ramadan is considered the most blessed time to do umrah, it is also the most crowded. Add Saudi Arabias year-round heat to the mix and you might reconsider the timing of your next umrah trip.

Besides being really tired from fasting, I was not able to enjoy my first umrah trip because the place was so crowded, recalls Egyptian engineer Yasser Farouk, and I was unable to get near any of the sacred places, like the black rock or Kaaba,

If you happen to be performing umrah during the holy month, it is better to plan your trip to Mecca at dawn or right before sunset, while most people are preparing to break their fast; it is much less crowded at these times.

Many people have the misconception that umrah must be performed as soon as they arrive in Mecca. Actually, umrah can be performed at any time, so you can rest and sleep in your hotel before heading off to the Kaaba as long as you remain in ihram.

Visiting Masjid Al-Nabawi (the Prophets Mosque) in Medina is very popular and considered an extra blessing but is not an umrah requirement. So if your time is limited, you can go to Mecca, complete the three parts of umrah and leave, says Sheikh Hagazy.

Most people, however, schedule their umrah trip to include time in Medina. People like to visit Medina all the time, said Sherif Saad, director of Maya Tours in Egypt. Travel agencies offer hotel stays in both Medina and Mecca with packages that last more than three days.

Egyptian Mona Hamdy, who makes the smaller pilgrimage almost every year, admits that her favorite part is praying at Prophet Mohammeds (PBUH) mosque. It is less crowded and more enjoyable, she says. While in Medina, many also stay to visit and pray in El-Rawdah El-Sharifah, the area between the prophets house and the place where he used to preach the religion of Islam.

Many umrah travelers arrange to stay 15 days between the two cities. That way, they can perform two Friday prayers: one at Masjid Al-Nabawi in Medina and the other at Al Haram Al Sharif in Mecca.

According to Shaaers Al Shami, any travel agency can arrange umrah trips. Of course, professionalism, publicity and good services are what make one company better than another, he says, but the agencys location does not impact its level of service. Companies located in Saudi Arabia do not have more privileges or benefits, despite what some people may think, he adds.

There are set prices for visas and hotels that vary according to the travelers country [of origin], regardless of the place or the nationality of the agency itself, says Al Shami. When picking a travel agency, ask about the agencys experience and credibility, as well as its efficiency in arranging visas and hotel packages. Its also good to find out if the agency provides guides for large groups.

The main advantage of planning your umrah trip with a travel agency is that it makes it much easier to obtain your visa for Saudi Arabia. Also, hotels sometimes offer lower prices when they know they are dealing with travel agencies, Al Shami says.

There are also the benefits of fellowship. Youll be traveling with a group of people who all have the same goal, and first-time pilgrims can get advice and questions answered from their more experienced companions. The sense of community can only add to the deeply spiritual experience of seeing Islams most sacred sites. TT