Umrah
Umrah is a spiritual journey undertaken by Muslims to visit the Holy Kaaba. Pilgrims who proceed on this journey, go along the path to purify their souls, heart mind and body from the sins committed in the past.
Essentially, Umrah means ‘visit’ to the Holy Kaaba (the Sacred House of God) in Arabic and can be performed by anyone, at any time of the year; unlike Hajj which has a stipulated period in the year.
Before pilgrims wish to enter the Al Masjid Al Haram (the sacred boundary of Makkah) and move across to perform Umrah, they should enter the state of Ihram in one of the five different areas of Miqats or a point adjacent to them.
Prior to visiting the sacred boundary of Makkah, pilgrims are mandated to assume a state of Ihram, which is the combined sacred act of Niyyah and Talbiyah necessary to perform Umrah. Niyyah is the innate intention to perform an act of worship, while Talbiyah is a special prayer said in supplication for any one intending to perform Hajj or Umrah.
To become a Muhrim (a pilgrim that has attained the state of Ihram), a pilgrim must prepare himself for Ihram by following the steps below as instructed by the Prophet (PBUH):
Performing ablution and “Ghusul” (taking bathe) cleansing the body to attain physical purity.
Changing into the sacred attire of two-pieced white Ihram clothd (Izar and Rida) for men and ordinary Islamic clothes for women. Both, men and women, should wear the flip-flops or sandals that expose the middle bones of the midfoot.
Performing the two “Rakats” of Salah al-Ihram.
Reciting Talbiyah repeatedly after traversing the Miqat stations in the sacred boundary of the Grand Holy Mosque until the commencement of Tawaf.
TAWAF – CIRCUMAMBULATION OF THE HOLY KAABA IN WORSHIP
After assuming a state of Ihram, the Muhrim performs the obligatory act of Tawaf around the Kaaba in the Al Masjid Al Haram. The Muhrim must stop reciting the Talbiyah and start circumambulating the holy Kaaba seven times (as a reminder of the angels that circumambulate the celestial realms of Allah’s house, al-Bayt al-Ma’mur), by setting their right foot in and making Idtiba’a. Men must bear their right shoulder by placing the Rida under their right arm and the lower parts of it over their left shoulder during the first three rounds of “Tawwaaf”.
They must circumambulate the Kaaba by starting from the Black Stone and completing it there with the sincere intention of seeking closeness to Allah.
Pilgrims can kiss or touch the Black Stone if they can during the circumambulations, otherwise, they can gesture with their right hands and start moving for the seven anticlockwise circumambulations while reciting “du’aa” with the holy Kaaba on their left, without any interruptions or distractions.
During the first three circumambulations, only the men must make Ramal (fast-paced walk on entry into the holy Kaaba) and the remaining four are completed by walking (at a normal pace).
The last circumambulation ends exactly where the first one began, to ensure that the pilgrims completed all seven rounds without moving or falling behind a single step or more. And with the seventh round of circumambulation Tawaf concludes.
Upon completion of “Tawwaaf”, pilgrims can go behind Maqam Ibrahim (the station of Ibrahim) and perform the two rakats of Tawwaaf and thereafter supplicate and then proceed to drink the holy Zamzam water from well of Zamzam water while supplicating to Allah.
SA’IY – WALKING SEVEN TIMES BETWEEN THE HILLS OF SAFA AND MARWAH IN WORSHIP
Umrah pilgrims intending to make Sa’iy must make their way out of the Al Masjid Al Haram towards the Masaa’ (the place of Sa’iy) which commemorates the struggle Prophet Abraham’s wife Hazarat Hajara went through to search for water for her son between the hills of Safa in the south and Marwah in the North. In essence, Sa’iy is a great way to spend some time on self-reflection and self-realisation.
Pilgrims start Sa’iy by going up the hill of Safaa and facing the Kaaba with utmost devotion, while raising their hands to supplicate to Allah. They must then descend from Safa and walk towards the hill of Marwah while reciting supplication walking until they reach two green pillars between which men have to run through while women walk at a normal pace. When on top of Marwah, they praise Allah facing the Kaaba and reciting supplications mentioning Allah.
The procedure continues with pilgrims going from Safa to Marwah and returning back to Safa, until they complete seven laps in total. Each round is nearly 450m long. The seventh round will end at Marwah where pilgrims must stand facing the Kaaba and doing supplications. Men must perform Sa’iy with their shoulders covered.
HALQ (SHAVING THE HEAD) OR TAQSIR (CLIPPING OR SHORTENING OF THE HAIR FOR MEN AND WOMEN)
Finally, the last step of your Umrah is shaving or clipping the hair. Men should get their head completely shaved, or get their hair clipped. While women are forbidden to shave their heads and only allowed to have a lock or strand of their hair clipped. The act of cutting the hair symbolizes one’s detachment from the state of Ihram called “Tahallul”.
After “Tahallul”, all the prohibitions imposed on the conduct of pilgrims by Ihram are lifted, and upon completion of this last obligatory ritual, they can then remove Ihram sheets and change into their regular clothes.