How to Perform Umrah

Before you start your journey to the Holy city of Makkah then one should make sure that you clean your body from all the unnecessary hair and cut your nails. After doing so you have to take a bath and make sure your body is clean and perform ablution. 

To perform Umrah you have to wear Ihram and after wearing Ihram you have to abide by certain conditions. Following are condition that you have to abide by. 

• The sole intention should be to perform Umrah in order to fulfil Allah’s command
• Try to avoid all major or minor sins from core of your heart. Try to pray and ask forgiveness from Allah and all the people for any wrong doing.
• Make sure you pray 5 times a day
• You should be strong to bear the troubles and the difficulties with patience on Umrah.
• Make sure that you have all your medications and you have taken the necessary vaccination as well.
• Your passport and travel documents are extremely important thus you should have some carry bags that can hold all your important things.

Restrictions of Ihram: 

1. No Marital intimacy 
2. Not committing sins 
3. Avoiding Arguing and disputes 
4. No sewn clothes and footwear that covers your foot (Male) 
5. Male: Not covering head/face – Female: Not covering face and not wearing gloves. 

What is allowed in ihram: 

1. Taking a bath – Avoid scented toiletries and for ihram avoid scented detergents. 
2. Females: Any form of footwear is allowed. 
3. Sitting under shade e.g. handheld umbrella, tents. 
4. Belts, pouches/bags, sunglasses, prescription glasses 

It is advised to wear the Irham at the airport or on the plane.

After wearing Ihram you may wish to offer two rakats of Sunnah prayer.  

Near to the Miqat boundary: 

Intention for Umrah

نَوَيْتُ الْعُمْرَةَ وَأَحْرَمْتُ بِهَا لِلَّهِ تَعَالَى 

Nawaytu al-‘Umrata wa ahramtu biha lillahi ta‘ala 

Meaning in English: 

“I intend to perform Umrah and have entered into Ihram for it, for the sake of Allah, the Exalted.” 

Once your intention has been made then you need to recite the following:

لَبَّيْكَ اللَّهُمَّ لَبَّيْكَ
لَبَّيْكَ لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ لَبَّيْكَ
إِنَّ الحَمْدَ وَالنِّعْمَةَ لَكَ وَالمُلْك
لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ

Labbayka Allahumma labbayk,
Labbayka la shareeka laka labbayk,
Innal-hamda, wan-ni’mata, laka wal-mulk,
La shareeka lak.

“Here I am, O Allah, here I am.
Here I am, You have no partner, here I am.
Verily all praise, grace, and sovereignty belong to You.
You have no partner.”

Now you are in the “State of Irham” and all rules of ihram apply.

Recite the Talbiyah frequently. Men should recite it aloud in a normal voice, while women should recite it softly.

This should be recited up until you are about to start your Tawaf.

Upon entering Masjid Al Haram recite: 

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ، اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي ذُنُوبِي وَافْتَحْ لِي أَبْوَابَ رَحْمَتِكَ 

Bismillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, Allahumma ighfir lī dhunūbī wa iftaḥ lī abwāba raḥmatika 

Meaning in English: 

“In the name of Allah, and blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah. O Allah, forgive my sins and open the doors of Your mercy for me.” 

Method of Tawaf 

The most important step of Umrah is the Tawaf which is also known as circumambulation. Make sure you have wudu, you should come to the corner of Bait-ul-Allah. The point from where the Tawaf should be started is where the Hajr Aswad (Black Stone) is located at the opposite of a green light that is fitted above ground in the place of Tawaf. While passing along there you need to make your intention for the Tawaf Bait-ul-Allah. 

“O’ Allah I intend performing tawaf of your sacred house, (seven rounds) so make my tawaf easy for me and O’Allah accept it from me.” 

After the intention you have to perform “Idhtiba” (Men Only). To perform Idhtiba you have to cover the left shoulder with one end of the ihram and pass the other end under the right arm. As you pass Hajre Aswad, raise your hand that your palm faces Hajre Aswad and recite: 

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ 

Transliteration: 

Bismillāh wa-Allāhu Akbar 

Meaning in English: 

“In the name of Allah, and Allah is the Greatest.” 

After the first round of Tawaf is compete and you have to perform 6 more rounds of Tawaf in the same way.

In first three rounds men will perform Ramal (If possible). Ramal is an act in which men will walk hastily, take shorter steps, lifting the legs forcefully, keeping the chest out and moving the shoulders simultaneously. 

Now you need to offer two rakat (wajib) with the Maqam e Ibrahim between you and the kaba, this can be done at the allocated spaces made by the Haram authorities. You will need to recite Surah Al Kafirun in the first rakat and Surah Ikhlas in the second rakat after Surah Fatiha, once complete make dua and drink Zam Zam. While drinking zam zam you can recite the following: 

اللّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ عِلْمًا نَافِعًا، وَرِزْقًا وَاسِعًا، وَشِفَاءً مِنْ كُلِّ دَاءٍ 

Transliteration: 

Allahumma inni as’aluka ‘ilman nāfi‘an, wa rizqan wāsi‘an, wa shifā’an min kulli dā’in 

Meaning in English: 

“O Allah, I ask You for beneficial knowledge, abundant provision, and healing from every illness.” 

Now you have to perform the Sayee of safa & Marwa. As you approach Mount Safa you may want to recite the following: 

أَبْدَأُ بِمَا بَدَأَ اللَّهُ بِهِ إِنَّ الصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةَ مِن شَعَائِرِ اللَّهِ 

Transliteration: 

Abda’u bimā bada’a Allāhu bihi, inna aṣ-Ṣafā wal-Marwata min sha‘ā’iri Allāh 

Meaning in English: 

“I begin with what Allah has begun with. Indeed, Safa and Marwah are among the symbols of Allah.” 

Now climb Mount Safa to the point where you could see the Bait-ul-Allah and recite: 

اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ، لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ، أَنْجَزَ وَعْدَهُ، وَنَصَرَ عَبْدَهُ، وَهَزَمَ الْأَحْزَابَ وَحْدَهُ 

Transliteration: 

Allāhu Akbar, Allāhu Akbar, Allāhu Akbar, lā ilāha illā Allāh waḥdahu lā sharīka lah, lahu al-mulku wa lahu al-ḥamdu, wa huwa ʿalā kulli shay’in qadīr, lā ilāha illā Allāh waḥdahu, anjaza waʿdahu, wa naṣara ʿabdahu, wa hazama al-aḥzāba waḥdahu 

Meaning in English: 

“Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest. There is no god but Allah, alone, without any partner. To Him belongs the kingdom, and to Him belongs all praise, and He is capable of all things. There is no god but Allah, alone. He fulfilled His promise, aided His servant, and defeated the confederates alone.” 

PLEASE NOTE: The above dua is recited on top of both Mount Safa and Mount Marwa. 

Then you have to start walking towards Mount Marwa with intention of Sayee. Men should run (The length is shown by green lighting – If possible) while the women walk. Repeat this 7 times to complete your seven rounds of Sayee of Safa and Marwa. 

PLEASE NOTE: Safa to Marwa is 1 unit and Marwa to Safa is 1 Unit and you must complete a total of 7 units which means that your Sa’ee will finish at Mount Marwa. 

Shaving/Trimming the Hair (Tahallul): 

For Men: 

Men can either shave their entire head (this is considered more virtuous) or trim their hair by cutting a small portion from all over the head. 

For Women: 

Women are required to trim their hair by cutting a small portion, typically the length of a fingertip, from the end of their hair. 

After this step, the state of Ihram is concluded, and pilgrims can return to their regular clothing and resume activities that were prohibited during Ihram. This signifies the completion of Umrah. 

To perform multiple Umrah’s while residing in Makkah, pilgrims must leave the Haram boundary and enter a state of Ihram again. The most commonly visited Miqat for this purpose is Masjid Al-Taneem, also known as Masjid Al-Aisha. This mosque is located about 5 miles (7 kilometers) from the Kaaba and serves as a convenient Miqat for those wishing to perform additional Umrahs during their stay in Makkah. 

After completing their first Umrah, pilgrims can travel to Masjid Al-Taneem, don their Ihram (Ihram can be worn from your hotel), make the intention, and return to Makkah to perform another Umrah.