Umrah Guide

Below is a brief overview of the rites of Umrah. Refer to the article above for an in depth look at how to perform Umrah.

Ihram

• Purity – Clip the nails, remove unwanted hair under the armpits and navel and trim the moustache.
• Bathe – Do Ghusl (bath) or at the very least, Wudhu (ablution).
• Ihram clothing – Before reaching the Miqat, put on the Ihram. For men, this is two sheets of white cloth. For women, regular modest clothing will suffice. It is recommended to put on the Ihram at the airport before departure.
• Salah of Ihram – Perform two Rakahs of Salah after putting on the Ihram. Recite Surah al-Kafirun (Surah 109) in the first Rakah and Surah al-Ikhlas (Surah 112) in the second after al-Fatiha. Make Dua after the Salah.
• Niyyah – Make your Niyyah for Umrah as you approach the Miqat, preferably in the plane. Make sure you remove any clothing that violates the conditions of Ihram. It is recommended to make a verbal intention. This may be done in any language.
  لَبَّيْكَ اللَّهُمَّ عُمْرَة
  Labbayka llāhumma ‘umratan.
  O Allah, here I am to perform Umrah.
• Talbiyah – Recite the Talbiyah:
  لَبَّيْكَ اللهُمَّ لَبَّيْكَ – لَبَّيْكَ لَا شَرِيْكَ لَكَ لَبَّيْكَ – إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ وَالنِّعْمَةَ لَكَ وَالْمُلْكَ – لَا شَرِيْكَ لَكَ –
  Labbayka llāhumma labbayk(a), labbayka lā sharīka laka labbayk(a), inna l-ḥamda wa n-ni’mata, laka wa l-mulk(a), lā sharīka lak.
  At Your service, Allah, at Your service. At Your service, You have no partner, at Your service. Truly all praise, favour and sovereignty is Yours. You have no partner.
  Men should chant the Talbiyah audibly and women should recite quietly. Send Salawat on the Prophet ﷺ and make Dua after pronouncing the Talbiyah.
• To Makkah – Proceed to Makkah while reciting Talbiyah, Dhikr and Salawat.
• Enter Masjid al-Haram – Upon reaching Masjid al-Haram, enter with your right foot, preferably through Bab al-Salam and recite the Dua for entering the mosque.
• Dua at the Kaaba – Keep your gaze lowered until you see the Kaaba. Upon seeing it, say Allāhu akbar. Allāhu akbar. Lā ilāha illa-llāh three times. Raise your hands, make an abundance of Dua and send Salawat on the Prophet ﷺ.

Tawaf al-Umrah

• Idtiba – Men should uncover the right shoulder by passing the upper Ihram garment under the right armpit (Idtiba).
• Starting point – Position yourself in line with the Hajar al-Aswad. This is the starting point of the Tawaf. A green light on the wall will highlight this position.
• Niyyah – Make your Niyyah for Tawaf. It is recommended to make a verbal intention. This may be done in any language.
  اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّيْ أُرِيْدُ طَوَافَ بَيْتِكَ الْحَرَامِ فَيَسِّرْهُ لِيْ وَتَقَبَّلْهُ مِنِّيْ
  Allāhumma innī urīdu l-ṭawwafa baytika l-ḥarāmi fa yassirhu lī wa taqabbalhu minnī.
  O Allah, I intend to perform Tawaf of the Sacred Mosque, so accept it from me and make it easy for me.
• Istilam – Kiss or touch the Hajar al-Aswad if you can reach it. If not, gesture towards it from afar. This is called Istilam. To do Istilam, raise your hands to your ears and say Bismi llāhi wallāhu akbar.
• Start – Start the first circuit of the Tawaf, making sure the Kaaba is on your left.
• Raml – Men may walk briskly with the chest sticking out (Raml) in the first three circuits. Don’t do this if there is too much congestion.
• Dhikr & Dua – You may recite Quran, do Dhikr, make any Dua and send Salawat during Tawaf. Between the Rukn al-Yamani and the Hajar al-Aswad, you can recite:
  رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
  Rabbanā ātinā fi d-dunyā ḥasanatan wafi l-ākhirati ḥasanatan wa qinā ‘adhāba n-nār.
  O our Lord, grant us the good of this world, the good of the Hereafter, and save us from the punishment of the fire.
• End of circuit – Returning to the Hajar al-Aswad marks one circuit. Start the second by making Istilam of the Hajar al-Aswad and saying Allāhu akbar.
• End of Tawaf – Complete seven rounds continuously (unless Salah starts). You will finish having made Istilam eight times in total.
• Stop Idtiba – Cover your right shoulder with your Ihram.
• Salah of Tawaf – After Tawaf, perform two Rakahs of Salah, preferably in a position where Maqam Ibrahim is between you and the Kaaba. If this is not possible, pray anywhere in the Masjid. Recite Surah al-Kafirun (Surah 109) in the first Rakah and Surah al-Ikhlas (Surah 112) in the second after al-Fatiha. Make Dua after the Salah.
• Zamzam – Drink Zamzam water and make Dua.
• Multazam – If possible, go to the area between the Hajar al-Aswad and Kaaba door (Multazam). Cling to the wall and make Dua. If it’s inaccessible, face it and make Dua.
• Final Istilam – Before Sa’i, it’s recommended to make Istilam for the ninth time.

Sa’i of Safa and Marwah

• Proceed to Safa – Go to the hill of Safa and make Niyyah for Sa’i.
• Dua at Safa – At Safa, face the Kaaba and say Takbir (Allāhu akbar), Tahlil (lā ilāha illā Allāh) and send Salawat upon the Prophet ﷺ. Make as much Dua as possible here.
• Proceed to Marwa – On the way to Marwa, men should quicken their pace between the set of green lights. Women should continue normally.
• Dhikr & Dua – Do Dhikr, Dua and Salawat of your own choice as you walk between the two hills.
• Dua at Marwa – After reaching Marwa, make Dua as you did at Safa. This is one lap.
• Return to Safa – Go back to Safa for you second lap.
• End of Sa’i – Repeat this until you have completed seven laps, finishing at Marwa.
• Dua and Salah of Sa’i – Make Dua and performs two Rakahs of Salah in the Masjid.

Halq or Taqsir

• Exit the Masjid with your left foot and recite the Dua for leaving the mosque.
• To leave the state of Ihram and complete your Umrah, you must have you head shaved (Halq) or trimmed by at least an inch (Taqsir).
• Women may only have their hair trimmed.
• There are a number of men’s barber shops outside the Haram.