What Hajj is, and why it matters

Hajj is the pilgrimage to Makkah, on fixed days in the month of Dhul-Hijjah. It is one of the five pillars of Islam¹, usually counted as the fifth. Allah says: Hajj to the House is a duty to Allah on everyone who is able to make the journey².

• Nabi ﷺ said: whoever does Hajj for Allah, with no indecent talk and no sin, comes back like the day his mother gave birth to him³.
• He said: an accepted Hajj has no reward except Jannah. And one Umrah to the next wipes away the sins between them⁴.
• Aisha asked about jihad for women. He said: the best jihad for you is an accepted Hajj⁵.

Once in a lifetime

Nabi ﷺ said: Allah has made Hajj a duty on you, so do Hajj. A man asked: every year? He said: if I said yes, it would become a duty every year, and you could not do it⁶. Later he said: once. Whoever does more, it is extra⁷.

Once you are able, do not keep putting it off. Nabi ﷺ said: whoever means to do Hajj, let him hurry⁸. Most scholars say you must go without delay. Shafi'is say you may delay, but hurrying is better.

For the story behind the rites and a simple day-by-day walk-through, see our Umrah and Hajj page. This chapter covers what to know before you go.

Who must go

Hajj is required once on a Muslim, who is an adult (has reached puberty), of sound mind, and able⁹. "Able" means:

• Health: you are well enough to travel and do the rites.
• Money: you can pay for the trip, there and back, and still leave enough for the people you support while you are away.
• A safe route: the way is safe and you can get a place. Today that includes a Hajj visa or permit. If your country's quota keeps you from going, you are not yet "able".

Debts

• A debt that is due now, which you cannot pay as well as going: pay the debt first.
• A long-term debt, like a mortgage paid monthly, does not usually stop you, if you keep up the payments. Many scholars say this.

Special cases

• Children: a woman lifted up a small boy and asked: does he have Hajj? Nabi ﷺ said: yes, and you get a reward¹⁰. But once he grows up, the required Hajj is still due.
• Too old or ill to ever travel, but you have the money? Someone can do Hajj for you. A woman asked to do Hajj for her old father who could not sit on a ride. Nabi ﷺ said: yes¹¹.
• That person must have done their own Hajj first: do Hajj for yourself, then for Shubrumah¹².

Women and a mahram

A mahram is a woman's husband, or a man she can never marry, like her father, son or brother. Nabi ﷺ said: a woman should not travel except with a mahram. A man said: I have signed up for an army, and my wife wants to go to Hajj. He said: go and do Hajj with your wife¹³.

Scholars differ on a woman going without a mahram:

• Hanafis and Hanbalis: a mahram is part of being "able". Without one, Hajj is not yet required on her, and she should not go.
• Malikis and Shafi'is: for her required Hajj, she may go with a safe, trustworthy group, such as trustworthy women. Umar let the wives of Nabi ﷺ do Hajj with Uthman and Abdur-Rahman ibn Awf to look after them¹⁴. Nabi ﷺ also said a day would come when a woman would travel to the Kaaba fearing no one but Allah¹⁵.
• Saudi visa rules now often let women register with an approved group without a mahram. That is a visa rule, not a fiqh ruling. Check the current rules with your group.

Umrah, and the three ways to do Hajj

Umrah is the smaller pilgrimage: ihram, tawaf (walking seven times around the Kaaba), sa'i (walking seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwah), then cutting the hair. Allah says: complete the Hajj and the Umrah for Allah¹⁶.

• Shafi'is and Hanbalis: Umrah is required once in a lifetime, for whoever is able.
• Hanafis and Malikis: it is a strong sunnah.

Aisha said: some of us entered ihram for Umrah only, some for Hajj and Umrah together, and some for Hajj only¹⁷. These are the three ways:

The Hajj months are Shawwal, Dhul-Qa'dah and the first days of Dhul-Hijjah¹⁹.

Easiest for most people from abroad: tamattu'. You do Umrah when you arrive, then live normally until Hajj. Most groups do this. Nabi ﷺ told Companions with no sacrifice animal to make their ihram an Umrah, and said: if I had known before what I know now, I would not have brought the animal²⁰.

Which is best? Hanbalis say tamattu', Hanafis qiran, Malikis and Shafi'is ifrad. All three are valid. Follow your group.

Getting ready

• Repent. Leave sins, feel sorry, and ask Allah to forgive you.
• Settle people's rights. Pay or arrange your debts. Ask forgiveness from anyone you wronged, today, before the day when there is no money, only good and bad deeds²¹.
• Write a will. A Muslim with something to leave should not spend two nights without a written will²².
• Use halal money for the trip.
• Learn the rites, the talbiyah and the duas before you fly.
• Choose a good group: a licensed operator, with a guide or scholar who teaches the rites. Ask which type of Hajj they do.
• Get fit and pack patience. In Hajj there is no indecent talk, no sin and no arguing²³.

Ihram and the miqat

Ihram is the special state of a pilgrim. You enter it with the intention of Hajj or Umrah. The white cloths men wear are also called ihram, but the real ihram is the intention.

A miqat is a boundary point around Makkah. Anyone heading to Makkah for Hajj or Umrah must enter ihram at the miqat or before it, never after.

Nabi ﷺ set the first four²⁴. Umar set Dhat Irq, level with Qarn²⁵.

• Use the miqat on your way, even if it is not your country's²⁶. If you pass between two, enter ihram when you are level with the nearest one²⁷.
• Living inside the miqat, like in Jeddah? Enter ihram from home. People in Makkah enter ihram for Hajj from Makkah²⁸, and for Umrah go just outside the Haram, like Tan'im, as Aisha did²⁹.
• Passed the miqat without ihram, meaning Hajj or Umrah? Go back and enter ihram there. If you do not, most scholars say you owe a sacrifice (a sheep).
• Going to Makkah for work or family, with no plan for Umrah? No ihram needed. If you decide on Umrah later, enter ihram from where you are.

Putting on ihram

Before the intention

• Ghusl (a full bath). Nabi ﷺ bathed to enter ihram³⁰. It is sunnah, even for a woman on her period. Asma bint Umays gave birth on the way, and was told to bathe and enter ihram³¹.
• Trim nails and remove hair you normally remove, so you do not need to later.
• Perfume on the body (not the cloths), before the intention. Aisha put perfume on Nabi ﷺ when he was about to enter ihram³². If it lasts after, that is fine.
• Many scholars recommend two rakat (units of prayer) before ihram, or entering it after a fard prayer.

Clothes

• Men: two plain cloths, usually white, one round the waist and one over the shoulders. No shirt, turban, trousers, hooded cloak or socks³³. Sandals that leave the top of the foot open. A belt, watch and glasses are fine, most scholars say.
• Women: normal modest clothes, any color. But no face veil (niqab) and no gloves³⁴. Many scholars allow her to let a cloth hang over her face when men are near.

The intention and the talbiyah

• At the miqat, make the intention in your heart. Many say: Labbayk Allahumma umratan (here I am, O Allah, for Umrah), or hajjan for Hajj.
• Afraid illness may stop you? Add: "O Allah, I come out of ihram wherever You stop me." Nabi ﷺ taught this to Duba'ah, who was unwell³⁵. Then if you are stopped, there is no penalty.
• Then the talbiyah: Labbayk Allahumma labbayk. Labbayka la sharika laka labbayk. Innal-hamda wan-ni'mata laka wal-mulk. La sharika lak. Here I am, O Allah, here I am. You have no partner. All praise and blessings are Yours, and all rule. You have no partner³⁶.
• Men say it out loud. Jibril told Nabi ﷺ to have his Companions raise their voices with it³⁷. Women say it quietly. Keep saying it until tawaf (Umrah) or until stoning on Eid day (Hajj).
• Most scholars say the talbiyah is a strong sunnah. Hanafis say ihram starts with the intention joined to the talbiyah or a similar remembrance of Allah. So say it.

Ihram on a plane

Planes pass over the miqat in the air, so you must be in ihram before the plane passes it. For most flights from abroad, Jeddah is inside the miqat, so waiting to land is too late. A few scholars allow ihram in Jeddah, but most do not.

• Get ready on the ground: ghusl at home or at the airport. Men put on the cloths before boarding, or on the plane.
• Wearing the cloths is not ihram yet. You enter ihram when you make the intention.
• Make the intention before the plane reaches the miqat. Many crews announce it. Not sure of the time? Intend a little early. Earlier is fine. Later is not.
• Flying to Madinah first? No ihram on the plane. Enter it at Dhul-Hulayfah on your way to Makkah.

What is not allowed in ihram

• Cutting or removing hair: do not shave your heads until the sacrifice reaches its place³⁸. Cutting nails is the same.
• Perfume on the body, clothes, food or drink³⁹.
• Hunting land animals: do not kill game while you are in ihram⁴⁰.
• Marriage: marrying, arranging a marriage, or proposing⁴¹.
• Intimacy: intercourse, and touching or kissing with desire⁴².
• Men only: clothes shaped to the body, like shirts, trousers, underwear and socks⁴³, and covering the head with something that touches it. Shade from an umbrella or a car roof is fine.
• Women only: a face veil and gloves⁴⁴.

What is fine

• Washing. Abu Ayyub showed how Nabi ﷺ washed his head in ihram, pouring water and rubbing with his hands⁴⁵. Use unscented soap.
• Changing into clean cloths, an umbrella, a watch, glasses, and medical help. Nabi ﷺ was cupped in ihram⁴⁶.
• Killing harmful creatures, like scorpions and mice⁴⁷.

If you break a rule: the penalties

Mistakes happen, and Allah made a way to put them right. Ka'b ibn Ujrah had lice in ihram. Nabi ﷺ told him: shave your head, then fast three days, or feed six poor people, or sacrifice a sheep⁴⁸. This penalty is called fidyah⁴⁹.

Hanafis also look at how much was done: a little may mean only a small charity. A sacrifice is done in the Haram for its poor, and your group can arrange it. If something happens, tell your group's guide. It can be put right.

Common questions

I am flying from London to Jeddah for Umrah. Where do I put on ihram?

On the plane, before it passes the miqat. Do ghusl at home. Men wear the cloths before boarding, or change on the plane. Make the intention and start the talbiyah when the crew announces the miqat, or a little earlier to be safe. Do not wait for Jeddah. Flying to Madinah first? Enter ihram at Dhul-Hulayfah on your way to Makkah.

I am a woman and no mahram can go with me. Can I do Hajj?

Hanafis and Hanbalis say it is not required on you yet, and you should not go without one. Malikis and Shafi'is allow your required Hajj with a safe, trustworthy group of women. Ask a scholar you trust, and check your group's visa rules.

Can I use soap and shampoo in ihram?

Yes, if it is unscented⁵⁵. Scented ones count as perfume. Unscented versions are easy to find in Makkah and online.

My period came before I reached the miqat for Umrah. What do I do?

Make ghusl and enter ihram at the miqat as normal⁵⁶. Then wait for tawaf until you are clean⁵⁷, staying in ihram, and do your Umrah after. If your flight home is close, ask a scholar before you travel. Many scholars allow pills to delay a period, if a doctor says they are safe.