Umrah in short

Umrah is a visit to the Kaaba in Makkah, with set acts of worship. You can do it at any time of the year, and it takes a few hours. Nabi ﷺ said: one Umrah to the next wipes out the sins between them¹. And Umrah in Ramadan is equal to Hajj in reward².

• A pillar (rukn): without it, the Umrah is not complete.
• Wajib: needed. If you leave it, a penalty is due, but the Umrah still counts.
• In practice, do all four, in this order.

Ihram, the miqat and what is not allowed in ihram are in Before you go. This chapter starts when you reach Makkah in ihram.

Entering Masjid al-Haram

• Enter with your right foot and say the dua for any masjid: Allahumma iftah li abwaba rahmatik, O Allah, open for me the doors of Your mercy³.
• Keep saying the talbiyah until you start the tawaf. Then stop.
• When you first see the Kaaba, make dua for whatever you need, in your own words. There is no set dua for this moment in the sahih hadith.
• The tawaf takes the place of the two rakat for entering the masjid.
• Check your wudu. Nabi ﷺ made wudu first when he reached Makkah, then did tawaf⁴.

Tawaf step by step

Tawaf means walking around the Kaaba seven times. Allah says: let them go around the Ancient House⁵.

Before you start

• Wudu. Nabi ﷺ said: tawaf around the House is like salah, except that you may talk in it⁶. Most scholars say wudu is required. See the school views below.
• Idtiba (men only). Put the top ihram cloth under your right arm and over your left shoulder, so the right shoulder is bare⁷. Only during this tawaf. Cover it again for the two rakat.
• Intention in your heart that this is the tawaf of your Umrah.

The seven rounds

• 1. Start at the Black Stone (al-Hajar al-Aswad), the corner in the silver frame. A green light on the wall opposite marks the line. Face it and say Allahu Akbar.
• 2. Touch it, or point to it. If it is easy, touch it and kiss it. If not, raise your right hand toward it and say Allahu Akbar, as Nabi ﷺ did from his camel⁸.
• 3. Walk counterclockwise, with the Kaaba on your left.
• 4. Stay outside the half-circle wall (Hijr Ismail). It is part of the Kaaba⁹. A round through it does not count.
• 5. The Yemeni corner is the corner before the Black Stone. Touch it with your right hand if you can, without kissing it¹⁰. If not, walk on. You do not point to it.
• 6. Between the Yemeni corner and the Black Stone, say: Rabbana atina fid-dunya hasanah, wa fil-akhirati hasanah, wa qina adhaban-nar¹¹. Our Lord, give us good in this world and good in the next, and save us from the Fire¹².
• 7. Back at the Black Stone line, that is one round. Point, say Allahu Akbar, and go on. After the seventh round, the tawaf is done.

Umar kissed the Stone and said: I know you are only a stone, you cannot harm or help. If I had not seen Nabi ﷺ kiss you, I would not have kissed you¹³.

Raml: walking briskly (men only)

• In the first three rounds, men walk quickly with short steps. In the last four, they walk normally¹⁴.
• If the crowd is thick, just walk. Women do not do raml or idtiba.

Raml began when the people of Makkah said the Muslims had been made weak by fever¹⁵.

What to say in tawaf

• There is no set dua for each round. Books with a special dua for round one, round two and so on are not from the sunnah.
• Make dua in any language, make dhikr, recite Quran, or walk quietly. If you talk, say only good¹⁹.

Two rakat behind Maqam Ibrahim, then Zamzam

• Maqam Ibrahim is the stone Ibrahim stood on, in a glass and gold case. Allah says: take the station of Ibrahim as a place of prayer²⁰.
• Pray two short rakat with the Maqam between you and the Kaaba²¹. If it is crowded, pray anywhere in the masjid.
• Nabi ﷺ recited Surah al-Kafirun in the first and Surah al-Ikhlas in the second²². Scholars differ on whether these rakat are required or a strong sunnah. Do not leave them.
• Then drink Zamzam and make dua. Nabi ﷺ said: it is blessed, and it is food that fills²³. And: Zamzam is for whatever it is drunk for²⁴.
• If it is easy, touch or point to the Black Stone once more, then go to Safa²⁵.

Wudu in tawaf: the school views

• A few scholars, such as Ibn Taymiyyah, said wudu for tawaf is strongly sunnah, not required.
• All agree: start tawaf with wudu, and with your awrah covered, as in salah.

If your wudu breaks during tawaf

• Stop, leave the tawaf area and make wudu. There are wudu places outside the gates.
• Then scholars differ. Hanafis and Shafi'is: come back and carry on from the round where you stopped. Malikis, and Hanbalis in their main view: start the tawaf again.
• In heavy crowds, many scholars today allow carrying on from where you stopped. Follow your group's guide or a scholar you trust.
• Only a doubt that your wudu broke? You are still in wudu. Carry on.

Sa'i step by step

Sa'i means walking between the small hills of Safa and Marwah seven times. Allah says: Safa and Marwah are among the signs of Allah²⁶. Hajar ran between them seven times looking for water for baby Ismail. Nabi ﷺ said: that is why people walk between them²⁷.

• 1. Go to Safa, after the tawaf. Sa'i must come after a tawaf.
• 2. Near Safa, recite Innas-Safa wal-Marwata min sha'a'irillah²⁸ and say: we begin with what Allah began with²⁹. Only at the start.
• 3. On Safa, face the Kaaba, raise your hands and say Allahu Akbar three times. Then: La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lah, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu, yuhyi wa yumitu, wa huwa ala kulli shay'in qadir, and make your own dua. Nabi ﷺ did this three times³⁰.
• 4. Walk to Marwah. Between the green lights, men jog lightly, as Nabi ﷺ hurried in the low part of the valley³¹. Women walk.
• 5. On Marwah, do the same as on Safa³².
• 6. Safa to Marwah is one trip. Back to Safa is two. So you end on Marwah after the seventh.

• Wudu is not required for sa'i in any of the four schools. It is better to have it.
• No set dua for each trip. You may rest and drink, then carry on. It is about 3 km in all.
• The upper floors and the wheelchair lane all count.

Shaving or trimming, and the end of ihram

Allah describes the believers entering the Sacred Masjid with heads shaved or hair cut short³³.

Men

• Shaving is better. Nabi ﷺ said: O Allah, have mercy on those who shave. The people said: and those who trim? He said it again for those who shave. The third time he said: and those who trim³⁴.
• How much: Hanafis say at least a quarter of the head. Shafi'is say at least three hairs. Malikis and Hanbalis say from the whole head. To be safe, shave, or trim all over.

Women

• Nabi ﷺ said: there is no shaving for women, only trimming³⁵.
• Gather the hair and cut about a fingertip's length, about 2 cm, from the ends. Do it in private.

Ihram is over

• After the haircut, your Umrah is complete. Everything ihram stopped is allowed again: normal clothes, perfume, nails, and your spouse.
• Not before. Jabir said a man who did tawaf but not sa'i must not go near his wife until he finishes the sa'i³⁶.
• Forgot the haircut and changed clothes? Cut it as soon as you remember, and ask your group's guide.

Periods during Umrah

Aisha's period started on the way to Makkah, and she cried. Nabi ﷺ told her: this is something Allah has written for the daughters of Adam. Do everything a pilgrim does, except tawaf, until you are pure³⁷.

• Before tawaf: stay in ihram and wait until you are pure. Then make ghusl and do the Umrah. Make dua and dhikr while you wait.
• After tawaf, before sa'i: carry on. Do the sa'i and the haircut. Your Umrah is complete.
• During tawaf: stop. When you are pure, do the tawaf again.
• Flight leaves before you are pure: scholars differ. Some say stay in ihram and come back to finish. Some allow tawaf in real need. Ask a scholar before you decide.
• Pills to delay a period: many scholars allow them if a doctor says they are safe.
• Bleeding that is not a period (istihadah) does not stop tawaf. Make wudu and do it.

Doubt, crowds and wheelchairs

Doubt in the count

• Five rounds or six? Take the lower number and finish. Nabi ﷺ taught this for doubt in salah: drop the doubt and build on what you are sure of⁴². Most scholars say the same for tawaf and sa'i.
• A doubt that comes after you finish does not count.
• Tip: use a tally counter, a ring counter, or your fingers.

Crowds

• Do not push to reach the Black Stone. Kissing it is a sunnah. Hurting people is a sin. Pointing is enough⁴³.
• The upper floors and the roof count for tawaf. The rounds are longer but calmer.
• Iqamah called during tawaf or sa'i? Join the prayer, then carry on from where you stopped.
• Agree on a meeting point, like a gate number, before you start.

Wheelchairs

• A wheelchair or cart is fine for tawaf and sa'i. Umm Salamah was ill, and Nabi ﷺ told her: do tawaf behind the people, riding⁴⁴.
• Nabi ﷺ himself did tawaf on his camel, so people could see him and ask him⁴⁵.

Common questions

I lost count in my tawaf. Was it five or six?

Count it as five and do two more. Build on what you are sure of⁴⁶.

My wudu broke in the fifth round. Do I start again?

Make wudu first. Hanafis and Shafi'is say carry on from the fifth round. Malikis and Hanbalis say start again. Ask your group's guide, and follow the view you trust.

My period started after tawaf, before sa'i. Is my Umrah ruined?

No. Do the sa'i and cut your hair. Only tawaf needs you to be pure⁴⁷.

Can I do Umrah for my father or mother?

Yes, if they have died, or are too old or ill to go. Nabi ﷺ told a man whose father was too old to travel: do Hajj and Umrah for your father⁴⁸. Most scholars say do your own Umrah first⁴⁹. At the miqat, make the intention for them.

Can I do a second Umrah from Masjid Aisha (Tan'im)?

Nabi ﷺ sent Aisha there for a new Umrah⁵⁰. Many scholars allow others to do the same. Some say extra tawaf is better. Both are held by good scholars.

Can my children do Umrah?

Yes. A woman lifted up a boy and asked: does he get Hajj? Nabi ﷺ said: yes, and you get a reward⁵¹. A parent makes the intention for a small child and carries them through.

Do I have to read the dua book in tawaf?

No. Talk to Allah in your own words. Between the Yemeni corner and the Black Stone, say Rabbana atina...⁵².