How To Perform Umrah? Step By Step Guidlines

What Is Umrah?

“The performance of Umrah is expiation for the sins committed between it and the previous ones. And the reward for Hajj Mabrur (pilgrimage accepted by Allah) is nothing but Paradise.”

Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam
(Peace Be Upon Him)

In Arabic, the word Umrah means “visiting a populated place”. It is a pilgrimage to the holy city of Islam, “Makkah”, and many people say it is a “shorter version of Hajj”

It is a divine act in Islam which has many spiritual benefits. As the above Hadith depicts, the minor sins done between Two Umrahs are forgiven by Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala.

Many people prefer doing Umrah before Hajj to get familiar with Makkah and the Hajj process. 

This post will help you understand Umrah’s process via easy step-by-step guidelines. So, let’s understand how to perform Umrah. So, let’s understand how to perform Umrah.

Umrah possesses significant importance in Islam. We need to learn Umrah carefully to perform it correctly. Umrah has four Faraiz; let’s understand every Faraiz precisely:

Umrah has four Faraiz, which are as follows:

Ihram and Intentions

Umrah is a divine act and we need to complete it carefully by following all its Fariaz to make our Umrah acceptable. The first Faraiz is to wear Ihram and make the intent of doing Umrah. As we know, there are five Miqats, any person doing Umrah needs to enter Makkah from their relevant Miqat. Miqats are as follows:

• Dhul Hulayfah (also known as Abyar Ali)

• Al-Juhfah (also known as Rabigh)

• Qarn al-Manazil (also known as al-Sayl)

• Dhat Irq

• Yalamlam (also known as al-Sadiah)

It is important to wear Ihram before entering Makkah through any Miqat. For example, if you are coming from the UK to perform Umrah, then your Miqat will be Al-Juhfah (also known as Rabigh), so you have to wear Ihram before entering from Al-Juhfah. If you think that you won’t get enough time to wear an Ihram at Miqat, then it is advisable that you wear an Ihram at any of the UK airports from where you will fly.

After wearing the Ihram, you need to perform two Rakat Nafl Salah, then recite the below-mentioned dua to make the intent for Umrah.

اللهُمَّ إِنِّي أُرِيدُ الْعُمْرَةَ فَيَسِرُ هَالِي وَتَقَبَّلُهَا مِنِّي وَأَعِنِّي عَلَيْهَا

وَبَارِكْ لِي فِيهَا نَوَيْتُ الْعُمَرَةَ وَأَحْرَمْتُ بِهَا لِلَّهِ تَعَالَى

Once you recite this dua, now recite Talbiyah. After that Ihram became compulsory and all regulations related to Ihram will apply from now on.

Tawaf

Once, we reach Makkah, now it’s time for the second Faraiz i.e. Tawaf. Murhim needs to perform Tawaf in Al Masjid Al Haram. When you see Kaaba for the first time, make a long dua with the belief that it will be accepted. After completing the dua, make intent for Tawaf by reciting this: 

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمُ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أُرِيدُ طَوَافَ بَيْتِكَ الحَرَامِ فَيَسِّرُهُ فِي وَتَقَبَّلُهُ مِنِّى سَبْعَةَ أَشْوَاطٍ لِلَّهِ تَعَالَى عَزَّ وَجَلَّ

After making the intent for Tawaf, now move toward the Hajre Aswad (Black Stone), when you come in front of Hajre Aswad, raise your hand to your ears as we do before Salah and your palm should be directed to the Hajre Aswad and then recite this dua “بِسْمِ اللهِ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلِلَّهِ الْحَمْدُ”, now release your hands and try to hold the Hajre Aswad from your hands and kiss it from the middle of your hands. However, if someone is unable to do so because of the crowd, then touch the Hajre Aswad with your hands and then kiss your hands, if that is also possible, then raise your hands towards the Hajre Aswad and kiss palms. Make sure you stop reciting Talbiyah while raising your hands towards the Hajre Aswad for the kiss.

One thing you should make sure that the right shoulder should be exposed. Now, we should start Tawaf, for men, it is Sunnah to complete three rounds with Ramal (walk briskly with the chest thrust forward and shoulders rolling slightly) and the rest four rounds with normal body posture.

For women, Ramal is not required and they will complete Tawaf with their normal body posture.

Make sure while doing Tawaf, your back and chest shouldn’t face Kaaba. Tawaf is the most important Faraiz of Umrah and without it, Umrah won’t be completed. So, learn it wisely through Islamic books and scholars to make it perfect.

SA’IY 

SA’IY is the replication of the act done by the Prophet Ibrahim Alayhis Salaam (Peace Be Upon Him)’s wife Hazrat Hajra Alayhis Salaam in search of water.

 After completing Tawaf, Pilgrims have to climb the hill of Safa and see the Kaaba from there and make dua. Unlike Tawaf, in SA’IY, both shoulders of men will be covered. So, now, we start moving towards Marwah Hill while reciting the dua and when green pillars/light come, men have to run, not very fast, until the next green pillar/light comes. Once we reach Marwah Hill, face the Kaaba and make and recite dua.

Women will not run in between the green pillars/lights. We need to complete seven rounds of it, i.e. going from Safa to Marwa will be counted as one round. So, the SA’IY will end at Marwah Hill. 

Halq

Now, the journey of Umrah is in the last phase, Men who perform Umrah are now required to shave their head completely (it is Sunnah) or shortening their hair is also allowed. For women, only the removal of one fingertip length of hair is required.

Once you complete Halq, now your Umrah is completed and you are from Ihram and other limitations of Umrah

Conclusion

“Perform Umrah when Ramadan comes, for Umrah in Ramadan is equal to Hajj (in reward),’ or said something similar.”
Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam
(Peace Be Upon Him)

Umrah is a pilgrimage to the holy city of Islam, “Makkah”. It has many spiritual benefits, and Muslims, in large numbers, perform it throughout the year. To perform Umrah righteously, we have to learn its Faraiz meticulously. This post attempts to help our Muslim brothers and sisters understand the Umrah process in detail. If you have any doubts related to the Umrah process, you should ask any knowledgeable Islamic scholar.

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