Umrah for beginners: What is Umrah and how is it performed?

What is Umrah?

Umrah is one of the acts of worship that have many virtues. A hadith states that one Umrah to the next is a cause for the erasure of the sins committed between them. Umrah is an act of worship at the House of Allah, performed by carrying out ihram, tawaf, sa'i, and tahallul.

Before you depart, set your intention purely for the sake of Allah. Do not make Umrah merely about people's recognition, prestige, or just a journey. Intend all of it for Allah and in hope of His pleasure. May Allah accept our worship, forgive our sins, and grant us blessing and provision.

So do not prepare only your suitcase and passport. Prepare your heart, your knowledge, your patience, and your intention as well.

The pillars of Umrah in brief

There are five pillars of Umrah that need to be carried out in order:

1. Ihram

Ihram begins at the miqat, the place and time appointed for making the intention for Umrah.

• From the direction of Jeddah → the intention is made before passing the designated miqat.
• From Madinah → the miqat is usually taken at Dzul Hulaifah (Bir Ali).
• If you travel by plane or train → your guide will tell you when to make the intention.

🤲🏻 The intention for Umrah

لَبَّيْكَ اللَّهُمَّ عُمْرَةً

Labbaikallahumma 'umratan.

Meaning: “I answer Your call, O Allah, to perform Umrah.”

After making the intention, continue by reciting the talbiyah:

لَبَّيْكَ اللَّهُمَّ لَبَّيْكَ، لَبَّيْكَ لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ لَبَّيْكَ، إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ وَالنِّعْمَةَ لَكَ وَالْمُلْكَ، لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ

Labbaikallahumma labbaik, labbaika laa syariika laka labbaik, innal-hamda wan-ni'mata laka wal-mulk, laa syariika lak.

After the intention, recite the talbiyah and observe the prohibitions of ihram.

🚫 Prohibitions of ihram

Once you have made the intention for ihram, avoid:

• Using perfume or any fragrance.
• Cutting your nails and your hair or body hair.
• Contracting a marriage.
• Marital relations or anything that leads to them.
• Hunting land game.
• Quarreling or behaving badly.
• For men only: wearing stitched clothing and covering the head with anything that rests on it.
• For women only: wearing a niqab/face veil and gloves.

The prohibitions of ihram apply from the intention for ihram until tahallul.

2. Tawaf

Tawaf is performed by making 7 circuits around the Ka'bah, starting at the Hajar Aswad and ending at the Hajar Aswad, with the Ka'bah on your left. Important notes during tawaf

For men:

The tawaf process :

When you are level with the Hajar Aswad, point your right hand toward the Hajar Aswad while reciting:

بِسْمِ اللهِ، اللهُ أَكْبَرُ

Bismillahi, Allahu Akbar.

Then begin walking for the first circuit while reciting this dhikr:

سُبْحَانَ اللهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَلَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَاللهُ أَكْبَرُ

Subhanallah walhamdulillah wa la ilaha illallah wallahu akbar.

This dhikr may be recited until you reach the area around Maqam Ibrahim.

After that, pilgrims may continue with a free supplication, praying for whatever they wish for themselves, their parents, their family, provision, health, forgiveness, and any other needs.

Usually the mutawif will guide the pilgrims with supplications that can be recited during tawaf.

Then, from the Rukun Yamani until you return to the Hajar Aswad, it is recommended to recite:

رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ

Rabbanaa aatinaa fid-dunyaa hasanatan wa fil-aakhirati hasanatan wa qinaa 'adzaaban-naar.

Meaning:

“Our Lord, give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.”

Then, once you are level with the Hajar Aswad again, point your right hand while reciting Bismillahi, Allahu Akbar, and continue with the next circuit.

Note: The supplications and dhikr above are a guide that may be followed. There is no particular supplication that must be recited at any given part of tawaf. Pilgrims may still make any good supplication they wish.

Important: maintain your wudu throughout tawaf. If your wudu is broken, the scholars differ over the consequences, but the opinion most widely relied upon in the manasik is that tawaf must be performed in a state of purity.

After tawaf, it is sunnah to perform two rak'ahs of the sunnah prayer of tawaf, behind Maqam Ibrahim if possible. After that, it is recommended that pilgrims drink Zamzam water and make supplication.

There is no specific supplication that must be said when drinking Zamzam. We may ask for good in this world and in the Hereafter. One popular supplication is:

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

"O Allah, I ask You for beneficial knowledge, abundant provision, and healing from every disease."

3. Sa'i

After tawaf, pilgrims perform sa'i, walking from the hill of Safa to the hill of Marwah and back again for a full seven trips.

Sa'i reminds us of the struggle of Hajar in searching for water for the Prophet Ismail, peace be upon him.

The sa'i process :

When at the hill of Safa, pilgrims face the Ka'bah, and recite :

إِنَّ الصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةَ مِنْ شَعَائِرِ اللَّهِ

Innaṣ-ṣafā wal-marwata min sya'ā'irillāh.

Meaning: “Indeed, Safa and Marwah are among the symbols of Allah.”

Pilgrims may then supplicate, recite the Qur'an, and make dhikr as they wish. There is no specific supplication that must be recited on each trip.

Between the two green markers/lights, it is sunnah for male pilgrims to walk faster or to jog lightly, while women keep walking as usual.

The supplication recited between the two green lights

Arabic:

رَبِّ اغْفِرْ وَارْحَمْ، وَاعْفُ وَتَكَرَّمْ، وَتَجَاوَزْ عَمَّا تَعْلَمُ، إِنَّكَ تَعْلَمُ مَا لَا نَعْلَمُ، إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ اللَّهُ الْأَعَزُّ الْأَكْرَمُ

Latin:

Rabbighfir warham, wa'fu wa takarram, wa taja-waz 'amma ta'lam, innaka ta'lamu ma la na'lam, innaka antal-a'azzul-akram.

Meaning:

"O Allah, forgive me, have mercy on me, pardon me and be generous, and blot out what You know. Indeed, You know what we do not know. Indeed, You, O Allah, are the Most Mighty, the Most Generous."

If you feel thirsty or need water, you may drink during sa'i. Sa'i does not require wudu the way tawaf does.

4. Tahallul

After completing sa'i, the last pillar is tahallul, cutting or shaving the hair.

For men, shaving the head completely is better, although shortening the hair is also allowed. For women, it is enough to cut off part of the hair.

Once tahallul is finished, the sequence of Umrah is complete and the prohibitions of ihram are lifted again.

5. Proper order

All of these pillars are performed in sequence:

Ihram → Tawaf → Sa'i → Tahallul

This is a simple picture of how Umrah is performed, for you who are going to the Holy Land for the first time.

Umrah is not just a trip

Let us not be busy only with the hotel, the food, the clothes, the suitcase, and the places we are going to visit.

What matters most is a heart that comes to Allah.

Come with a sincere intention. Pray that the journey is made easy, that the worship is accepted, that sins are forgiven, and that after we return from the Holy Land we become better people.

Because the greatest aim of Umrah is not only to reach Makkah, but how we return home with a heart that is closer to Allah.

May Allah invite us all to be His guests, accept our worship, forgive our sins, and grant us an Umrah mabrurah. Aamiin.