Umrah is the act of circumambulating the house, walking between Safa and Marwa, shaving or trimming one’s head, and entering the condition of Ihram as a means of worshipping Allah. ‘Itimar,’ which means ‘a visit,’ is the source of the Arabic term ‘Umrah,’ which means ‘visit. However, in Islamic parlance, Umrah is the smaller pilgrimage that is performed at Makkah and involves seeing the Holy Ka’bah. It is a form of worship founded on the precepts of Allah’s Prophet (Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam). The lesser pilgrimage, Umrah, can be conducted at any time of the year, unlike Hajj, which must be completed during the designated days of Dhul Hijjah. But in the sight of Allah (SWT), it is highly valuable and virtue-filled. Muslims travel with umrah packages all-inclusive to complete their umrah throughout the year.
Getting Ready for the Umrah:
- Have a sincere intention to conduct Umrah.
- Ask for forgiveness from parents, relatives, or friends you may have offended.
- Acquire knowledge of Umrah and how to do it.
- Attain a healthy weight. Maintain a healthy diet. Prepare yourself to go to bed and rise early.
- Meningitis, polio, and flu vaccinations are recommended (as per Saudi law).
- Look at your passport. From the departure date, the passport must be valid for six months.
- Copies of all of your crucial documents should be made.
Step-by-step instructions for doing Umrah:
Rituals for doing the Umrah We’ll examine each of these in further detail:
First Step: Ihram
A person must change into Ihram-appropriate clothing and take a proper bath (ghusl), which symbolizes the process of washing away all impurities. Women can wear any type of clothing that covers their bodies and heads, but males must change into the two materials, Ridaa and Izaar.
The person should recite the required prayers after the purification or offer two rakaat of Sunnah prayer. After that, the person should turn to face the Qibla and formally enter Ihram. This must be done before the person departs for the Meeqat in Makkah.
The pilgrim is required to make the intention and say “Labbayk Allaahumma bi ‘Umrah” at the Meeqat.
It is recommended that the person continue saying the Talbiyah from the time they enter ihram until they complete the Tawaf.
Second step: Tawaf Al-Umrah:
You must be free from all major and minor impurities and in a state of wudhu in order to perform tawaf. If your wudhu breaks during the Tawaf, perform the cleansing process once more and pick up where you left off. You will already be dressed in Ihram, which is perfect and tidy. Men must cover the area of their bodies between their navel and their knees, while women must cover their whole body, with the exception of their hands and faces.
Third step: Sa’ee:
Similar to Tawaf, Sa’ee is necessary for performing Umrah. To put it simply, it requires crossing the hills of Safa and Marwah seven times. Return to Hajr Al-Aswad to perform Istilam once more after completing your Tawaf and Salah Al-Tawaf, then proceed to the Safa hill to begin Sa’ee.
Fourth step: Halq or Taqsir:
You must do Halq or Taqsir after Sa’ee in order to leave Ihram. If you don’t complete this stage, Ihram will remain in your current status. Halq is used to describe shaving the head, whereas Taqsir is used to describe hair trimming. Shave your head with a razor, even if you have no hair, to finish the procedure. All sides of the head with hair must have at least one fingertip’s worth of hair clipped off in order to perform Taqsir.
On the other side, Halq is not permitted for women. No matter how short the hair is, they just need to clip a fingertip’s length from the end.
Umrah is complete:
The Umrah has ended. It is no longer forbidden to follow Ihram. It is appropriate for us to express our gratitude to the Creator for granting us the chance to conduct Umrah.
