How To Perform UMMRAH?
Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa
Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)
One of our brothers/sisters has asked
this question:
How To
Perform UMMRAH?
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Answer:
How to perform umrah
In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask
for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever
He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that
there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that
Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.
Beloved Brother, the Umrah pilgrimage, like all the other
rites of Islam is extremely simply and beautiful. Rest assured that other than the normal
difficulties of travel, etc., the rites of Umrah itself are very basic and
simple; and at all times you will have access to hundreds, if not thousands of
brothers in the Sacred House who will be more than happy to help and assist you
to fulfill your noble intention of performing Umrah.
What we can do here is give you a synopsis of what to
expect and what needs to be done to fulfill and honor the rites of the smaller
pilgrimage of Umrah to the Sacred House of Allah Subhanah.
- Wherever
and however you might come towards Makkah (by air, sea, or land), at the
point of Meeqat (if by air, it will be announced in most flights), you
need to purify yourself with ghusl or wudu, pray a two rakah voluntary
prayer at the Meeqat, wear only the two-unstiched garments of ehram,
and make intention to perform the Umrah by declaring Labbayka Umrah
(Here I am to perform Umrah (O my Lord)).
Please note that once you make the intention, you will be in the
state of ehram until after the full performance of Umrah rites and some
things which are normally permissible become impermissible for one in the
state of ehram; namely,
- cannot
apply perfume
- cannot
cover hair or head (for males only)
- cannot
cut or clip nails
- cannot
cut or clip any body hair
- cannot
wear any stitched clothes (for males only)
- cannot
wear closed shoes
- cannot
have sex
- After
you have declared your intention for Umrah and dorned the garments of
ehram, it is Sunnah to recite as much as you can the following
supplication and testification as taught by the Messenger of Allah (saws):
Labbayka Allah humma labbayk. Labbayka laa-shareeka laka labbayk. Innal hamda, wan-nehmata, laka wal mulk,
laa-shareeka lak.
(Here I am O Allah, Here I am. Here I am (O Allah), You have no partner,
Here I am. All Praise is due to you, All
blessings are from you, Sovereignty is Yours Alone. You have no partner (O
Allah))
- When
you reach your accommodation in Makkah and if you need rest or need to use
the restrooms, there is absolutely no harm. Revalidate your state of wudu (if
necessary) and enter the Sacred Precincts of the Sacred Mosque and the
absolute first thing one should do is approach the Hajar Aswad (Black
Stone) and start the tawaaf or seven anti-clockwise circumambulation of
the Kaaba by either kissing or touching the Black Stone, and if there is
too much rush by simply pointing towards it, and declaring Bismillah
Allah-o-Akbar (In the Name of Allah, Allah is the Greatest). It is Sunnah to leave uncovered or bare
the right shoulder during the full tawaaf, and to slightly jog for the
first three rounds of tawaaf.
Please note that wudu is an obligatory requirement for the
tawaaf.
- Except
for the specific supplication between the last stretch of the Kaaba, ie.
between rukne Yamani and Hajar Aswad, there are no specific or
particular dua one needs to recite during the tawaaf. One may praise The Lord Most High and
supplicate the Lord Most Merciful in any language and words in the
tawaaf. It is Sunnah to recite
this supplication during the last stretch of each tawaaf between the
rukne Yamani and the Hajar Aswad:
Rabbana aatena fid-dunya hasanah, wa fil-aakherate
hasanah, wa kena adaab-an-naar. Wad
khilna Jannataka ma-al abraar, Ya Azeezo, Ya Ghaffaar.
(O our Lord, give us the good in the world, and give us
the good in the Hereafter, and save us from the torment of the Hell Fire. And (O our Lord) enter us into Your
5. Each
time you pass the Hajar Aswad, it constitutes the end of one tawaaf. It is Sunnah to kiss or touch the Hajar
Aswad, but if there is too much rush, it would suffice to simply point towards
it and start the next tawaaf until you complete seven circumambulation of the
Kaaba.
6. Upon
completion of the tawaaf, cover both the shoulders with the ehraam and pray the Sunnah two rakah voluntary prayers
near the Maqaam-e-Ibraheem which is located opposite the main door of the
Kaaba.
7. It
is Sunnah to drink the zam-zam water after the prayer.
8. Then
approach the
9. Upon completion of the Sai at
10. The Umrah is complete and all the restrictions which were
enjoined in the state of ehram are now lifted.
Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to
Allahs Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only
Source of Strength.
Your brother and
well wisher in Islam,
Burhan