Umrah Guide

Umrah is often called the "lesser pilgrimage." Unlike Hajj, it can be performed at any time of year, and its rites are few. This booklet walks through them in order — with every dua fully vowelled and every line sourced.

"And complete the Hajj and Umrah for Allah."

— Quran 2:196¹

What Umrah is

Umrah consists of four rites, performed in order: entering ihram (the state of consecration), tawaf (circling the Ka'bah seven times), sa'i (walking seven times between the hills of as-Safa and al-Marwah), and finally shaving or shortening the hair to leave ihram.¹²¹³¹⁵

Before you go

Ihram is entered at or before a fixed boundary called the miqat. Once in ihram, a pilgrim refrains from cutting hair or nails, using perfume, hunting game, and marital relations. Men wear two unstitched white cloths and leave the head bare; women wear ordinary modest clothing.¹⁴¹²

Entering ihram

Tawaf

Tawaf is seven circuits around the Ka'bah, beginning and ending at the Black Stone, keeping the Ka'bah on your left.

Getting onto the mataf

The mataf is the open marble floor immediately around the Ka'bah. During busy periods it is reserved for pilgrims in ihram, so that those actually performing Umrah can circle without the crowd thickening around them.

An Umrah permit through the Nusuk app, with its electronic entry code, is required. Book it before you travel.

Which level to walk

Tawaf is valid on the upper floors as well as at ground level. What matters is that your circuits stay inside the mosque; being higher than the Ka'bah is not itself an objection.³⁹⁴⁰

Sa'i

Sa'i is walking seven times between the hills of as-Safa and al-Marwah, beginning at as-Safa.

Completion

Common mistakes

• Inventing a dua for each circuit. No specific dua is required for tawaf or sa'i beyond what is reported; supplicate freely.¹³
• Crowding the Black Stone. Touching it is a sunnah, not a duty — pointing from afar is enough, and harming others to reach it is not permitted.¹²
• Starting sa'i at al-Marwah. Sa'i begins at as-Safa: "I begin with what Allah began with."⁹
• Breaking ihram rules unknowingly. Avoid perfume, cutting hair or nails, and covering the head (for men) until you have shortened or shaved.¹⁴
• Waiting to enter ihram until landing. If you fly in, your flight path crosses a designated miqat boundary in the air — enter ihram before or as you pass it, not after you land.³⁶³⁷³⁸

Common questions

What if my period starts?

Menstruation does not stop your Umrah — it changes only one thing. Enter ihram at the miqat as planned and perform every rite as normal, but do not circle the Ka'bah until your period ends and you have done ghusl. Once pure, complete tawaf and sa'i as usual.¹⁶¹⁷¹⁸

Can I perform Umrah more than once?

Yes — there is no limit on how many times it may be performed, and each is a fresh chance to seek forgiveness.

"Umrah is an expiation for the sins committed between it and the previous one, and Hajj Mabrur has no reward but Paradise."

— Sahih al-Bukhari 1773¹⁹, Sahih Muslim 1349a²⁰, Riyad as-Salihin 1275²¹

Can I do Umrah on behalf of someone who has died, or who can't travel?

Yes. Umrah may be performed for a deceased relative, or for someone alive but permanently unable to travel through old age or chronic illness: complete your own Umrah first, then travel to a nearby boundary such as at-Tan'im to enter ihram again on their behalf.²³²⁴ It rests on the same principle behind performing Hajj for a parent who has passed away:

"Perform Hajj on her behalf. Had there been a debt on your mother, would you have paid it or not? So pay Allah's debt, as He has more right to be paid."

— Sahih al-Bukhari 1852²²

What if I can't walk the full distance?

Illness, age, or a disability are not a barrier. Tawaf and sa'i may both be performed while being carried or in a wheelchair, keeping to the outer lanes so as not to obstruct pilgrims on foot.²⁷

"Perform the tawaf while riding, behind the people."

— instruction given to Umm Salamah, who was unwell (Sahih al-Bukhari 1619, Sahih Muslim 1276)²⁵²⁶

Is there anything special about Umrah in Ramadan?

Yes. The Prophet once told a woman who had missed Hajj that an Umrah performed during Ramadan carries the same reward as Hajj. Scholars differ on whether that applies to everyone or was specific to her circumstances, but most extend the virtue to all who perform Umrah in that month³⁰ — reason enough that Ramadan is the busiest time of year for Umrah.

"When Ramadan comes, go for Umrah, for Umrah in that month is equivalent to Hajj."

— Sahih al-Bukhari 1782²⁸, Sahih al-Bukhari 1863²⁹

Why do pilgrims try to touch the Black Stone?

Not because the stone itself has any power — only because the Prophet did it. Umar ibn al-Khattab said as much aloud while kissing it, so that no one would mistake the act for reverence of the stone itself.³³ That is why it is a sunnah to imitate, not a duty to force your way toward.

"I know that you are a stone and can neither benefit anyone nor harm anyone. Had I not seen Allah's Messenger kissing you, I would not have kissed you."

— Umar ibn al-Khattab, Sahih al-Bukhari 1597³¹, Sahih Muslim 1270a³²

How do I know how busy it will be?

The General Presidency publishes live crowd levels for the tawaf and sa'i areas, and Nusuk carries the current permit rules.⁴¹¹² Check those rather than anything printed here — arrangements at the Haram change season to season, and the signage and staff on the day always override this booklet.

Can I change my ihram garments partway through?

Yes. You may change into a fresh set at any point — after a wet dream, to wash, or simply for comfort — and it does not affect your ihram at all, as long as the replacement is itself permissible ihram clothing rather than ordinary stitched garments.³⁴³⁵¹⁴