A Brief Guide to

Umrah: Virtues, Benefits and Method

Based on Quran and Sunnah

By: Hafiz Nauman Akbar
Imam at Kalamazoo Islamic Center


Please feel free to share it with others
For Questions & Suggestions: imam@kiconline.org







Guide to Performing Umrah
Umrah:
The word umrah literally means to visit a populated place. It also means to construct
something. In Islamic shariah, Umrah is to visit the house of Allah to construct and renew our
faiths while honoring the sanctities of Allah (swt). There is no place better than the house of
Allah (swt) to be honored and visited with such intentions. There can be no other place livelier
than the house of Allah on earth Al-Kaba, which literally means something of high status.
Umrah as a term in Islam is also known as Hajj Asghar a mini hajj (pilgrimage).
Steps required for Umrah:
Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saw) performed 4 umrahs in his life time. In Quran and
Hadith, we have a clear guidance that all the acts of worship should be performed the way our
dear prophet (saw) did those. Based on how Prophet Muhammad (saw) performed his umrah,
it can be divided in 7 steps and they are:

1. Ihram (It is not an merely an outfit, its a State that we are in)
2. Talbiyyah (The Nasheed of Hajj and Umrah that Allah SWT loves to hear from us)
3. Entering the Masjid-ul-Haraam
4. Tawaf + Two Nafal near station of Ibrahim Alehissalam
5. Hajr Aswad bosa after tawaf and before Saeei
6. Saee between Safa and Marwa
7. Shaving or trimming the hair

1. Ihram (State of Ihram):
Ihram outfit is two pieces of unstitched garment, one for the upper body and second for
the lower body. Traditionally, men ware this garment in white and women are only required to
be in modest Islamic dress that they ware in normal times. It is not a must to wear the Ihram at
the Meeqat. The ihram outfit could be put on when we are leaving our locality.
It is recommended to take a proper Islamic shower (Ghusl) before leaving for Umrah or
before dressing the Ihram outfit. Once we arrive at the Meeqat, facing the Qibal, one should
start the Ihram by saying the words

(OAllah here I am for the Umrah). This is

how the state of Ihram when we say Labbaik Allahumma Bi Umrah begins. Now the
conditions and restrictions of Ihram are to be followed thoroughly.
Some restrictions of ihram are: cutting/trimming Nails or Hair until the end of Ihram,
putting perfume on, hunting in any way, cutting down of the trees and marital relations even in
the form of talk or jokes.

Note: It is good to add a condition that If due to some emergency, I could not complete
the Umrah/Hajj, there will be no expiation on me. (Bukhari, Muslim, Mishkat#2711, Nasai)
It is not necessary to do 2 Nafal of Ihram, in fact it is not a Sunnah. The Sunnah is to do any of
the Obligatory Prayers and then start the Ihram.
What is Meeqat?
A marker, a sign for pilgrims that now they are about to begin a journey on a route
which is Allahs special territory. This route by itself is also sacred and thus eventually will end
at the noblest of all the places on earth. Being guests of Allah, we are required to be in an outfit
with which we are not recognized by our colors, races and ethnicities. Instead, an outfit which
represents only the color of faith, humility and piety is a requirement by our host Almighty
Allah (swt). Prophet Muhammad (saw) pointed out five places as meeqat for pilgrims from all
over the world. Any pilgrim coming for Umrah/hajj cannot pass beyond these points without
being in the State of Ihram.

For pilgrims going through Medinah (Al-Aqeeq Valley) Zulhalifa Meeqat:
The valley of Al-Aqeeq is a blessed valley as Prophet Muhammad SAW mentioned in the
Hadith of Bukhari. He ( ) told the companions that an Angel came to tell him that
Allah (SWT) wants him to pray in this blessed valley. It is not necessary to do 2 Nafal of Ihram,
in fact it is not a Sunnah. The Sunnah is to do any of the Obligatory Prayers and then start the
Ihram. If it is not time for one of the obligatory prayersit would be a good idea to pray pray the
2 sections of greetings of the Masjid in the valley of ZulHalifah and start the Ihram by saying
the words Labbaik Allahumma biUmrah while facing the Qibla.

2. Talbiyyah:
Starting our Ihram with the first Talbiyaah (Labbaik), until we reach Masjid-ul-Haram, we
should keep on saying Talbiyyah loud with often repetitions. Prophet Muhammad ()
said the following words of Talbiyyah out loud:

(Here I am O Allah, here I am, there is no partner for You, here I am, Verily all praise for You,
And every blessing is from You, and all dominion is Yours You have no partner.)

(Here I am O God of Truth.)

Some Virtues of Talbiyyah:
Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was informed by Jibreel ( ) that Allah (swt) loves to hear the
Talbiyyah in loud voices from them. Thus, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and companions read it
so loud that during their journey they lost their voices. (Muslim)
Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was also told by the Angel Jibreel (Alehissalam) that everything that
is on earth says the Talbiyyah with the believers when they are saying it out loud.(Muslim)
However, for women the Talbiyyah should be pronounced in a silent voice for modesty reasons.
Sahaba of Prophet () added the following with Talbiyyah:

(Of the Ways of Ascent, Here I am O Owner of Excellence.)

(Here I am and blessed by You, all good is from you, desires and action are directed towards You.)

3. Entering the Masjid-ul-Haram:
Enter with the right foot in first and then say the following dua:

In the name of Allah, peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. O Allah, open the gates of
your mercy for me.

(For leaving:

In the name of Allah, peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. O Allah, I ask You from Your
favors. O Allah, guard me from the accursed devil.)

First Sight at the Kaba:
There are many reports in this matter but a very beautiful duaa is reported by Said ibn
Musayyab that when Umar Bin Khattab ( ) would look at Kaba upon entering the Masjid, he
would do the following:
Raise his hands, then say the Takbeer AllahuAkbar and say Allahumma AntasSalam wa
MinkasSalam Hayyina Rabbana Bissalam. Allahumma Zid Hazal Bayt.

:

O Allah, You are the (giver of) peace and it is only from You that peace is obtained. O our Lord,
keep us alive with peace. O Allah, increase the virtue, majesty, eminence and admiration of this
House and that person who respects and honors this House and from amongst those who
perform Hajj and Umrah of it, increase their virtue, grandeur, eminence and prosperity.

3. Tawaf (Circumambulation around Ka'ba):
Soon after making the duaa, proceed toward the Hajr Aswad. Please note that there is
no duaa of Intention needed here. In fact, such duaas are only an innovation. They are not
from Prophet Muhammad ().
Once we are facing the Black Stone (Hajr Aswad), we should say or add Bismillah
and then say AllahuAkbar. Authentic reports tell us that Abdullah ibn Umar (RA) used to say
Bismillah AllahuAkbar but Prophet Muhammad () only said ALLAHUAKBAR. After that,
Prophet Muhammad () would do a Sajda on Hajr Aswad by placing his both hands and
forehead on it. Sometime, he would touch the stone with his hand or with a stick and then kiss
his hand or the stick. If none of the three acts of Prophet are not possible due to the crowd
then simply start the Tawaf while facing Hajr Aswad by saying Allah u Akbar or Bismillah
AllahuAkbar. Tawaf is 7 circles like this and each circle ends at Hajr Aswad when we say
AllahuAkbar there.
The Black Stone is a gift of Allah to the believers of this world. It is not merely a stone. In
fact an authentic report from Prophet Muhamamd () states that on the Day of Judgment
this rock will be given eyes and it will speak for those believers who honored it with faith and
sincerity. Prophet Muhammad () also said that touching the Black Stone and Yemni
Corner will remove the sins.

Very important to know regarding the Tawaaf:
a) At the beginning of Tawaaf, one should not do any verbal Niyya at or before Hajr Aswad.
b) We should never raise hands like in the prayer.
c) If one cannot do any of the three Sunan of the Prophet regarding Hajr Aswad, No need to do
a symbolic touch of the stone, waving at it and/ or kissing of hands after that. We should
only say ALLAH U AKBAR without waving at the stone and without stopping or standing in
front of it.
d) Other than Hajr Aswad we can only touch the Yemni Corner, the corner of Kaba which
comes before the corner where Hajr Aswad is placed. Prophet never touched any other
corners of Kaba at all.
e) IDTIBA uncovering of the right shoulder during Umrah is ONLY a voluntary practice
during the Tawaaf only. It is not a requirement. Unfortunately, many people keep their right
shoulder uncovered throughout their Ihram. This practice is for men only.
f) Raml the macho walk is also a sunnah and it is for men only in first three rounds only.
Both IDTIBA and RAML are to be performed during the Umrah or Hajj tawaf in the Ihram
only. The regular or Nafal tawaf should not have both of these two practices.
g) It is said that we should not look at Kaba during Tawaaf. There is no such thing that prevents
us to not to look at Kaba during Tawaf. However, when we pray in the MasjidulHaram, we
should look at the place of our Sajda NOT toward the direction of salah the Kaba.
h) Tawaaf, whether in Ihram or witout Ihram, is never complete without the two nafal near the
place of Ibrahim (Alehissalam). It is ideal to have Kaba and Maqam Ibrahim both in front of
you when praying the 2 nafal of Tawaaf. If due to the crowds it is not possible, we can pray
anywhere in the Masjidulharam.
i) Some people do multiple voluntary Tawaafs consecutively. They postpone the 2 required
nafal of each Tawaaf and pray them all together at once. This is a modern Bida that people
have invented and it has no place in Islam. These 2 Nafal can be prayed any time, even if it is
a forbidden time due the fact that Tawaaf is also allowed in such time. Again, these two
sections (2 Nafal) are part of the Tawaaf.
j) During Tawaaf, the only duaa (supplication) in Hadith we are told is the famous duaa in
Surah Baqarah verse 201. It is to be done between Yemni Corner and Hajr Aswad. Allah
(SWT) left it up to us to make any Zikr or Duaa we may like during the rest of the Tawaaf.

(Our Lord! Give us the best in this world and the best in the Hereafter, and save us from the punishment
of the Hell Fire. 2:201)

5. To Hajr Aswad (again) After Tawaaf & Before Saee :
The tawaaf will be complete, once 7 circles around Kaba and 2 nafal near Maqam Ibrahim are
done. After that, many people go toward the Zam-Zam water and then they go for the Saee between
Safa and Marwa. Even though there is no water better than Zam-Zam anywhere on earth and Prophet
Muhammad (SAW) said it is for the purpose it is drunk for but still it is not a part of acts of Umrah or
Hajj.
At this point, after Tawaaf, next act is to go to Hajr Aswad before going to Safa and Marwa.
This is an act that many people forget to do. The black stone should be touched with hand and then
that hand kissed, kissed directly and/ or prostrated upon. If none of the three prophetic acts are
possible, then just say AllahuAkbar or Bismillah AllahuAkbar while facing it. Now, we can go to Safa
and Marwa.

6. Saii between Safa-Marwa
When we reach at the foot of Safa hill, we start with what Allah SWT stated.
Jabir (r.a) narrated that when Prophet Muhammad SAW would approach mount Safa, he
would recite:

(Behold! Safa and Marwa are among the Symbols of Allah. So if those who visit the House in the Season
or at other times should compass them round, it is no sin in them, and if any one does good voluntarily,
be sure that Allah is He Who recognizes and knows. Ch2-V.158)
after reciting the verse, he (saw) said:

I begin with what Allah began with.

so he started with Safa and climbed it until he could see the Kabah, he then faced it
and said:

and then he would say the following three times making a supplication (one should
make a personal supplication) after saying the following:

(There is none worthy of worship in truth except Allaah Alone, He has no partners, to Him belongs
the Dominion and for Him is all praise, and He is capable of all things. He kept His promise, and
aided His slave, and He Alone defeated all the groups of non-believers)

In brief to start the Saee, Prophet Muhamamd SAW used to recite the Ayah (2-158)
once, say Allahu Akbar three times facing Kaba and say La ilaha IllaAllah three times. Other
than the Aya (2-158), on every round Prophet Muhammad SAW used to do the same act at Safa
and Marwa both. There is no fix duaa for us and thus after doing the Sunnah of Prophet
Muhammad SAW, we can make any duaa after the Glorification of Allah at Safa and Marwa
both.

During the Saee any time we can do any supplication as desired but Imam Albani has
reported a very easy duaa that has come to us from the early Muslims. They used to say the
following during the Saee:

(O Lord forgive me and have mercy on me, Indeed You are the Most Honorable and the Most Generous.)

Note: We should keep a very important distinction between Tawaaf and Saee. For the Tawaaf
one round is a complete circle starting from Hajr Aswad and ending at it. This way we
complete 7 circles and last one ends at Hajr Aswad, where we started our Tawaaf from. The
case of Saee is different because when we go from Safa to Marwa, it counts as 1 circuit. This
way we complete 7 circuits and our 7
th
round of Saee ends at Marwa. Another difference is
also important that Tawaaf is not complete without 2 Nafal but there are NO prayers attached
with Saee.

7. Shaving or Trimming the Hair and Completion of Umrah
After the Saee is complete at Marwa, the male should either shave or trim his hair. For
men, Shaving the full head is a highly rewarded act because Prophet Muhammad () prayed
three times for those who do this sacrifice. For the people who do only a trim, Prophet
Muhammad () made duaa only once due to many companions requesting him to pray for
such people as well. Otherwise, Prophet Muhammad () liked the shaving of the hair.

Women in Islam are exempt from this test. They only have to shorten as the Prophet
said: "There is no shaving of the hair for women, verily upon women is shortening of the hair."
So she should hold all her hair and shorten it only by the length of a finger-joint.

There is no requirement in Sunnah that shaving or trimming of the hair should ONLY be
done by someone NOT in Ihram. In fact, the person in Ihram (male or female) can do the trim
for each other and/ or by themselves as well. After the shaving or trim, the restrictions of Ihram
will be over and Umrah will be complete. May Allah make it easy for everyone and may He
accept our good deeds. Ameen.
Regarding Zam-Zam Water
1. Our mother Hajar and Prophet Ismail (Alehissalam) were blessed with this water
when Allah provided it for them, where there were no chances of any life.
2. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said, Zam Zam is blessed and it is a food and a cure for
illness."
3. Prophet also said, The best water upon the face of the earth is Zamzam water, in it
there is nourishment and a cure from illness.
4. He (SAW) said, Zam Zam is for what it is drank for.
5. The person who will make a duaa before drinking Zam Zam, Allah will answer that
duaa.

Hateem, Originally part of Kaba:
Hateem, is a white round semi circle shape area attached with Kaba. Prophet
Muhammad (SAW) said, the people of Quresh could not include it in the Kaba when they were
re-constructing it. Mother of the faithful Ayesh (r.a) asked Prophet that she wanted to pray
inside the Kaba. He told her that if she would pray in this area Hateem it would be as if she
prayed inside the Kaba because it used to be a part of Kaba.
A lot of people believe that all the white marble semi-circle shape is Hateem (inside of
the Kaba). According to Imam Bukhari it is only first two rows of Hateem where it would be as if
we were inside the Kaba. The rest of the area was Prophet Ismails place for keeping his
sheeps.

Visiting the Grave of Prophet Muhammad () and his City
Prophet Muhammad () said that Prophets of Allah are alive in their graves.
The dirt of the graves does not eat their bodies. It is haram for the earth to
decompose the bodies of the Prophets of Allah.
On His journey of Meraj, Prophet Muhammad () saw Prophet Musa
(Alehissalam) praying in his grave.
Whoever says Salam to Prophet Muhammad (), his salam will be delivered
to the Prophet.
Visiting Masjid Quba in WUDU and offering 2 Nafal is rewarded by Allah with a
Full UMRAH.
Visiting Uhud and Baqi is a Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ()