Every religious act is sacred for the believers of a particular religion. Every religion of the world has some acts of worship that are thought to be obligatory or if not obligatory then they are thought to be the ones that must be performed just to please the Almighty. Among Muslims some religious observances are obligatory and Hajj is one of them. A similar act of worship is Umrah which is not obligatory and is often called as mini-Hajj and also has very importance. This is a sacred practice which is performed throughout the year in the holy land of Makkah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and it is a religious observance that every Muslim wants to perform. It is not limited to the Muslims of a particular area, in fact, it is performed by the Muslims living all over the world. There are certain rites which must be performed to practice and adequately perform during the Umrah. Everyone must follow every step without which it will not be considered completed. These steps are given here for you to give you a gist of performing it legitimately and adequately.

What is different thing in Umrah?

Some rites are performed in Hajj and because of the duration of Umrah is shortened. These rites include going to Mina, staying overnight at Arafaat, going to Muzdalifah, throwing pebbles on the devil (Rami al-jamarat) and sacrificing an animal.

Steps included in Umrah

Four central rites should be performed sequentially and adequately while performing an Umrah. They are called as four pillars of Umrah. They include Ihram, Tawaaf, Sa’yee Taha-lul.

Ihram and the rites performed following it

Ihram is the type of clothing that has to worn during the religious acts of Hajj and Umrah. It is different for both men and women. For men, it consists of two pieces that have to be worn in a certain way according to Sunnah. These are two white pieces of cloth that should not be stitched. These two pieces are ‘Izaar’ and ‘Rida’. These are for covering the top and lower part of the body. ‘Rida’ covers top while ‘Izaar’ covers the lower part of the body. For women, it is the regular clothing but they need to cover their heads adequately but not faces.  Women should not wear gloves as well. The clothes are not specified for women but they just need to wear loose clothes to not get their body prominent or noticeable. The place of Wearing Ihram matters a lot. It should be worn at Miqat. Miqat is the name of a place which is a holy place and Ihram must be worn at this point otherwise it is invalid.

Ihram is the necessary condition for performing Umrah without which it is invalid. Ihram should be worn by keeping into mind certain things. Firstly you need to know about all the things that are prohibited during wearing Ihram. You just need to avoid them in any case otherwise your Umrah will not be acceptable. You need to be neat and clean and for this, you must take bath or ‘Ghusal’ before wearing it to make sure that you are clean. It is not obligatory to take bath it depends on whether you are comfortable in wearing it or not but in a certain case when you are sure that you must take a bath then you should. You should make an intention or ‘niyyah’ to wear Ihram. Now when you have whole-heartedly made an intention and you are in the state of wearing Ihram you must start performing other rites of Umrah. From this point on, you should start reciting Talbiyah.

You need to move from the place of wearing Ihram. Now you are on the way to Makkah. In Makkah, you are about to enter Masjid Al-Haram. You need to put your right foot first while entering and recite a Dua. You should remember that you need to recite Duas at every step so you need to learn them all before Umrah. Dua should be recited after supplication to Allah while you are entering the holy mosque. When you come to the point where you can see Ka’aba you need to see by fixing your eyes on it. This is the point where you will stop reciting Talbiyah. Now standing in front of Baitullah you can recite Darood along with a few other Duas. This is the time when you can wish and pray to Allah for anything that you want. Do not forget to make the wishes simply. Your heart and mind must be utterly concentrated towards Allah as you are standing in front of him. This is the best time for acceptance of prayers.

Performing of Tawaaf

Tawaaf means merely the circumambulation. In Umrah (and of course in Hajj too) you move around Ka’aba. This has to be done seven times and every time you keep your heart filled with utmost reverence and immense for Allah.

The starting point of Tawaaf is Hajar-e-Aswad which means black stone. It is a sacred stone, is black and has to be touched and kissed. As every step in Umrah starts with making up your mind or by intending so is the case with Tawaaf. You need to intend for it. The conditions that need to be fulfilled in Tawaaf are:

• Ablution or ‘Wudhu’ is the must before starting it
• For men, it is obligatory to keep the right shoulder bare
• Tawaaf must be done in anti-clockwise direction or more precisely, you need to keep your left side towards Ka’aba

It starts with touching and kissing of black stone. If you get the opportunity of doing this then it must be completed the way it is obligatory. If you do not get the opportunity of touching and kissing it then you can lift your hands open towards the black stone, you need to recite a specific Dua and now you can kiss your palm after lifting them again towards black stone and the rite is accepted. There is no need to push people and getting others into trouble. Moreover, there are chances of touching a man if you try to push others which is forbidden and is called ‘haram’. Just pointing and then kissing can make the ritual completed and it is called ‘Islam’. Now you should start the circling of Ka’aba. Istilam should be performed with every round of Tawaf. During Tawaaf you pass by a corner of Ka’aba called Rukn-e-Yamani which is the fourth corner. You should touch it with the right hand. During Tawaaf, men should walk with a bit more speed in the first three rounds around Ka’aba. They need to make small steps during this.

Now you need to reach Maqam-e-Ibrahim and you have to say a prayer consisting of two Raka’ahs. If it is convenient then touch and kiss Hajar-e-Aswad again.

Performing Sa’yee

After kissing and touching black stone or performing Istilam you should go for Sa’yee. It is started from Mount Safa. You need to be in the state of wudhu and also make the intention. There are some Duas that you can recite during Sa’yee as they are not specified. Sa’yee starts from the point of Safa where you can see Ka’aba. Now you need to descend from it after reciting Duas. Men need to run between the green pillars. Women should walk normally. Now is the time to ascend Marwa and there are same supplications as for Safa. This is the completion of the first circuit. You need to complete this rite seven times and in the same way. Now the ritual of Sa’yee is completed.

Tahal-lul

It is the last point after which your Umrah is completed. It includes Halaq or Qasar. These are the essential and last parts of the observance. They are done differently for men and women. Halaq or Qasar simply means shaving or trimming respectively. When you have completed the rite of Sa’yee and are in the state of wearing Ihram, you need to complete these steps. For men, it is preferable to get their heads shaved. They can get them cut more than that of women but it is more appropriate if the head is shaved. For women, it is preferable to trim the hair about the length of the fingertip. Women cannot get their heads shaved. Now is the time when you are having no restrictions of wearing Ihram. You can wear your regular clothes and can perform permissible acts that were forbidden during the state of wearing Ihram.

When the grace of Allah completes your Umrah, you should thank Allah by reciting prayers and offering ‘Nawafil’. This is the opportunity that every Muslim does not get so you are lucky if you get one and are so blessed by Allah. You need to be grateful for having a chance to visit such a holy and sacred place of Makkah and Madina as every Muslim wants to have such a great chance.

Related Question :

http://www.sauditours.co.uk/blog/when-muslims-can-perform-umrah/
http://www.sauditours.co.uk/blog/knowledge-of-rites-and-selection-of-packages-for-umrah/
http://www.sauditours.co.uk/blog/a-guideline-so-you-came-to-know-about-umrah-and-hajj-difference/
http://www.sauditours.co.uk/blog/umrah-visa-requirements/