Umrah which is also known as lesser or Minor Pilgrimage is a non-obligatory Ibadah that is desired by every Muslim living in the face of the earth to perform. Umrah or the Lesser Pilgrimage is performed by millions of Muslims who march towards the holy cities of Makkah and Madinah throughout the year. If you are going to perform Umrah or are planning to then, this article will help you a lot in organizing your next Umrah spree.
What is Umrah?
Umrah has been derived from an Arabic word ‘I’timaar’ meaning ‘a visit’ where the visit refers to visit the holy Kabah. Umrah is also known as lesser or Minor Pilgrimage because the rituals of Umrah are as same as that of Hajj except for the fact that additional rituals are performed during Hajj. Though Umrah is a non- obligatory Ibadah the reward of performing it is infinite. It is said that if Umrah is performed with sound intention then all the previous sins of the pilgrim have been washed off. Muslims from all across the world dreamt to march towards Makkah for once in their lives.
Types of Umrah
There are two types of Umrah.
· Umrah-ul-Mufradah: This is the major type of Umrah that we perform throughout the year except in the 5 days of hajj. There is no specific time for Umrah-ul-Mufradah to perform unlike hajj. One can perform it anytime whenever they have time or financial resources.
· Umrah-ul-Tamattu: The second type of Umrah is performed long with the hajj. Umrah-ul-Tamattu performed during the time of hajj but is mandatory for pilgrims to perform it before the commencement of hajj rituals, prior to the 8th of Zill-hajj.
When to perform Umrah
There is no specific time to perform Umrah. Throughout the year millions of Muslims from all around the world visit the holy land of Makkah to perform this sacred religious obligation. Though, you can perform it any time in the year when you have enough financial resources and physical capabilities however, it is best to plan your Umrah trip in winters. This is because Saudi Arabia is an extremely hot city and pilgrims coming from cold regions feel very difficult in bearing burning sun. For them it is best to choose cold or mild weather to perform soul cleaning spiritual spree.
Pillars/ Rituals of Umrah
The acts of faith that pilgrims have to perform to make their spree an Umrah are known as Umrah Rituals or Umrah Pillars. There are four main pillars or rituals of Umrah including Ihram, Tawaf, Sai and Halq or Taqsir.
1. Ihram
The word ‘Ihram’ is an Arabic word meaning ‘making Niyyah’. Ihram is usually used in two contexts or meaning;; first, it is used to describe the consecration state of a Muslim pilgrim in which he gets forbidden to perform some certain acts that are though Halal in other days except days of the pilgrimage. Second, it is used to refer the two pieces of clothing that male pilgrims are obliged to wear during their Umrah.
Ihram is the intention or a promise that is made by the human to his Creator that he will not do the acts that are forbidden to perform. Pilgrims wear Ihram before the point of Meeqat (a place before entering Makkah) and no pilgrim can walk towards Meeqat without wearing Ihram. Besides of wearing it, pilgrims also have to traverse the five different areas of Meeqats in the Haram boundary including;
- Dhu’l Hulaifah (Meeqat for the pilgrims coming from or through Madinah)
- Al- Juhfah (this Meeqat situates near Rabigh and is used by the pilgrims coming from or through Egypt, Syria and Morocco)
- Qarn- al Manazil (for the pilgrims coming from or thru Taif or Najd)
- Yalamlam (for the pilgrims coming form or thru Yemen, India and Pakistan)
- Dhat’Irq (for the pilgrims coming from Iraq)
Before setting feet in the sacred boundary of Makkah, pilgrims are obliged to assume the state of Ihram which is actually a holy amalgamation of ‘Niyyah’ and ‘Talbiyah’. Niyyah indicates the intention to perform the act of worship (the pilgrimage) whereas the Talbiyah is a special supplication or a prayer said to start the state of Ihram. To get into the state of Ihram, a pilgrim is obligated follow the following steps as instructed by Prophet Muhammad SAWW to become a ‘Muhrim’ (a pilgrim who has attained the state of Ihram);
· Ablution: ablution is a set of acts performed to cleanse the body and attain physical purity. This process includes several mandatory rituals called Mushtahab and some other rituals that are preferable for Ihram;
- Ghusl (taking bath as per the Islamic procedure)
- Perfuming the head and the beard
Both Ghusl and Perfuming are Mushtahab for Ihram
· Cutting nails: clipping finger and toe nails, trimming moustache and shaving off unwanted body hair is not obligatory but are preferable practices to attain the state of Ihram.
· Wearing Ihram: the two piece white clothing is referred as ‘Ihram’ and is mandatory to wear for the performance of Hajj and Umrah both. The sacred attire contains two white sheets (called Izar and Rida) for males while women are allowed to wear anything as long as covers their bodies properly and is not revealing. Both men and women have to wear flip-flops or sandals that expose their middle bones of the midfoot.
· Prayer: after wearing Ihram, pilgrims have to perform two Rakats of Salah- al- Ihram while covering the head.
· Pilgrims then have to pronounce Niyyah as the point of Meeqat approaches
· After making Niyyah, pilgrims recite Talbiyah (reciting a supplication loud and clear) repeatedly after traversing the Meeqat stations in the holy boundary of the Grand Mosque until the instigation of Tawaf before travelling towards Makkah for the next ritual of Umrah.
2. Tawaf
The ritual that makes a pilgrimage authentic, Tawaf is circumambulation around the holy Kabah. After assuming the state of Ihram, pilgrims (or now Muhrim) perform the mandatory ritual of Tawaf in Masjid al Haram around the holy Kabah. When pilgrims arrive at the Masjid al Haram, they stop reciting Talbiyah and start circumambulating the holy Kabah seven times, by setting their right footing and making Idtiba’a. Male pilgrims have to bare their right arm and the lower part of it must cover their left shoulder until Tawaf is done. Tawaf must get started from the Black Stone and completes with the pure intention of seeking forgiveness and closeness to the Almighty Allah. The circumambulation is only valid if the pilgrims recite the specific Dua (supplication) during each of the seven circumambulations.
It is an appreciated practice if the pilgrims go to Istilam (kissing or gesturing towards Hajra Aswad, the Black Stone) during his or her circumambulations. If they are not able to reach the Black Stone, they can only touch it with their right hand and start moving towards completing their even anticlockwise circles while reciting Dua designated for each circumambulation with holy Kabah on their left. It is also better to do the circumambulations without any pause, interruption or distraction.
Out of seven, first three rounds of Tawaf must be done fast- paced (called Ramal) but only by men whereas the remaining four can be completed by walking between the al Rukn al Yamani and Hajra Aswad. Pilgrims have to make sure that the last circumambulation must end at the exact point where it was started. With the seventh circulation and performance of the eighth Istilam, the state of Tawaf concludes. At the point, male pilgrims must cover their shoulders with the upper part of the Ihram sheet.
The Tawaf is completed and upon its completion, pilgrims can go behind Maqam Ibrahim (the station of Ibrahim) where they have to perform Salaat of Tawaf (the two short Nafl Rakats) and thereafter drink the holy ZamZam water from the Well of ZamZam in the basement of the Sacred Mosque while asking forgiveness from the Almighty. After performing Nafl prayer and drinking ZamZam, pilgrims can then process to the Multazam, a section of the holy Kabah situated between the Black Stone and the door of the Kabah, to supplicate and offer Dua.
3. Sai
Walking between the mount Safa and Mount Marwah seven times is referred as Sai. The ritual is commemorated in the memory of Bibi Hajra RA (mother of Prophet Ismael). The pilgrims who intend to make Sai must make their way out of the Masjid al Haram towards the Massa (the place of Sai). Sai is an evidence of mother’s unconditional love and a lesson that if you keep firm believe on Almighty Allah then nothing is impossible. The Massa is a great place to reflect not only on yourself but also of self- correctness.
Pilgrims initiate their Sai by going up the hill of Safa situated in the south, to see the holy Kabah form the Safa door. A pilgrim must face Kabah with utmost devotion and raise his hands for supplication. Then, he must descend from the Safa hill and walk towards the hill of Marwah that situates in the north, while reciting Subhan Allah. A pilgrim must keep moving until he reaches two green pillars between which only men have to run through while the women walk at a normal pace. After reaching the top of Marwah, pilgrims praise the Almighty facing the Kabah and recite the supplication.
The procedure to walk from Safa to Marwah repeats seven times and each round is around 450 m long. The seventh round marked the end of Sai. Male pilgrims should be aware of the fact that they should perform Sai with their shoulders covered. After offering two Rakats of Nafl, in the Grand Mosque, pilgrims should come out of the holy Mosque with their left foot out and then offer a Dua.
4. Halq or Taqsir
Halq is shaving the head while Taqsir is clipping or shortening of the hair. Pilgrims are permitted to either Halq or Taqsir but shaving head is more appreciable for men than clipping them. However, women only have to clip an inch of their hair. The act of cutting or clipping hair symbolizes one’s detachment or disinterest in physical appearance and complete submission to Allah.
After Halq or Taqsir, Umrah is completed and all the prohibitions imposed on a pilgrim are lifted as he takes off his Ihram. December umrah Package
Benefits of Umrah
Umrah is not just the best act of worship but it also brings great rewards and benefits to its performer. There are plenty of benefits and rewards that Muslim earn when he or she perform the sacred obligation.
· Become guest of Supreme Creator of World: Becoming a guest to the one who just not only create you but He SWT is the creator of whole universe is the most pleasant benefit of performing Umrah. Allah Almighty will be the host of those who spend their wealth, time and energy to oblige the religious duty with pure intentions.
· Remove sins: Man is full of sins, it’s in his nature but Allah SWT provides us a chance to remove our sins through the performance of Umrah. Umrah is best source to remove our sins and cleanse our soul, mind and body which is alone is the best benefit of minor pilgrimage.
· Strengthen faith: When a person intents to perform Umrah just for the sake of his Lord and fulfill all the Umrah rituals without any error, the whole process brings him close to Allah which eventually strengthen our Emaan. Having the strong Emaan is the best treasure that Muslin can have and you can do this by performing Umrah.
· Removes Poverty: Those who think spending their wealth reduce their money is totally wrong because Allah SWT love those who spend their money in way of Allah. According to the Hadith, Umrah removes poverty and sins as hollers removes impurities from iron.
· Reward Equivalent to Jihad: Jihad is one of the noblest acts in Islam and its reward is martyrdom, the one who never dies. Muslims who perform Umrah with pure intentions only for their Lord’s sake will be able to earn the reward equivalent to Jihad.
