What is Umrah?

Umrah is an Arabic word that means “visiting a populated place”. It is an Islamic pilgrimage among Muslims to the city of Mecca, which is located in Saudi Arabia. It can be performed at any time except on the five fixed days of Hajj, which fall on the 8th to 12th or 13th of Dhul-Hijjah.

There is no restriction in performing it except on these specific days. Because of the sacred rituals, it is called the holy pilgrimage by every Muslim, as it is performed in Masjid al-Haram. Some scholars believe that when someone starts his journey from home, then his holy journey has already started for him.

With the help of a travel agency, one can perform Umrah on selected days as per their budget. Everything is possible only if the agency has the best Umrah packages for its customers.

Umrah Types

There are two types of Umrah:

Umrah-ul-Mufradah:

This type of Umrah can be done throughout the year because there is no time limit except for the days of Hajj.

Umrah-ul-Tamattu:

This type of Umrah can only be performed during the Hajj days, but before the Hajj rituals begin.

The performing method of both types are the same but the performing time is only different.

Who can do Umrah?

This pilgrimage is preferable who can bear this journey expenses financially and must be fit physically and mentally. It is permissible for such women to travel with their real Mahram.

Umrah Method

The method of Umrah consists of 4 steps, Ihram, Tawaf, Sa’i, and Halq/Taqsir respectively.

Ihram

The actual journey begins after putting on the Ihram. It is a simple garment to cover the human body. Due to the different body structures of men and women, this dress is different for both.

The word Ihram is derived from Arabic, meaning “to make forbidden”.

It is a sign of purity and equality with Allah that Muslims wear on their bodies before leaving the designated places for Umrah. After wearing this garment, a person is called Muhrim and the word Muhrim means “one who has forbidden things upon himself”.

Ihram for men consists of two unstitched white sheets. It is not recommended for women to wear unstitched clothes for Ihram. Here Islam allows women to wear regular clothes as they always wear in their daily life.

After wearing it, Muslims are required to offer two rak’ahs of prayer (Nafal).

Tawaf:

Tawaf means “to walk”. It is the next stage after Ihram, and it is performed in the area of ​​Masjid al-Haram. Kaaba is very important for Tawaf.

There is a special way of performing this part of Umrah which starts from one corner of the Kaaba and thus the pilgrim has to complete seven circumambulations around it.

After completing all the circumambulation of the Kaaba, pilgrims should offer prayers in front of Maqam Ibrahim, which is located in this mosque.

Sa’i

Linguistically, the word Sa’i means “to walk”. This phase is also performed in Masjid al-Haram. During this step, Muslims have to walk seven times between the two hills of Safa and Marwah.

Seven times mean seven laps, starting from one hill and ending at another hill.

It is Sunnah to perform Sa’i without wasting time after Tawaf. People do not leave a single moment there to earn the reward.

Halq/Taqsir

Performing Umrah and leaving the state of Ihram is the last part or stage. Halq and Taqseer are two Arabic words with different meanings. Halq means to shave the entire head, while Taqseer means to trim the hair to at least one inch.

Shaving the head is preferable for men, and cutting one inch of hair is recommended for women.

After all four stages, people can complete Umrah. If someone has trouble with
umrah permits then contact any best reliable travel agency regarding Umrah Packages.

Indeed, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) performed four Umrah and only one Hajj.