Umrah Guide
About Umrah:
Umrah is one of the important rituals in Islam. It has been perform thoughout the ages. It is a pilgrimage to Mecca performed by Muslims that can be undertaken at any time of the year. The Prophet Muhammad said: "Accumulated sins are expiated with each Umrah". In Arabic Umrah means “to visit a populated place”. Umrah is not compulsory to perform but it is highly reccommended.
There are a number of rituals that needs to be followed to perform Umrah correctly.
The pilgrim, sometimes referred to as a 'Hajj', performs a series of ritual acts symbolic of the lives of the prophet Abraham (Ibrahim) and his wife Hagar (Hajarah), and of solidarity with Muslims worldwide. These acts of faith are:
- tawaf
- sa'i
- halq or taqsir
These rituals complete the Umrah. It is not a part of the ritual, but most pilgrims drink water from the Well of Zamzam.
The Umrah can be completed in one hour during the off-peak pilgrimage season. The peak times of pilgrimage are the days before, during and after the Hajj and during the last ten days of Ramadan.
There are two types of Umrah, depending on whether one wishes to combine the Umrah with Hajj: al-Umrat al-mufradah al-mustaqillah 'an al-Hajj (al-Umrat al mufradah) and al-Umrat al-mundammah ila al-Hajj (Umrat al-tammatu).
al-Umrat al mufradah refers to Umrah that is performed independently of Hajj.
Umrat al-tammatu refers to Umrah that is performed in conjunction with Hajj. More precisely, the rituals of the Umrah are performed first and then the Hajj rituals are performed.
Umrah Procedure:
To perform Umrah, if the piligrim wishes to be retually pure for Umrah, before entering the Holy City of Makkah, one should be in Ihram.
One should perform an obligatory prayer. When he finishes his prayer he should say: "Here I am for Umrah--here I am, Oh Allah, here I am. Here I am. You have no partner. Here I am. Surely all praise, grace and dominion is yours, and you have no partner." [Talbeeyah]. A man raises his voice when saying this and a woman says it so that only one beside her may hear her.
One in Ihram should say the Talbeeyah as often as possible, especially when times and places change. For example: when descending or ascending during travel or when day or night approach. He should also ask Allah for His pleasure, for Heaven and seek refuge in Allah's mercy from Hellfire.
Enter the Holy Sanctuary (al Masjid al Haram), with the right foot throught the gate first, reciting the Talbiya.
When you first see the Holy Kaaba, keep your eyes fixed on this the holiest of all structures in Islam.
Perform a tawaf, which consists of circling the Kaaba seven times in a counter-clockwise direction. Men are encouraged to do this three times at a hurried pace, followed by four times, more closely, at a leisurely pace.
Perform a sa'i, which means rapidly walking seven times back and forth between the hills of Safa and Marwah. This is a re-enactment of Hagar's frantic search for water, before the Zamzam Well was revealed to her by Allah.
Perform a halq or taqsir, meaning a cutting of the hair. A taqsir is a partial shortening of the hair, whereas a halq is a complete shave of the head.
More information to follow soon.
