What is the wisdom behind the prohibitions of ihram in hajj and umrah?

Dear Brother / Sister,

To understand ihram:

“Ihram” means to make some words, deeds and acts that are actually permissible haram for the people who are performing hajj and umrah for a certain time within the framework of prohibitions imposed by Allah and His Messenger.

These prohibitions start when a person makes niyyah (intention) and enters ihram for hajj or umrah. Men who enter ihram uncover their heads, take off their normal clothes and wrap two pieces of seamless towels called “izar and rida” around their bodies. There is no special clothing for the ihram of women. Their ihram is represented by the obligation of leaving their faces uncovered. As a matter of fact, the following is stated in a narration:

“A woman’s ihram is on her face and a man’s ihram is on his head.” (Daraqutni, Sunan, II/294)

Wrapping the body with ihram has the following meaning:

Those who come to hajj leave their worldly clothes that show their social and economic status, their uniforms that show their ranks and positions, all kinds of indicators (jewels, make-up, etc) that show their pleasures, cultures and characteristics; they wear two simple pieces of towels symbolizing that everybody is equal in the eye of Allah. That is, ihram, first of all, states that wealth, goods, property and material things are worth nothing in the eye of Allah and that Muslims are equal and brothers in this holy atmosphere. There is nothing showing that one of them is superior to another. Worldly clothes are taken off and only personalities are shown. 

In other words, decorated clothes that usually hide personalities are left and “the clothing of taqwa” is regarded as a basis. The two pieces of towels serve to ensure equality and cover awrah places. The real clothing that needs to be put on in this holy journey, which starts at miqat, is the clothing of taqwa, that is, the consciousness of responsibility. For, as Allah states,

“The raiment of righteousness,― that is the best.” (al-A’raf, 7/26)

A Muslim enters the region of Haram bareheaded and barefooted, in an appearance of hunger, need, non-existence and poverty, showing that his power, strength, rank, position and existence mean nothing in the presence of the owner of endless power and strength. This also symbolizes Hz. Adam, the first man in creation, when various social elements that made people different from one another like nation, class and social status had not formed yet.

Ihram is understood as joining white-winged angels due to intending to meet Allah, going there after repenting, opening a new page for oneself, prohibitions starting with ihram, keeping away from sins as much as possible, and similar changes. The hajji will pursuit angelic faculties, not human characteristics. He will never disobey Allah just like angels and will do whatever he is ordered to do. At least, during hajj, he will keep away from human weaknesses like his soul and lust; he will virtually become an angel with the new faculties he obtains. 

In their white garments, hajjis virtually unfurl flags of peace and become white doves, which are symbols of peace. They enter the forbidden area, the area of inviolability, warless zone and land of peace.  

A hajji declares that he is in peaceful terms with his Lord, that he is in peaceful terms with himself and that he has come to make peace with all of his brothers. Ihram, which is the symbol of peace, on the one hand, and the invisible war of the hajji against Satan, his lust and soul in order to ensure this peace on the other hand are like armor in this war. Ordinary armor protects a person from coming blows while this ihram protects him from his soul, lust and Satan. As the Prophet (pbuh) says,  

“Fasting is an armor for the person who performs it.” (Muslim, Siyam, 162)

Similarly, ihram is a strong armor and shield protecting a person from all inner and outer blows.

Another aspect of hajj is that it reminds death, resurrection and Gathering Place. The Muslims who are enshrouded in white garments virtually rehearse for death and life after death in hajj. All Muslims show that they are brothers and are equal in the presence of Allah wearing the same garments no matter what their statuses are. They experience death with ihram; they experience resurrection and gathering in Arafat; they enter into the presence of Allah with this spirit. To sum up, they try to acquire the consciousness of “dying before death” and spiritual resurrection. Thus, they suggest to themselves that they are ready to surrender to divine will by doing an important exercise of will.

Ihram symbolizes the shroud that each Muslim will wear when they die. A Muslim who goes to hajj is conscious of the similarity between the garment he puts on in ihram and the garment he will be wrapped in while entering the grave; thus, in a sense, he feels that he is adapting himself to an extraterrestrial system and perceives its effects. A hajji wears the garment of death in the world, wears ihram as if he is in the hereafter in the Gathering Place. Anything that he knows to be valuable up to that time like wealth, rank, nationality, gender and human superiorities melt in the color of ihram and he shows his Lord that he is only His slave. This garment, which has no color, seam, badge and flag, isolates Muslims from all worldly powers and facilities.   

With their snow-white ihrams during the season of hajj, hajjis remind us resurrection from the graves wearing white shrouds and coming together in the Gathering Place. By experiencing this scenario of resurrection, a conscious hajji promises to prepare better for the real resurrection in afterlife and realizes a hearty resurrection in his spirit.  

With ihram, it looks as if shrouds are worn, bodies are left in miqat places and spirits proceed to the region of Haram. All of the feelings of “I” and “ego” are taken off with the clothes in miqat and people unite in the Kaaba, which is the center of divine attraction, as “we”. In that case, ihram is not only an outward change of clothes but also a radical change in the lifestyle and attitude of man. As a matter of fact, a person who is in ihram has to keep away from certain deeds that are permissible for him at other times as long as he wears ihram. This non-scheduled life is an important opportunity that enables a person to get rid of his temporary concerns, habits and addictions and to call himself to account.    

The Muslims who take off their causal clothes and wear snow-white and spotless ihrams during hajj get rid of their bad desires and habits, and show the determination to start a new and clean life along with keeping away from all kinds of show-off and ostentation, not boasting about their jewels and wealth, remembering life and afterlife by experiencing them.

The prohibitions imposed for the person in ihram provides him with the ability not to harm living beings, to show compassion and mercy to all creatures, to show endurance to difficulties, in short, the ability to live regularly and in a disciplined way. The Muslims who undergo this training acquire the ability not to harm and then to be useful to their environment.   

A person’s taking off his clothes and wrapping two pieces of towels around his body symbolizes discarding all of his worldly possessions and walking toward God Almighty. He can see more easily that he is all alone and is the slave of his Lord only. He can become conscious that what will make him valuable in such a situation is worshipping and obeying his Lord.  

In order to ensure the desired spiritual regeneration in hajj, a person needs to discard not only his clothes but also all kinds of spiritual impurities and the weights that are a burden for his soul while entering ihram. He needs to put aside all worldly concerns and concentrate on purifying his soul. While taking off his clothes and wrapping two pieces of towels around his body, he needs to discard all of the things that bother his spirit, disturb his heart and form a weight on his spirituality before entering the sacred atmosphere of hajj.  

Understanding the Prohibitions:

“Let there be no obscenity nor wickedness nor wrangling in the Hajj.” (al-Baqara, 2/197)

A hajji makes some halal and permissible things haram for himself in order to worship. The takbir of iftitah uttered while starting a prayer prohibits a person from doing certain things in the prayer; a person who starts fasting prohibits himself from eating and drinking with imsak; similarly, a hajji makes certain things that are permissible for him haram with ihram. The Quran mentions three kinds of prohibitions regarding the issue:

1. “Rafath (obscenity)” includes all kinds of talks that are related to sexual desires and all kinds of sexual prohibitions.
2. “Fisq and fusuq (wickedness)” include all kinds of sins, evils and bad deeds.
3. “Jidal (wrangling)” includes all kinds of fights, quarreling, arguments, cursing and combatting.

As it can be seen, the first one of these three kinds of prohibitions aims to protect a person from his lust, the second from his soul and the third from others. It means a person must not have any problems with his lust, soul and brothers during hajj and must be in peaceful terms with them.  

In general, these three aspects cause people commit a lot of sins. Man should not be hit by them. He should protect himself from them with this experience after hajj too. The Prophet (pbuh) gives the glad tiding that a person who performs hajj by obeying these prohibitions will be as if he has just been born. (Bukhari, Hajj, 4)

Along with these basic prohibitions determined by the Quran, some hadiths include some ihram prohibitions. They are as follows: during ihram, men must not wear anything - except slippers and two pieces of towels - ; men and women must not wear perfume after entering ihram, must not hunt any animals and must not harm the plants and trees in the region of haram. Other prohibitions include shedding blood by any reason, taking something found except with the intention of giving it to the lost property office. Ihram prohibitions covers not only Muslims or people but also other living and non-living beings, almost everything.

All animals, plants, the nature and the environment granted to believers by Allah are a kind of untouchable protected area. You must not harm anything, pick up any grass or flowers and frighten any birds in this region. Let alone spitting on the ground, you must not drop litter. For, to pick up litter from the ground is regarded as sadaqah, that is loyalty to Allah, even in other places. To do the opposite of it in the region of Haram, that is, polluting it instead of cleaning is disloyalty. 

Since it is essential not to harm anything during hajj, man needs to be careful about his relationships with his environment. Especially the sensitivity that needs to be shown toward living beings like plants and animals will make a person nurture a sensitivity that he cannot develop at other times. A hajji cannot harm a green leaf, any living beings after that.

In addition, moral attitudes like not to be furious, not to harm anybody and to behave in a friendly manner are among the spiritual acquisitions that those who perform hajj will get.

In short, all kinds of things and deeds that can disturb social peace and unity, that can lead to egoism and that can remind the previous pleasures and interests are forbidden during ihram.

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