What should one do to spend umrah in the most virtuous way?

- What do you recommend to spend umrah in the most virtuous way?

Dear Brother / Sister,

The Meaning of Umrah

Umrah, which is derived from the root “a-m-r” meaning “to visit, to live a long life, to improve a home, to reside in a place, to protect, to have a lot of wealth and to serve Allah” lexically, is a deed of worship that one performs by entering ihram without a specific time limit, circumambulating the Kaaba, making sa’y between Safa and Marwa, then shaving (or having a haircut) and exiting ihram.

In this respect, in order to spend umrah in the most virtuous way, it is necessary to know what umrah is and how it should be performed in accordance with the Sunnah. In addition, it is necessary to live spiritually and to feel spiritually, to bring to life in the world of the heart what it means to enter ihram, the meaning of tawaf, the reality of the sa’y between Safa and Marwa, the meaning of shaving (or haircut), etc., which are among the requirements of umrah.

Differences Between Umrah and Hajj

Umrah differs from Hajj in that it is not limited to a specific time and does not include waqfa in Arafat and Muzdalifah, sacrifice and stoning the devil. Therefore, hajj is called “Hajj al-Akbar” (the major pilgrimage) and umrah is called “Hajj al-Asghar” (the minor pilgrimage).

Fards of Umrah

Umrah has two fards. Ihram and tawaf. Ihram is a condition and tawaf is a rukn. Its wajibs are sa’y and shaving (or haircut) and leaving ihram.

The Decree on Umrah

It is fard for a Muslim to perform umrah once in a lifetime according to Shafi’i and Hanbali madhhabs, sunnah al-muakkadah according to Hanafi and Maliki madhhabs.

There are also some Hanafi scholars who hold the view that umrah is wajib, just like witr prayer, sacrificing an animal and sadaqah al-fitr.

The disagreement on the decree of Umrah stems from the different interpretations of the verse, “And complete the hajj or umrah in the service of Allah...” (al-Baqara, 2/196) and the different narrations regarding the issue.

The verse means that once the pilgrimage and umrah are started, whether fard or nafilah (supererogatory), they need to be completed; it also means “fulfill (aqimu) the duty of hajj”, as in the verse meaning “complete your fast till the night appears” (al-Baqara, 2/187).

Imam Shafi’i and Imam Ahmad b. Hanbal understood this verse as a command to fulfill the duty of hajj and umrah and they concluded that umrah was fard. They also accepted the following narrations as evidence for their views:

Aisha (ra) asked,

- “O Messenger of Allah! Is jihad necessary for women”?

The Prophet (pbuh) said,

- Yes, jihad that does not include fighting, i.e., hajj and umrah, is necessary for them.” (Ibn Majah, Manasik, 8, II, 968. Shirbini, II, 206-207)

“Umrah is minor hajj.” (Mughni, V, 14)

Abu Razin al-Uqayli, one of the Companions, asked

- “O Messenger of Allah! My father is an old man. He cannot perform hajj and umrah, nor can he travel. (What should he do?)”

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said,

- “You perform hajj and umrah on behalf of your father.” (Abu Dawud, Manasik, 26, II, 402. Ibn Majah, Manasik, 10, II, 970.)

Those who hold the view that umrah is not fard use the following verse

“... Pilgrimage thereto is a duty men owe to Allah,- those who can afford the journey...” (Aal-i Imran, 3/ 97)

and the fact that umrah is not mentioned in the hadith listing the five pillars of Islam as evidence that umrah is not fard. They also cite the following hadiths as evidence for their view:

“Hajj is fard and umrah is a nafilah deed of worship.” (Ibn Majah, Manasik, 8, II, 968. Tirmidhi, Hajj, 88. III, 270. Qasani, II, 226. Tabari, II, 2/212. Mughni, V, 13)

According to what Jabir ibn Abdullah reports, a Companion asked the Prophet (pbuh),

- “O Messenger of Allah! Is umrah fard?”

The Prophet (pbuh) said,

- “No, it is better for you to perform umrah.” (Tabari, II, 2/212; Tirmidhi, Hajj, 88. III, 270; Ahmad, III, 316)

They explain that the term “umrah is a minor pilgrimage” in the hadith used by those who say umrah is fard aims “to express its reward (thawab)”.

According to what Abdullah ibn Umar reports, the Prophet (pbuh) performed umrah four times (Tirmidhi, Hajj, 93. III, 275), encouraged umrah and said,

“Umrah is atonement for the sins committed between it and the next umrah. The reward of hajj that is acceptable in the sight of Allah is Paradise.” (Tirmidhi, Hajj, 90. III, 272.)

Time for Umrah

While Hajj can only be performed during the months of hajj, there is no set time for umrah. Umrah can be performed at any time except on the days of Arafah and Eid (the 5 days when the takbirs of tashriq are uttered).

It is makruh tahrimi to perform umrah in the period between the morning of Arafah and the sunset on the 4th day of Eid because they are the days when the manasiks of hajj are performed.

According to the Shafi’i, Maliki and Hanbali madhhabs, those who do not intend to perform Hajj can perform umrah on any day of the year, including the days of tashriq.

According to the Maliki madhhab, those who intend to perform hajj cannot perform umrah until the sun sets on the 4th day of Eid, and according to the Shafi’i madhhab, they cannot perform umrah until all manasiks of hajj have been completed except the farewell tawaf.

It is more virtuous to perform umrah in Ramadan. The Prophet (pbuh) said,

“Umrah performed in Ramadan is equivalent to hajj.” (Tirmidhi, Hajj, 90. III, 276.)

How to Perform Umrah

• The person who wants to perform umrah removes his armpit and pubic hair if necessary, shaves or trims his hair and beard, trims his mustache, cuts his nails and makes ghusl, or if it is not possible for him to make ghusl, he makes wudu and applies perfume on his body.

• Men take off their undershirts, underpants, socks, garments and shoes. They put on two pieces of ihram cloth called izar and rida. It is makruh to tie the ends of the rida together or fasten them with a pin. They wear slippers with open backs and tops on their feet. It is permissible to tie a belt around the waist, wear a bag on the back and use an umbrella. Women continue to wear their dresses and shoes; they do not uncover their heads and do not cover their faces.

•  They pray two rak’ahs of ihram prayer with the intention of performing the sunnah of ihram. In the first rak’ah, they read the chapter of al-Kafirun after al-Fatiha and in the second rak’ah, they read the chapter of al-Ikhlas after al-Fatiha.

•  The person who wants to doperform umrah should enter ihram before crossing the borders of miqat if he is an afaqi (from outside miqat areas), or if he is a resident of Hill area, he should enter ihram where he is and if he is in the Haram area, he should enter ihram in Hill area, for example, in Tan’im.

One enters ihram by making intention and uttering talbiyah. Intention means the determination to perform umrah in the heart.

It is mustahab to make intention (niyyah) by saying,

“O Allah, I intend to perform Umrah, so make it easy for me and accept it from me.”

After the intention, one utters talbiyah as follows:

“I respond to Your call, O Allah, I respond to Your call. I respond to Your call, You have no partner. I respond to Your call. Indeed, the praise and grace are yours as well as sovereignty. You have no partner.” Thus, he enters ihram and ihram prohibitions start.

Until he reaches Makkah, he continues his journey by uttering talbiyah, takbir, tahlil and salawat loudly when he gets on and off the vehicles, when he meets caravans, when he enters the cities, in the evening and in the morning, day and night, in the vehicle, when he walks, sits, lies down, stands, descends, climbs, changes places, and at every opportunity and after fard prayers.

It is mustahab to repeat talbiyah three times in each utterance and then utter takbir, tahlil and salawat.

- When he approaches Makkah and enters Haram area, he prays as follows:

“O Allah, this city is your Holy Land and save myself my flesh, blood, hair and skin from hell. And save me from your torment in the day when You resurrect your servant, and make me among those who are always near and obedient to You.”

It is sunnah to enter Makkah with wudu and it is mustahab to enter during the day.

• After settling in a hotel or a house in Makkah and resting, if possible, one should make ghusl, if not, wudu and go to Masjid al-Haram on foot or by vehicle. On the way, he should utter takbir, tahlil, talbiyah and salawat. With humility and respect, he prays as follows and enters Masjid al-Haram: 

“O Allah! Open the doors of mercy to me and protect me from the accursed devil!”

• When he sees Baytullah, he utters takbir and tahlil three times and recites the following prayer:

“Glorified is Allah, all the praises and thanks are to Allah, there is no god but Allah, and Allah is the Greatest. O Allah! This is Your house. You have exalted it; You have honored it. O Allah, increase its exaltation, honor and value. Increase the honor, reverence, awe, exaltation and goodness of the one who increases its value, honors and respects it. O Allah! You are peace, and from you is peace. Make us live in peace and put us in Paradise, the Abode of Peace.  Blessed are You O Possessor of majesty and honor!”

One can say other prayers he knows too. He stops uttering talbiyah before starting tawaf.

• He comes to the level of Hajar al-Aswad, turns towards it, raises his hands to the level of his shoulders, salutes Hajar al-Aswad by saying “Bismillah, Allahu Akbar”, and utters takbir, tahlil and tahmid. He kisses Hajar al-Aswad if it is not crowded and he does not cause any harm to anyone, but he does not kiss Hajar al-Aswad if it is crowded. Istilam is a sunnah, and pushing and shoving people is a sin. One cannot commit a sin to perform a sunnah.

• He intends to perform the tawaf of umrah. It is mustahab to say his intention (niyyah) as follows:

“O Allah, I intend to perform tawaf of umrah for You as seven shawts; so, accept it from me and make it easy for me.”

He performs tawaf with the Kaaba to his left, going around the outside of the Hatim. In each shawt, he salutes Rukn al-Yamani and Hajar al-Aswad from a distance, saying “Bismillah, Allahu Akbar”. It is sunnah to salute Hajar al-Aswad and mustahab to salute Rukn al-Yamani. Rukn al-Yamani is not kissed and the other corners are not saluted.

During tawaf, he should say the sunnah prayers or the prayers he knows and silently say takbir and tahlil or read the Quran.

The first four shawts of tawaf are fard; it is wajib to perform it in wudu and not in the state of junub, menstruation or puerperium, to cover the places of awrah, to do it with the Kaaba to your left, to start from the level of Hajar al-Aswad, to go around the outside of the Hatim, to do it on foot if you can do it, and to complete seven shawts. If one of them is omitted, dam (sacrificing a sheep or goat) penalty becomes necessary.

He does iztiba in tawaf and ramal for the first three shawts.

After tawaf is completed with seven shawts, he prays at Multazam and Hatim. If possible, he should perform tawaf prayer of two rak’ahs behind Maqam Ibrahim; if not, he should perform it in a suitable place; it is wajib to perform that prayer. After the prayer, he says prayers, drinks Zamzam and salutes Hajar al-Aswad.

• He goes to Safa to perform the sa’y of umrah. He turns towards the Kaaba, utters takbir, tahlil, tahmid, salawat and salam, and then he prays. He intends to perform sa’y. It is mustahab to make intention as follows:

“O Allah! I intend to perform the sa’y of umrah between Safa and Marwa, as seven shawts, for Your sake.”

He starts the sa’y at Safa and finishes at Marwa as seven shawts. During the sa’y, he says the sunnah prayers or the prayers he knows, and he says the takbir and tahlil or reads the Quran silently. He does “harwala” between the two green lights. When he completes the sa’y, he prays at Marwa.

The sa’y of umrah is wajib. If it is abandoned, dam penalty becomes necessary.

• He shaves or shortens his hair at the barber’s or at home or at the hotel; thus, he exits ihram and completes the worship of umrah.

• Women do not perform ramal and harwala. They do not raise their voices in takbir, tahlil and talbiyah. It is enough for them to cut the tip of their hair to exit ihram. Women do not perform tawaf while menstruating. (see Diyanet İşleri “Hac İlmihali”)

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