Necessary rituals of Umrah

[Abdullah Saif]

Umrah is a voluntary or sunnah Pilgrimage that hundreds of thousands of Muslims undertake every year traveling through umrah package for 2022. Though umrah performance isn’t obligatory for any Muslim, pilgrims travel for it throughout the year because it holds rewards equal to that of Hajj pilgrimage. Nonetheless, Umrah travel is easy and convenient for Muslims across the globe because one can travel for it at any time of the year; there’s no specific timeframe to perform Umrah rituals. However, it goes without saying that the month of Ramadan remains the most rewarding time for umrah rituals.

Umrah rituals are few and if performed consecutively, umrah can be performed by a pilgrim in a matter of few hours. However, depending upon one’s physical capabilities the time required for umrah performance may differ for every individual.

If you are traveling for the holy pilgrimage of umrah soon, here are some of the necessary rituals you should know about.

Assuming Ihram.

Ihram is the state of absolute purity that a pilgrim must have to be in to perform the holy rituals of Umrah pilgrimage. Though the word Ihram is also used to refer to the ceremonial clothing worn for the pilgrimage. Assuming Ihram is necessary for every pilgrim; adult or children. Though the clothing rules may differ for men and women, the fundamental remains the same.

In order to assume Ihram, one must;

• Trim its fingernails and toenails.
• If necessary, get a haircut and mustache trim.
• Remove unnecessary air from the body.
• Perform Ghusl because it’s a recommended act.

When all of this is performed, a pilgrim can now wear Ihram clothes. Remember that all of this must be done before crossing the Miqat boundary. Otherwise, if the Miqat boundary is crossed by a pilgrim without having assumed Ihram, a penalty is due.

Tawaf of Holy Kaabah.

Tawaf refers to circumambulating around Holy Kaabah for seven consecutive rounds. The pilgrims must proceed for the Tawaf in an anticlockwise direction i.e., keeping Kaabah on the left-hand side. Remember that each round of Tawaf must start as well as in at the place of Hajar-al-Aswad.

Tawaf is among the fundamental and most significant rituals of umrah pilgrimage thus one must perform it very carefully.

Sayee of Safah and Marwah hills.

Walking across the hills of Safah and Marwah present inside Masjid-al-Haram for seven circuits is what we call the Sayee ritual. The first circuit of Sayee must be started from Safah towards Marwah and then continued in this manner such that the last round ends as at Marwah.

Halq and Taqsir.

After all the above-mentioned rituals are complete, the pilgrim must trim its hair. It’s the last ritual of Umrah pilgrimage thus marking the completion of umrah rituals for a pilgrim. For men, it is advised that they opt for Halq (shaving the head) however trimming can also be done. For women, they can only cut a fingertip’s length of their hair.

These are some of the necessary rituals of Umrah pilgrimage to know about.

Read more:
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