Hajj, umrah and qurbani, questions and answers.
Ihram, the rites, mistakes, and the Eid sacrifice. 30 answers, Hanafi first, with the Quran and hadith behind each one.
- What is Hajj in Islam and who has to perform it?Hajj is the pilgrimage to Makkah in Dhul Hijjah and the fifth pillar of Islam. It is fard once in a lifetime on every adult, sane Muslim who has the money and health to get there and back. In the Hanafi school you should go in the first year you are able.
- What is umrah, and is it fard or sunnah?Umrah is the lesser pilgrimage: ihram, tawaf of the Kaaba, sa'i between Safa and Marwah, then shaving or trimming the hair. It can be done any time of year. In the Hanafi school it is sunnah mu'akkadah (a stressed sunnah) once in a lifetime; the Shafi'i and Hanbali schools hold it is obligatory once.
- Can you go to Hajj if you have debt or a mortgage?It depends on the debt. Debt that is due now, or that the lender is asking for, comes first: if paying it leaves you without the cost of Hajj, Hajj is not yet fard on you. For a long-term debt paid in instalments, such as a mortgage, many Hanafi muftis deduct only the instalments currently due, so Hajj can still be fard if you have savings beyond them.
- Can a woman go to Hajj or umrah without a mahram?No, not in the Hanafi school: a woman who lives at travel distance from Makkah needs her husband or a mahram with her, and without one Hajj is not yet due on her in person. The Shafi'i and Maliki schools allow her to go for the fard Hajj with a trustworthy group of women or a safe company.
- Can you perform Hajj on behalf of someone else (Hajj badal)?Yes. You can perform Hajj for a person who died owing Hajj, or for a living person who is permanently unable to travel. In the Hanafi school it is better that the one sent has already done his own Hajj; the Shafi'i and Hanbali schools make that a condition.
- What is forbidden in ihram?In ihram you may not use perfume, cut hair or nails, hunt, have intercourse or foreplay, argue or sin. Men may not wear stitched clothing shaped to the body or cover their head and face; women wear normal clothes but must not cover the face with cloth touching it. Breaking a rule usually brings a penalty.
- Can you wear perfume in ihram?Not after you enter ihram. Before the intention it is sunnah to apply perfume to your body, and the scent that stays afterwards is fine. Do not put it on the ihram sheets. In the Hanafi school, perfume used in ihram on a whole limb or more requires a dam; on less, sadaqah.
- Can you use soap and shampoo in ihram?Yes, unscented soap and shampoo are fine in ihram and you may shower. Avoid scented products. In the Hanafi school, using scented soap is makruh but many Hanafi muftis say it brings no penalty, since soap is a cleaner and not perfume; the Shafi'i and Hanbali schools treat scented soap as perfume.
- Can you cut your nails or hair in ihram?No. Cutting nails or removing hair is forbidden from the moment you enter ihram until you shave or trim at the end. In the Hanafi school, cutting all five nails of one hand or foot requires a dam; fewer than five requires sadaqah for each nail. A nail that breaks and hangs may be removed.
- Can you wear a face mask in ihram?In the Hanafi school, men and women in ihram must not cover the face, so a mask should be avoided. If you need one for health, you may wear it and pay the ransom: wearing it for a full day or night requires a dam (or fasting or feeding), and for less, sadaqah. The Shafi'i and Hanbali schools allow men to cover the face.
- Where do you put on ihram when flying to Jeddah?Before your plane crosses the miqat, not at Jeddah. Jeddah is inside the miqat line for flights from the US, UK and most of the world, so you must be in ihram in the air. Most people change at the departure airport or during a layover and make the intention when the crew announces the miqat.
- Do you need ihram if you go to Madinah first?No. If your first stop is Madinah, you do not need ihram on the flight, even if you land in Jeddah and drive to Madinah. You enter ihram later at Dhul Hulayfah (Abyar Ali), the miqat of Madinah, when you set out for Makkah.
- Do you need wudu for tawaf?Yes. In the Hanafi school wudu is wajib for tawaf: a tawaf without it still counts but owes a penalty unless you repeat it. In the Shafi'i, Maliki and Hanbali schools wudu is a condition, so tawaf without it is invalid. If your wudu breaks during tawaf, renew it and continue from where you stopped.
- Do you need wudu for sa'i?No. Wudu is recommended for sa'i but not required, so sa'i without wudu is valid with no penalty. A woman whose period starts after tawaf may still do sa'i. The four schools agree on this.
- Do you have to shave your head for umrah?No, men may shave or trim, but shaving is better. In the Hanafi school a man who trims must cut at least a fingertip length (about an inch) from a quarter of his head, and it is sunnah to cut from all of it. Women never shave; they trim.
- How much hair should a woman cut for umrah?About a fingertip length (roughly an inch) from the ends of her hair. In the Hanafi school she must cut it from at least a quarter of her hair, and it is better to cut from all of it. A woman does not shave her head.
- What is dam in Hajj and umrah?Dam is a penalty sacrifice: a sheep or goat, or a seventh of a cow or camel, slaughtered inside the Haram of Makkah. It is due for leaving a wajib rite of Hajj or umrah or for a major violation of ihram. Smaller violations need sadaqah, and some need a whole camel or cow (badanah).
- What if you forgot to cut your hair after umrah?You are still in ihram until you shave or trim, even if you changed clothes. Cut your hair as soon as you remember, inside the Haram if you can. In the Hanafi school, any ihram violations in the meantime carry their own penalties, and cutting outside the Haram adds a dam.
- What happens if you have intercourse in ihram?It is haram and the penalty depends on when it happened. In the Hanafi school, intercourse in Hajj before the stand at Arafah spoils the Hajj; after Arafah but before shaving, the Hajj stays valid but a camel or cow is due. In umrah, before four rounds of tawaf it spoils the umrah.
- Can you do umrah on your period?You can enter ihram on your period, but you cannot do tawaf or enter the mosque until your period ends and you take ghusl. Then you complete tawaf, sa'i and the trim. The four schools agree that tawaf needs purity.
- Is visiting Madinah part of Hajj?No. Visiting Madinah is not a rite of Hajj or umrah, and your Hajj is complete without it. But praying in the Prophet's Mosque and visiting his grave are among the most rewarding acts a pilgrim can do, and Hanafi scholars strongly recommend it.
- Is qurbani wajib or sunnah?In the Hanafi school qurbani is wajib on every adult, sane, resident Muslim who owns wealth at the nisab level beyond basic needs during the days of Eid al-Adha. The Shafi'i, Maliki and Hanbali schools hold it is a stressed sunnah. Giving the money to charity instead does not fulfil it.
- Is qurbani per person or per household?In the Hanafi school it is per person: each family member who has the nisab owes their own qurbani, so a wife with her own gold or an earning adult child gives separately. One sheep or goat counts for one person. The other schools allow one sheep for a man and his whole household.
- Which animals can be sacrificed for qurbani, and how old must they be?Sheep, goats, cows, buffalo and camels, male or female. In the Hanafi school a goat or sheep must be one lunar year old (a large sheep of six months is accepted), a cow or buffalo two years, and a camel five. The animal must be free of clear defects such as blindness, lameness or severe weakness.
- How many people can share a cow for qurbani?Up to seven. A cow, buffalo or camel can be shared by seven people, each taking a share of at least one seventh, while a sheep or goat is for one person only. In the Hanafi school every partner must intend worship; if one wants only meat, none of the shares count.
- Can you cut your hair and nails before qurbani in Dhul Hijjah?It is better not to. In the Hanafi school it is mustahabb for someone giving qurbani not to cut hair or nails from 1 Dhul Hijjah until the sacrifice is done, but it is not a sin to cut them. The Hanbali school holds it is haram, and the Shafi'i school makruh.
- How should qurbani meat be divided?It is recommended to split it into thirds: one for your household, one for relatives and friends, and one for the poor. This is not obligatory, so you may keep more if your family needs it. You may not sell any of it or pay the butcher with it.
- Can you do qurbani for a deceased person?Yes. In the Hanafi school you may give a voluntary qurbani on behalf of a parent or anyone who has died, and the reward reaches them. Do your own wajib qurbani first. The Shafi'i school allows it only if the deceased left a bequest for it.
- Can you pay for qurbani to be done abroad?Yes. You may appoint a charity or relative to sacrifice for you in another country, and your wajib qurbani is fulfilled once the animal is slaughtered. The slaughter must be after the Eid prayer where the animal is, and the safest course is that it falls on a day that is a qurbani day both there and where you live.
- What is Takbir al-Tashreeq and when do you say it?It is the Eid takbir said once after every fard prayer from Fajr on 9 Dhul Hijjah to Asr on 13 Dhul Hijjah, 23 prayers in all. In the Hanafi school it is wajib: men say it aloud, women quietly. The words are Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, la ilaha illallah, wallahu akbar, Allahu akbar, wa lillahil hamd.