Short answer
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.
Shaving or trimming is what releases the pilgrim from ihram, so until it is done he remains a muhrim. He must shave or trim now. For umrah there is no time limit, but Abu Hanifa requires it to be inside the Haram, so cutting outside it requires a dam. Stitched clothes worn for a full day, perfume or other violations before cutting each carry their penalty.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- Shaving is a pillar of umrah with no fixed place, so intercourse before it spoils the umrah. Violations done out of forgetfulness or ignorance in wearing clothes or perfume carry no penalty.
- Hanbali
- Shaving has no fixed place. Clothing and perfume used out of forgetfulness or ignorance carry no penalty in the relied-upon view.
Explanation
The Quran ties leaving ihram to shaving: "do not shave your heads until the sacrificial animal has reached its place". Changing into normal clothes does not end ihram; only the cut does. So if you finished sa'i and went to your room, changed and went out, you were still in ihram the whole time.
- Put the ihram clothes back on if you can, or at least stop doing what is forbidden.
- Shave or trim properly as soon as you remember.
- Work out what you did in between: wearing stitched clothes or covering the head for a full day or night is a dam; for less, sadaqah. Perfume, nails and intimacy have their own rules (see dam).
- Already left Makkah: in the Hanafi school you still need to cut, and cutting outside the Haram (for example in Madinah or at home) adds a dam. If you are still nearby, returning to cut inside the Haram is better.
- Only trimmed a few strands: that is below the Hanafi minimum of a quarter of the head. Trim properly now.
- Intercourse before cutting: the umrah stays valid but a dam is due.
The Hanafi school holds that forgetting does not remove a penalty, while the Shafi'i and Hanbali schools excuse forgetfulness in clothing and perfume. Because the outcome depends on exactly what you did and for how long, ask a mufti with the details.
Ask a mufti about your own case. This answer explains the general ruling. When the details of your situation matter, as they do here, ask a qualified mufti and give them the full facts. Where to ask a scholar.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Baqara 2:196
وَأَتِمُّوا۟ ٱلْحَجَّ وَٱلْعُمْرَةَ لِلَّهِ ۚ فَإِنْ أُحْصِرْتُمْ فَمَا ٱسْتَيْسَرَ مِنَ ٱلْهَدْىِ ۖ وَلَا تَحْلِقُوا۟ رُءُوسَكُمْ حَتَّىٰ يَبْلُغَ ٱلْهَدْىُ مَحِلَّهُۥ ۚ فَمَن كَانَ مِنكُم مَّرِيضًا أَوْ بِهِۦٓ أَذًۭى مِّن رَّأْسِهِۦ فَفِدْيَةٌۭ مِّن صِيَامٍ أَوْ صَدَقَةٍ أَوْ نُسُكٍۢ ۚ فَإِذَآ أَمِنتُمْ فَمَن تَمَتَّعَ بِٱلْعُمْرَةِ إِلَى ٱلْحَجِّ فَمَا ٱسْتَيْسَرَ مِنَ ٱلْهَدْىِ ۚ فَمَن لَّمْ يَجِدْ فَصِيَامُ ثَلَٰثَةِ أَيَّامٍۢ فِى ٱلْحَجِّ وَسَبْعَةٍ إِذَا رَجَعْتُمْ ۗ تِلْكَ عَشَرَةٌۭ كَامِلَةٌۭ ۗ ذَٰلِكَ لِمَن لَّمْ يَكُنْ أَهْلُهُۥ حَاضِرِى ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ ۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ وَٱعْلَمُوٓا۟ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ شَدِيدُ ٱلْعِقَابِ ﴿١٩٦﴾
And complete the Hajj and 'umrah for Allah. But if you are prevented, then [offer] what can be obtained with ease of sacrificial animals. And do not shave your heads until the sacrificial animal has reached its place of slaughter. And whoever among you is ill or has an ailment of the head [making shaving necessary must offer] a ransom of fasting [three days] or charity or sacrifice. And when you are secure, then whoever performs 'umrah [during the Hajj months] followed by Hajj [offers] what can be obtained with ease of sacrificial animals. And whoever cannot find [or afford such an animal] - then a fast of three days during Hajj and of seven when you have returned [home]. Those are ten complete [days]. This is for those whose family is not in the area of al-Masjid al-Haram. And fear Allah and know that Allah is severe in penalty.
Ihram ends with shaving, so the pilgrim stays in ihram until he cuts.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1727
Sahih... اللهم ارحم المحلقين قالوا والمقصرين ...
"O Allah, have mercy on those who shaved. They said: and those who trimmed?"
Shaving or trimming is the closing rite of Hajj and umrah.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Hajj, bab al-jinayat, on delaying shaving. Abu Hanifa's view that shaving is tied to the Haram, with a dam for doing it elsewhere.
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Hajj, on the end of umrah. The person remains in ihram until he shaves or trims.
- al-Majmu' (Nawawi), Kitab al-Hajj, violations out of forgetfulness. The Shafi'i excuse for forgetfulness in clothing and perfume.
This answer is pending review by the scholars on our team. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.