How to perform Umrah, step by step.
Follow each step of Umrah with the duas to say, count your rounds of tawaf and sai with a tap, and tick off your packing list.
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Packing checklist
Guide
Umrah, the rules and the details.
The Prophet ﷺ said: "An Umrah is an expiation for what is between it and the next Umrah."1 It can be done at any time of year, and an Umrah in Ramadan is equal in reward to Hajj.2
The talbiyah
لَبَّيْكَ اللّٰهُمَّ لَبَّيْكَ، لَبَّيْكَ لَا شَرِيْكَ لَكَ لَبَّيْكَ، إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ وَالنِّعْمَةَ لَكَ وَالْمُلْكَ، لَا شَرِيْكَ لَكَ
Labbayk Allāhumma labbayk, labbayka lā sharīka laka labbayk, innal-ḥamda wan-niʿmata laka wal-mulk, lā sharīka lak
"Here I am, O Allah, here I am. Here I am, You have no partner, here I am. All praise, blessing and sovereignty are Yours. You have no partner."
Sahih al-Bukhari 1549
What is fard and wajib in Umrah
The ihram (with the intention and talbiyah) is a condition, and the tawaf is the pillar (rukn), of which the first four rounds are fard and the remaining three wajib. Sai between Safa and Marwah, and shaving or trimming the hair, are wajib. Leaving a wajib act means a penalty (dam): sacrificing a sheep in the Haram. Leaving the tawaf means the Umrah is not done.3
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i, Maliki, Hanbali
- Ihram, tawaf and sai are all pillars, so the Umrah is incomplete without the sai. The Shafi'i school also counts shaving or trimming as a pillar.
Things not allowed in ihram
- Perfume, and scented soap or lotion.
- Cutting hair or nails.
- For men: sewn clothes that take the shape of the body, and covering the head. For women: gloves, and a face veil that touches the face.
- Hunting, marital relations, and arguing or foul speech.
Women's questions
A woman wears her normal modest clothes in ihram. If her period comes before tawaf, she stays in ihram and waits until she is clean to do tawaf, because tawaf needs purity. Everything else, such as dhikr, dua and talbiyah, she can do.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 1773; Sahih Muslim 1349.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 1782; Sahih Muslim 1256.
- Al-Marghinani, al-Hidayah, Kitab al-Hajj. The other madhhabs' positions are summarised from their standard manuals.
The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.
Questions
Good to know.
How long does Umrah take?
Usually two to four hours: about an hour for tawaf, an hour for sai and time for the two rakahs, Zamzam and cutting the hair, depending on the crowd.
Can I do Umrah for someone else?
Yes, for someone who has died or who cannot travel, after you have done your own Umrah.
Where is the miqat if I fly from the US or UK?
Flights to Jeddah pass over the miqat of Qarn al-Manazil or Yalamlam before landing. Put on ihram before boarding or on the plane, and make the intention before the miqat.
Can women perform Umrah without a mahram?
In the Hanafi school a woman needs a mahram for a journey of three days or more. Saudi Arabia now allows women over 18 to travel in groups, but many scholars still require a mahram. Ask a scholar for your case.