What’s better than Allah calling you to visit His House and attain closeness to Him? This is a great blessing for any Muslim to embark on this Holy journey however, it demands preparation. Whether it’s Hajj or Umrah, knowing how to perform the pilgrimage is half the preparation.
If you intend to visit the House of Allah this by opting for all-inclusive Umrah packages UK, then this article is for you. We’ll guide you through the Umrah process and how to perform different rituals. In addition, if you intend to perform the pilgrimage on behalf of any of your loved ones, then this post will also guide you about the rules of doing Umrah al Badal. So, let’s begin without delay!
Step By Step Guide to Perform Umrah
1. Wearing Ihram
- Ablution: Perform Ghusl or ablution before assuming Ihram as it is Sunnah. It’s also advised to remove excessive body hair and clip your nails. You should perform ablution before leaving home as you you’ll be travelling on an international flight.
- Wear Ihram: Men should wear two white sheets: One is wrapped around the waist to cover the lower part of the body while the other one is wrapped to cover the upper half. You can wear sandals that do not cover the ankle. However, it is not permissible to wear a hat or any type of head cover. Women will have to wear the normal dress, but covering their faces or wearing gloves is not allowed.
Make sure that you change into your Ihram outfit before crossing the Miqat. You will likely be travelling to Saudi Arabia via plane, so you should change into Ihram at the airport before departure or during a stopover if you’re on an indirect flight.
- Pray Salah al Ihram: Perform two Rakahs of Salah before entering into the state of Ihram, as it is Sunnah. Although you can read any surah, it is advised to recite Sural al Kafirun in the first Rakah and Surah al Ikhlas in the second. You can perform the prayer after changing at the airport or during the flight before crossing the Miqat, if there are prayer facilities on the plane.
- Make the intention for Umrah: For Pilgrims flying from abroad, the Miqaat passes 20-30 minutes before landing. This is the point where you must make the Umrah intention, by reciting the following words:
لَبَّيْكَ اللَّهُمَّ عُمْرَةً
Translation
“Here I am O Allah making Umrah.”
2. Reciting Talbiyah
After entering the Haram mosque, gather near Ka’bah in Haram and recite Talbiyah, to mark your arrival. Reciting Talbiyah is considered ‘Wajib’ for the pilgrims as it is a Sunnah. Male pilgrims need to declaim Talbiyah in loud voice, while female pilgrims can recite Talbiyah in a muffled voice. Recite these words for Talbiyah:
لَبَّيْكَ اللهُمَّ لَبَّيْكَ – لَبَّيْكَ لَا شَرِيْكَ لَكَ لَبَّيْكَ – إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ وَالنِّعْمَةَ لَكَ وَالْمُلْكَ – لَا شَرِيْكَ لَكَ
Translation:
“Here I am, O Allah, here I am. Here I am, You have no partner, here I am. Verily, all praise and blessings are Yours, and all sovereignty, You have no partner.”
3. Doing Tawaf
The next obligation to carry out after Talbiyah is Tawaf. In this ritual, you’ve to circle the Ka’bah seven times in the counter clockwise direction. Tawaf starts from the eastern corner of Kaabah where Hajar e Aswad or the black stone is placed. This stone is believed to be thrown from ‘Heaven’ and has great importance in Islamic history. As a Sunnah, you’ve to kiss the stone or just raise your hands towards it while reciting specific words. This is Istihlam.
4. Observing the Prayer of Tawaf
After doing Tawaf, you’ve to pray two Rakats (Units of prayer) at Maqaam e Ibrahim (AS) following the Sunnah. You can also observe prayers at a distance behind the spot if there is too much crowd near it. After completing the obligation, you’ll have to go to the well of ‘Zum Zum’ and drink its water while looking at the Ka’abah.
5. Running Between Safa & Marwa (Sa’ii)
Sa’ii is the obligation of walking back and forth seven times between the two mountains known as Safa and Marwa, at a fast pace. It is an obligation by Allah to honor the struggle of the anxious mother (Hajrah AS) looking for water for her thirsty little child (Isma’el A.S).
She ran seven times between the two mountains until the angel Jibra’el A.S. arrived and struck His hand near Ismael A.S’s foot. A huge volume of water jetted out of the place and Hazrat Hajrah said Zum Zum (Stop, Stop) to the water. Hence, the name, ‘Zum Zum’.
6. Halaq
Halaq is the concluding obligation that denotes the end of the entire Umrah. At this phase, male pilgrims get their heads shaved by the barbers, indicating the end of their spiritual journey. On the other hand, female pilgrims need to cut their hair equal to the length of a fingertip, to mark the end of their Umrah. From here onwards, pilgrims are freed from the bounds of Ihram.
Rules for Performing Umrah-al-Badal
The term “Badal” translates to “substitution” or “in lieu of.” This explains the intent of Umrah al Badal. So, if you aim to do this Umrah on behalf of someone else, follow these rules:
- You’ve to be a mentally stable Muslim to perform Umrah-al-Badal.
- Make intention while entering into Ihram to do Umrah on behalf of the person for whom the pilgrimage is to be performed. you can specify the name of the person and the name of his/her father, for whom you’re doing the pilgrimage.
For instance, suppose you’ve to perform Umrah on behalf of your cousin’s deceased father. Suppose his father’s name is Ali, and the grandfather’s name is Talha. You can recite these words after arriving in before doing Tawaf and other rituals:
“Labbayka Allahumma bi ‘umratin Ali ibn Talha.”
Translation:
“Allah, I answer your call by performing an Umrah for Ali, the son of Talha.”
However, if you don’t know the name, it’s fine. It is not obligatory to do that. You can just make intention in your heart.
- You can perform this Umrah by a Muslim who has permitted you to carry it out on their behalf. However, if it’s a deceased person, you can perform this pilgrimage on their behalf as well.
- You must not miss any obligation (Fard) of the Umrah. Except for the intention part, all of the other obligations of this pilgrimage are similar to the regular Umrah.
Umrah is a sacred journey for which you’ve to be prepared well to make increase the chances of its acceptance. That’s why we’ve covered its essential steps and how to perform Umrah al Badal, in this article. So, if you are clear about its above-mentioned guidelines, then contact Muslims Holy Travel and reserve your deal. Choose all-inclusive Umrah packages by MHT to enjoy maximum facilities during your tour.
