In Islam, Umrah is a minor pilgrimage to Hajj. Performance of Umrah isn’t obligatory for Muslims, However, considering the blessings and rewards it holds for Muslims its significance is nothing less than that of hajj. Despite this, umrah performance is an exceptionally beautiful sunnah of Hazrat Muhammad (SAWW).
Here’s everything you need to know about Umrah.
Performance of umrah:
Umrah is performed in the holy city of Makkah, Saudia Arabia. Almost all of the rituals of Umrah are performed inside of Masjid-al-Haram.
Umrah season:
Umrah Season lasts all around the year but the days of hajj i.e. 8th to 13th of Dhul-Hijjah are not included. In the same way, Umrah visas are issued twelve months of the year through e-services and visa-on-arrival facility. Additionally, Muslims are also allowed to perform Umrah on their tourist visas to Saudia Arabia.
Rituals of umrah:
There are four primary rituals of umrah;
• Getting into the state of Ihram.
Undertaking the state of ihram is compulsory for umrah performance. The concept actually defines entering into a state of complete physical, mental, and spiritual purity. While the clothing used for umrah performance is also known as Ihram.
For men, Ihram is two simple pieces of white cloths. One for covering the lower half of the body (Izar) and the other for covering the upper half of the body (Rida).
For women, Ihram is their ordinary clothes provided that they remain simple, modest, and under the teachings of Islam.
• Performing Tawaf of the Holy Kaabah.
Tawaf is the circumambulation around the holy Kaabah for 7 consecutive circuits in an anti-clockwise direction. Each round of the tawaf must begin/end at the place of Hajar-e-Aswad i.e. the Black Stone.
• Sayee of the Safah and Marwah Hills.
Sayee can be defined as strolling on the hills of Safah and Marwah for 7 rounds such that the 1st round starts at Safah and the 7th round ends at Marwah. Both of these hills are located inside of Masjid-al-Haram.
• Halq/Taqsir of the Hair.
After the completion of the above-mentioned rituals of Umrah, it’s time to cut the hair. For men, shaving of the head (Halq) is preferred while they can also opt for trimming (Taqsir). For women, it is only permissible to cut a fingertip’s length of their hair.
Once these four rituals are fulfilled, a pilgrim can come out of the state of Ihram and change its clothes as well i.e. Umrah gets performed. Though umrah can be performed in a matter of a few hours, people prefer going to the holy land for 2 weeks. In order to go for the Ziyarath of the holy sites as well as visit Madinah. So, if you are looking for
Cheap Hajj and Umrah Packages, you can also opt for a shorter stay in the kingdom i.e. 2-3 days. It all depends on your time, budget, and travel needs.