Before you leave
Learn the rites before you travel. Keep your intention sincere, settle any debts or disputes, and ask family and friends for forgiveness. Trim your nails and hair at home so you don’t need to once in ihram.
1. Ihram at the miqat
The miqat is the boundary where a pilgrim must enter ihram. Flying from Pakistan to Jeddah, you pass the miqat in the air before landing — so enter ihram before boarding or on the plane before the crossing (the crew usually announces it). Jeddah airport is not a miqat for pilgrims coming straight from Pakistan.
If you go to Madinah first, you enter ihram when leaving Madinah for Makkah, at Dhul Hulayfah (Masjid ash-Shajarah).
- Take a bath (ghusl). Perfume may be applied to the body before the intention — never to the ihram sheets.
- Men wear two unstitched white sheets; women wear their normal modest clothing.
- Pray two rak’ahs if it is not a disliked time.
- Make the intention for Umrah and begin the talbiyah:
لَبَّيْكَ اللّٰهُمَّ لَبَّيْكَ، لَبَّيْكَ لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ لَبَّيْكَ، إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ وَالنِّعْمَةَ لَكَ وَالْمُلْكَ، لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ
Labbayk Allahumma labbayk, labbayk la sharika laka labbayk. Innal-hamda wan-ni’mata laka wal-mulk, la sharika lak.
See our guide to the rules of ihram for what to avoid from this point.
2. Tawaf
Enter Masjid al-Haram with your right foot and the dua for entering the masjid. Stop the talbiyah when you begin tawaf.
- Men uncover the right shoulder (idtiba) for this tawaf.
- Begin at the line of the Black Stone (Hajar al-Aswad). Face it, raise your right hand and say Bismillah, Allahu Akbar.
- Walk seven circuits counter-clockwise, keeping the Kaaba on your left. Men walk briskly (raml) in the first three circuits if they can.
- Make any dua in your own language. Between the Yemeni corner and the Black Stone, recite: Rabbana atina fid-dunya hasanah, wa fil-akhirati hasanah, wa qina ‘adhaban-nar.
- After the seventh circuit, cover the right shoulder and pray two rak’ahs behind Maqam Ibrahim if possible — or anywhere in the masjid.
- Drink Zamzam.
3. Sa’i
- Go to Safa, face the Kaaba, praise Allah and make dua.
- Walk to Marwah — that is one lap. Marwah back to Safa is the second.
- Complete seven laps, ending at Marwah. Men jog lightly between the green lights.
4. Halq or taqsir
Men shave the head (halq, which is better) or shorten the hair evenly (taqsir). Women cut a fingertip’s length from the end of their hair. With this, your Umrah is complete and the restrictions of ihram are lifted.
In Madinah
Visiting Madinah is not part of Umrah, but most pilgrims go. Pray in Masjid an-Nabawi and send salam to the Prophet ﷺ. A visit to the Rawdah needs a permit booked through the Nusuk app — we help our groups with this.
