A Crashcourse on Umrah

What exactly is an umrah?

It is often known as 'minor hajj or pilgrimage' (to the holy city of Mecca, also known as Makkah). Unlike the hajj which has to be performed during the sacred month of the Islamic calender, Dhu al-Hijjah, and lasts close to a month, the umrah can be performed at any time of the year and lasts for a few days (or even only a day). Umrah is usually less crowded than a hajj (see picture of during the hajj below).

What is done during the umrah (rukun-rukun)?

• Niat
• Tawaf
• Sai'i
• Tahallul

What is necessary for and during the umrah (wajib)?

• Niat at the Miqat Makani
• Abstaining from the prohibitions of Ihram

And, what in God's name was all that I have just said?

Okay, I was probably as clueless as you in the beginning (that's why they have courses for those performing the hajj and umrah in local mosques).

So allow me to explain the different terms.

Niat is kind of a prayer said (aloud or otherwise) before the actual act of praying or performing other religious acts. So an umrah has its own niat. Its more like invocating the intention to perform the umrah.

This niat has to be offered or said at the specified Miqat Makani. Miqat Makani means the boundaries and places predetermined by the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) to be tanah halal (the halal soil) such as the surrounding areas of Ji'ranah and Tana'im. The soils surrounding Mecca (and Mecca itself) is deemed as tanah haram (or haram soil). So the niat cannot be offered within the tanah haram. Even if one is on the plane who is performing the umrah as soon as the plane lands, one has to say the niat before the plane flies over the holy land.

The Miqat for myself and those travelling to Mecca from Madinah is at Bir Ali (Zulhulaifah). See below, the beautiful minaret of the mosque at Bir Ali.

Also, it is necessary to perform the solat ihram (Ihram prayers) and mandi ihram (Ihram shower/cleansing ritual) before saying the niat umrah at the Miqat. This can be done (in my case) at the hotel in Madinah before leaving for Mecca.

Being in Ihram means to be in a state ready to say the niat at the Miqat and eventually perform the umrah. The pilgrim must be in this state by performing the cleansing rituals and wearing the prescribed Ihram attire. See below, my family picture; yes, I know, I am 'sexy'.

The male pilgrim has to cut his nails, trim the hair and beard, and wear Ihram clothing. Ihram clothing, for men, is usually two pieces of seemless white cloths wrapped around the body. One covers the shoulder(s) and the other goes around the waist. The men is forbidden from wearing any other daily clothing which has been sewn (and this means pants, shirt and yes, even underwear).

This is to avoid any visual forms of distinction of class, status, race or culture. This symbolises the spiritual releasing of oneself from any forms of individualism and being in the state of how 'man' is originally created. Everyone is seen as equal in the Almighty's eyes; king or pauper, saint or sinner.

For the female pilgrim, she too cleans herself and wears white; although no particular dress is prescribed. The women usually would wear long robes or hijabs and stockings or socks exposing only the face and hands.

After being in the state of Ihram and offering the niat, there are many additional don'ts:

• Do not shave (hair or beard) and trim one's nails
• Do not use nor smell perfume and do not use make-up
• Do not cover your head with caps (males)
• Do not cover your face with burqas (females)
• Do not harm and hunt animals or insects and do not break or uproot plants
• Do not engage in any sexual activity
• Do not marry or participate in marriage ceremonies
• Do not quarrel or lose one's temper

A lost of a strand of hair (or many strands of hair) through conscious acts, like scratching one's head or combing the hair, will also result in the pilgrim paying a fee (sincerely and truthfully) which is used to pay for the meals of the underprivileged there (depends on how many strands).

Once having reached the mosque in Mecca (called Masjid Al-Haram, where the Ka'bah is housed in), we perform the Tawaf. This means to circumambulate the Ka'bah seven times, in a counter-clockwise direction. This symbolises the seven times that Prophet Muhammad (SAW) circled the Ka'aba hundreds of years ago. The circling is believed to demonstrate the unity of the believers in the worship of the One God, as they move in harmony together, each reciting an individual verse of the holy Al-Qur'an.

The starting point of the tawaf is marked by the black stone, the Al-Hajar al-Aswad, see above. The pilgrim starts his tawaf, by kissing, touching or gesturing to the stone (give a 'flying kiss' to the stone) and saying the Takbir (Allahu Akbar). The pilgrim repeats this everytime he approaches the stone after before every round. Kissing or touching the stone is almost impossible (but I got to touch it and my cousin got to kiss it though) as there will be a lot of people (imagine during the hajj where there would be millions of people) who wish to do the same too. You will have a less than 1% chance to kiss the stone and maybe 3% chance to touch it. It is very hard with all the pushing and shoving. So gesturing to it from a far would suffice. Another marker for the starting line of the tawaf is marked by a green light (opposite to the black stone).

A picture of the black stone (see above) and no, there will not be a nice person carrying an umbrella over your head as you kiss it. Try a security guard pulling away those who take too long and add to that dozens of other people (mainly male) trying to kiss the stone too. If you are female, the chances of you even touching the stone is less than 0.05%.

After the tawaf, the pilgrim will go to the Station of Abraham (anywhere behind the Makam or Tomb of the Prophet Ibrahim or Abraham) to pray.

The pilgrim is then encouraged to drink Zamzam water (water from the Zamzam well). They are to face the Ka'bah and say the Takbir before they drink in three gulps.

The next most physical aspect of the umrah or hajj is the Sae'i or Sa'i. It means to walk seven times back and forth between the hills of Safa and Marwah (now enclosed in the Masjid al-Haram, circled). This is a re-enactment of Hagar's (Abraham's wife) frantic search for water, before the Zamzam Well was revealed to her by an angel sent by God.

This can be quite physical cause the distance between the two hills is approximately 450 meters, so that seven trips amount to roughly 3.15 kilometers. However, the hills are not really that high up. Pilgrims start on top of Safa hill and will be reciting Quranic verses as they perform the sa'i. There will be portion (marked between two green lights) where the male pilgrims will have to jog across.

At the end of the Sa'i (on top of the Marwah Hill), pilgrims will mark the end of their umrah by doing the Tahallul. This means to trim one inch of their hair (both male and females). Some males would prefer to shave their head bald (I did a 'skin-head', see picture below)

The pilgrim is now released from the prohibitions of the Ihram and can now wear normal clothes, etc.