Millions of Muslims perform Umrah to seek the blessings of Allah and to ask for remission from Allah for all their sins. It’s said that after performing Umrah, a Muslim is considered an invigorated baby. That means Allah removed all of his sins and all his bad deeds. In Masjid-al-Haram, Muslims gather from all over the world, and they perform Umrah together by barring every kind of grade of cast, creed, and colour. During Umrah, all Muslims walk together by joining their shoulders with each other.
Here, we will discuss all the pillars of Umrah and also how to perform Umrah.
What is Umrah?
Umrah is an act of worship of Allah, an Islamic pilgrimage. It is a beautiful spiritual journey, and a person who goes on this spiritual journey is called Pilgrim. Muslims perform Umrah to purify and cleanse their souls from past sins or any evil deeds they have done consciously or unconsciously. They renew their faith in this way.
To perform Umrah, Muslims need to visit the Holy Kaaba, which is located in Makkah, and Muslims also visit Madina to visit all the spiritual and sacred places. Umrah can be followed by the teachings and Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). Umrah can be carried out at any age and at any time of the year, while Hajj can only be performed in a specific month of Zil Hajj.
Umrah is not mandatory, while Hajj is mandatory for every Muslim to do once in their life.
Pillars of Umrah
Umrah consists of four pillars, and the pilgrim who performs all the spiritual acts without any mistake will be free from all his past sins, The following are the four pillars of Umrah:
Ihram
The first step to performing Umrah is wearing the Ihram before entering Masjid-Al-Haram, where the Holy Kaaba is located. Ihram is also considered as the intention of performing Umrah. Before wearing Ihram, it is essential for an individual to take a bath thoroughly, which is also called Ghusl. Ghusl makes a Muslim neat and clean and purifies him from everything.
Men wear Ihram which is divided into two fabrics, one is Rida and the second is Izaar, while women can wear anything that covers their whole body. After wearing Ihram, Muslims need to recite the Talbiyah, which is a prayer. This prayer should be recited as it is without any mistakes:
“Labbayk Allaahumma bi ‘Umrah”
(Here I am, O Allah, for ‘Umrah)
“Labbayka Allaahumma labbayk, labbayka laa shareeka laka labbayk. Inna al-hamd wa’l-ni’mata laka wa’l-mulk, laa shareeka lak”
(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).”
After this, the individual is ready to enter Masjid-Al-Haram and follow the direction of Qibla to see the Holy Kaaba. Meanwhile, the individual should continue reciting Talbiyah.
Tawaaf
The next step is to perform Tawaaf around the Holy Kabaa at this time, individuals should stop reciting Talbiyah. Tawaaf is circling around the Holy Kaaba seven times. Individuals should start Tawaaf from the Black Stone and also end seven circles at the same point. Black Stone is a sacred stone of Jannah, which has the highest spiritual value. Muslims must kiss Black Stone during Tawaaf, if they don’t find space to kiss the stone, they can also touch it.
Muslims should start Tawaaf with their right footstep. It is mandatory for men to leave their right shoulder uncovered, this is called Idtibaa. To do so, Muslims need to keep the Ridaa downside below their right armpit. And completely cover the left shoulder with Ridaa. During the Tawaaf, individuals can recite different prayers and should also ask for forgiveness from Allah because it is said that prayers are accepted at that time.
After the completion of all seven circles around Kaaba, pilgrims should go to Muqam e Ibrahim to offer Salat of Tawaf and then drink Zamzam water. The last step of Tawaaf is to go back again to Black Stone and kiss it.
Saa’i between Safa and Marwah
In this step, pilgrims should do Saa’i, which can be performed between the hills of Safa and Marwah. Pilgrims should have gone up on the Hill of Safah in search of the Holy Kaaba, and when they saw the Kaaba, they should have stood in the direction of the Kaaba and raised their hands up to Supplicate to Allah.
In Hadith, it is narrated that the Holy Prophet (PBUH) recited this dua:
“Laa ilaaha ill-Allah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahu’l-mulk, wa lahu’l-hamd, wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer. Laa ilaaha ill-Allah wahdah, anjaza wa’dah, wa nasara ‘abdah, wa hazamaa al-ahzaaba wahdah”
(There is no god but Allah alone, with no partner or associate; His is the Dominion, all praise is due to Him, and He is able to do all things. There is no god but Allah alone; he fulfilled His promise, granted victory to His slave, and defeated the confederates alone).” (Sahih Muslim, 1218)
This dua should be recited 3 times, after that, men pilgrims should run toward the two green lights until they reach the Marwah. Then, they should climb up on Marwah Hill and again recite dua and supplicate to Allah by facing the Holy Kaaba. This act should be repeated seven times.
Cutting of Hair
Lastly, the pilgrims should cut their hair at Mina. It is essential for men to shave their heads entirely, while it is prohibited for women to shave their complete heads. Women need to cut their hair only two inches or three. This act of Pilgrims represents that individuals are declaring a detachment from themselves and complete subjection and obedience to Allah.
After performing all these steps, your Umrah will be completed. Now, you can also change your clothes without any restrictions. And can visit all the other sacred places of Makkah, and next, you should head Towards the great Masjid e Nabvi, which is situated in Madinah, to continue your spiritual journey.