Hajj and Umrah

1An obligation – once in a lifetime

The Prophet ﷺ said that Islam is built on five pillars: the testimony of faith, prayer, zakat, fasting in Ramadan and pilgrimage to the House (al-Bukhari and Muslim). Allah says: "And pilgrimage to the House is a duty owed to Allah by people – for whoever is able to find a way there" Quran 3:97. And: "And complete the Hajj and the Umrah for Allah" Quran 2:196.

The verse of the obligation stands in a wider context: "Indeed, the first House established for mankind was that at Bakkah – blessed and a guidance for the worlds. In it are clear signs, the station of Ibrahim; and whoever enters it shall be safe" Quran 3:96–97. And it ends with the sentence: "But whoever disbelieves – then indeed, Allah is free from need of the worlds." Hajj, then, is not a service Allah needs, but a gift to people.

Hajj is an obligation once in a lifetime. When the Prophet ﷺ announced that Allah had prescribed Hajj, a man asked whether it was every year. He replied, in essence, that had he said yes, it would have become obligatory every year, and people would not have been able to bear it (Muslim). Whoever goes more often does so voluntarily.

After his emigration to Madinah, the Prophet ﷺ himself performed a single Hajj: the Farewell Pilgrimage in the year 10 after the Hijrah, a few months before his death. He performed four Umrahs (al-Bukhari and Muslim). Much of what we know about the rites comes from the reports of this one pilgrimage – above all from the detailed description by the Companion Jabir ibn Abdullah (Muslim 1218).

2Ibrahim and the Kaaba

The story of Hajj begins long before the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ – with Ibrahim (Abraham) and his son Isma'il (Ishmael). Allah says: "And when Ibrahim was raising the foundations of the House, and Isma'il: 'Our Lord, accept this from us. Indeed, You are the All-Hearing, the All-Knowing'" Quran 2:127. Allah made the House "a place of return for people and a place of security" and said: "Take the station of Ibrahim as a place of prayer" Quran 2:125.

Then Allah commanded Ibrahim: "And proclaim the pilgrimage among the people; they will come to you on foot and on every lean camel, coming from every distant pass" Quran 22:27. Every pilgrim who lands at the airport today is answering that ancient call. And many of the rites recall this family: the walk between Safa and Marwah recalls Hajar (Hagar), the mother of Isma'il, who searched desperately for water for her child until Allah brought forth the spring of Zamzam – as al-Bukhari reports.

3What Hajj means

Hajj is more than a journey. It is a school for the heart:

• Equality: In ihram, men wear two simple white sheets. Rich and poor, Arab and non-Arab, minister and labourer stand side by side and can no longer be told apart.
• Devotion: For a time the pilgrim gives up things that are otherwise permitted – perfume, cutting hair, arguing. He learns to set his ego aside.
• Sacrifice: The sacrificial animal recalls Ibrahim's readiness to give everything for Allah. "Neither their meat nor their blood reaches Allah, but what reaches Him is the piety from you" Quran 22:37.
• Remembrance: From beginning to end, Hajj is dhikr – the talbiyah, the supplications, remembering Allah at Arafah, at Muzdalifah and in Mina (Quran 2:198, 2:203).

Allah says: "Hajj is in well-known months. Whoever undertakes Hajj in them, let there be no obscenity, no wrongdoing and no quarrelling during Hajj … And take provision, but indeed the best provision is God-consciousness" Quran 2:197. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Whoever performs Hajj and does not commit obscenity or wrongdoing returns like the day his mother bore him" (al-Bukhari and Muslim). And: "An accepted Hajj has no reward other than Paradise" (al-Bukhari and Muslim).

A rehearsal for the great Day

Scholars such as al-Ghazali saw in Hajj an image of the Day of Judgement. The simple white sheets recall the shroud in which every person leaves this world. The standing at Arafah – millions of people under the open sky, without rank or title, each with their own worries and hopes – recalls the Day when all will be gathered before their Lord. Whoever has stood there knows a little better afterwards what truly matters in life.

The Farewell Sermon

On the Day of Arafah the Prophet ﷺ gave his famous sermon. In it he said: "Your blood and your property are as sacred to one another as the sanctity of this day of yours, in this month of yours, in this city of yours", and he urged the men to fear Allah in how they treat women (Muslim). Another narration says: "O people, your Lord is one … No Arab has any superiority over a non-Arab, nor any non-Arab over an Arab … except by piety" (Ahmad). So Hajj is not only worship but also a reminder of the dignity of every human being.

4Who must perform Hajj

Scholars list the conditions: the person is Muslim, adult and of sound mind, and able – in health and in means, with a safe route, and without leaving the family in need meanwhile. Debts and duties towards the family come first. According to many scholars, whoever meets these conditions should not delay Hajj without good reason.

Some details:

• Children: A child's Hajj is valid and rewarded. A woman lifted up a small child during the pilgrimage and asked whether it had a Hajj; the Prophet ﷺ replied: "Yes, and you will have a reward" (Muslim). The obligation to perform Hajj after reaching maturity remains, however.
• Women: For women there are additional rules on accompaniment. The Hanafi and Hanbali schools in principle require a mahram, that is, the husband or a close male relative. The Maliki and Shafi'i schools allow a woman to perform the obligatory Hajj in a trustworthy, safe group; in the Ja'fari school, too, a mahram is not a condition if her safety is assured. Saudi regulations have also changed in recent years; check the current rules.
• Hajj on someone's behalf: A woman from the tribe of Khath'am asked the Prophet ﷺ whether she could perform Hajj for her elderly father, who could no longer stay seated on a mount. He said yes (al-Bukhari and Muslim). Therefore, according to many scholars, someone permanently unable to travel but with the means may appoint another person to perform Hajj on their behalf; Hajj may likewise be performed for the deceased. Many scholars require that the deputy has already performed his own obligatory Hajj.
• Permit: Today every pilgrim needs an official Hajj permit from the Saudi authorities. Performing Hajj without one is prohibited and dangerous; scholars in Saudi Arabia have explicitly warned against it.

5The three types of Hajj

• Tamattu': In the months of Hajj you first perform Umrah, leave ihram, and re-enter it on 8 Dhul-Hijjah for Hajj. A sacrificial animal is required; whoever cannot find one fasts three days during Hajj and seven after returning home Quran 2:196. Many pilgrims, especially from abroad, choose this form.
• Qiran: Umrah and Hajj are joined in a single ihram without a break. A sacrificial animal is required here too.
• Ifrad: You enter ihram for Hajj alone. No sacrificial animal is required.

The "well-known months" of Hajj Quran 2:197 are Shawwal, Dhul-Qa'dah and, according to most scholars, the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah – according to others, the whole month.

The schools of law hold different views on which form is best: the Hanafi school prefers qiran, the Maliki and Shafi'i schools ifrad, the Hanbali school tamattu'. In the Ja'fari school, tamattu' is prescribed for everyone who lives far from Makkah, while qiran and ifrad are for the people of Makkah and its surroundings. All three forms are valid.

6Miqat and ihram

Anyone travelling for Hajj or Umrah enters the sacred state, ihram, at a fixed boundary called the miqat. The Prophet ﷺ appointed Dhul-Hulayfah for the people of Madinah, al-Juhfah for those from the north, Qarn al-Manazil for those from Najd and Yalamlam for those from Yemen (al-Bukhari and Muslim); for those from Iraq, Dhat 'Irq was added. Those arriving by plane enter ihram before flying over the miqat. Many put on the ihram garments at home or at the airport and make the intention shortly before the miqat, when the crew or their group lets them know. Whoever flies from the Emirates to Jeddah crosses the miqat boundary before landing; Jeddah itself lies inside the boundary according to the common view.

This is how you enter ihram:

1. 1Purification: A full bath (ghusl) is recommended, and nails and hair are tended beforehand. Men may perfume the body before ihram, but not the garments.
2. 2Clothing: Men wear two unstitched sheets, one around the waist (izar) and one over the shoulders (rida'), with sandals; the head stays uncovered. Women wear their usual modest, covering clothes, but no face veil and no gloves (al-Bukhari).
3. 3Intention (niyyah): You make the intention in your heart for Umrah or Hajj and say, for example: Labbayka 'umratan or Labbayka hajjan.
4. 4Talbiyah: Then you begin to say the words the Prophet ﷺ said (al-Bukhari and Muslim):

Labbayka Allahumma labbayk, labbayka la sharika laka labbayk, innal-hamda wan-ni'mata laka wal-mulk, la sharika lak.

In ihram the following, among others, are forbidden: perfume, cutting hair and nails, hunting Quran 5:95, marital intimacy and concluding a marriage; for men also stitched, body-shaped clothing and covering the head.

What is allowed in ihram

Much of what pilgrims avoid out of uncertainty is permitted according to most scholars: washing and showering (without scented soap), changing and washing the ihram sheets, wearing a belt or pouch for money and papers, wearing a watch and glasses, taking medication, bandaging wounds. On shade there is a well-known difference: the Sunni schools allow men an umbrella or a tent roof; according to the Ja'fari school, men should not travel under a roof by day, which is why Shia groups often ride in open-topped buses.

If a mistake happens

Whoever has to do something forbidden because of illness or another reason, such as shaving the head, makes up for it: "… then a ransom of fasting or charity or sacrifice" Quran 2:196. The Prophet ﷺ explained this to the Companion Ka'b ibn 'Ujrah: fast three days, feed six poor people or sacrifice a sheep (al-Bukhari and Muslim). Anyone who does something forbidden by mistake, or leaves out an obligation, should ask their group leader or a scholar about the compensation; the schools of law distinguish here between intention, forgetfulness and ignorance.

7Umrah – step by step

Umrah can be completed in a few hours. This is how it unfolds:

1. 1Ihram at the miqat, as described above, with the talbiyah on the way to Makkah.
2. 2Tawaf: In the Sacred Mosque you walk around the Kaaba seven times anticlockwise, starting and ending at the corner of the Black Stone. Each time you pass it you greet it – with a gesture of the hand from a distance when it is crowded. According to the majority of scholars, tawaf requires ritual purity (wudu). Men wear the upper sheet under the right shoulder during this tawaf and, where possible, walk with short, brisk steps (raml) in the first three circuits. There are no fixed words; you pray as your heart moves you. Between the Yemeni corner and the Black Stone many say: Rabbana atina fid-dunya hasanatan wa fil-akhirati hasanatan wa qina 'adhaban-nar Quran 2:201.
3. 3Two rak'at behind the Station of Ibrahim (Maqam Ibrahim) if possible – or anywhere in the mosque when it is crowded Quran 2:125. Then you drink from Zamzam. The Prophet ﷺ said of this water: "It is blessed; it is food that satisfies" (Muslim), and: "The water of Zamzam is for whatever it is drunk for" (Ibn Majah).
4. 4Sa'i: You walk seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwah, starting at Safa and ending at Marwah. Allah says: "Indeed, as-Safa and al-Marwah are among the symbols of Allah" Quran 2:158. As the Prophet ﷺ approached Safa he said: "I begin with what Allah began with", climbed it, faced the Kaaba, praised Allah and made du'a (Muslim 1218). Men walk a little faster between the green markers.
5. 5Shaving or shortening: Men shave the head or shorten the hair evenly; women cut a fingertip's length from a lock of hair. With that the Umrah is complete, and ihram ends.

In the Ja'fari school, a separate Umrah (umrah mufradah) also includes, after cutting the hair, a further tawaf, tawaf an-nisa', with two rak'at.

A woman who is menstruating can perform all the rites except tawaf. When Aishah got her period during the pilgrimage, the Prophet ﷺ told her: "Do everything the pilgrim does, but do not circle the House until you are pure" (al-Bukhari and Muslim).

The Prophet ﷺ said: "One Umrah to the next is an expiation for what lies between them" (al-Bukhari and Muslim). And: "An Umrah in Ramadan is equal to a Hajj" (al-Bukhari and Muslim) – in reward, as scholars explain, without replacing the obligatory Hajj.

8The days of Hajj – step by step

Hajj takes place from the 8th to the 13th of Dhul-Hijjah, the last month of the Islamic lunar calendar. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Take your rites from me" (Muslim). This is how it unfolds according to the common description:

8 Dhul-Hijjah – the Day of Tarwiyah

Whoever is not yet in ihram enters it. The pilgrims go to Mina, a city of tents outside Makkah, pray the day's prayers there, each in its own time, shortening the four-rak'ah prayers, and spend the night. According to the majority of scholars, staying in Mina on this day is Sunnah. From now on the talbiyah rings out again and again.

9 Dhul-Hijjah – the Day of Arafah

The high point. After sunrise everyone moves to the plain of Arafah. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Hajj is Arafah" (at-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, an-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah). Whoever misses the day at Arafah has missed the Hajj. There Dhuhr and Asr are combined and shortened, and then the pilgrim stands before his Lord until sunset – in prayer, in tears, in hope. The Prophet ﷺ said: "There is no day on which Allah frees more servants from the Fire than the Day of Arafah" (Muslim). On this day the verse was revealed: "This day I have perfected for you your religion" Quran 5:3; al-Bukhari and Muslim.

The Prophet ﷺ said: "I stood here, and all of Arafah is a place of standing" (Muslim). So there is no need to climb the Mount of Mercy (Jabal ar-Rahmah). What matters is being within the boundaries of Arafah; signs mark them, and part of the Namirah mosque lies outside. The best supplication is that of the Day of Arafah, and the best that the Prophet ﷺ and the prophets before him said is: La ilaha illallah wahdahu la sharika lah, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamd, wa huwa 'ala kulli shay'in qadir (at-Tirmidhi). According to most scholars, the time of standing runs from midday until sunset; whoever was prevented and reaches Arafah even briefly before dawn on the 10th has still caught the Hajj, according to many scholars.

The night at Muzdalifah

After sunset the pilgrims move calmly to Muzdalifah. There Maghrib and Isha are prayed together. The night is spent under the open sky, remembering Allah at the sacred site Quran 2:198, and small pebbles are gathered for the stoning. The Prophet ﷺ prayed Fajr there early, stood at al-Mash'ar al-Haram in remembrance until it was fully light, and set off before sunrise (Muslim 1218). According to many scholars, the weak, the elderly and women with children may move on after the middle of the night. The schools of law differ on how long one must stay; in the Ja'fari school, the standing between dawn and sunrise is a pillar.

The pebbles should be small, a little larger than a chickpea; they may also be gathered in Mina. Whoever leaves after the 12th needs 49 pebbles in total; whoever stays until the 13th, 70.

10 Dhul-Hijjah – the Day of Sacrifice

For the world it is Eid al-Adha; for the pilgrims it is the busiest day:

1. 1Stoning the large pillar (Jamrat al-'Aqabah) in Mina with seven pebbles, saying Allahu akbar with each throw. According to many scholars, the talbiyah ends with the first throw.
2. 2Sacrifice (hady) for those performing tamattu' or qiran. Today it is usually arranged through official vouchers. The Prophet ﷺ said: "I sacrificed here, and all of Mina is a place of sacrifice" (Muslim).
3. 3Shaving or shortening the hair. The Prophet ﷺ prayed three times for mercy for those who shave and once for those who shorten (al-Bukhari and Muslim); women only shorten. Now most ihram restrictions are lifted, except marital intimacy.
4. 4Tawaf al-Ifadah in Makkah – a pillar of Hajj – followed by sa'i if it has not yet been done. After this, ihram is lifted completely.

For many scholars the order of these steps is Sunnah, because on the Day of Sacrifice the Prophet ﷺ told everyone who had done something earlier or later: "Do it, there is no harm" (al-Bukhari and Muslim). The Hanafi school and the Ja'fari school regard a fixed order for some of these steps as obligatory. In the Ja'fari school, tawaf and sa'i are also followed by tawaf an-nisa'.

11 to 13 Dhul-Hijjah – the days of tashriq

The pilgrims stay in Mina and each day, after midday, stone the three pillars – the small, the middle and the large – with seven pebbles each. After the small and the middle one, you stop and make du'a. Whoever is in a hurry may leave after the 12th: "Whoever hastens to leave in two days, there is no sin upon him; and whoever delays, there is no sin upon him" Quran 2:203.

Spending these nights in Mina is obligatory according to most schools and Sunnah according to the Hanafi school. The Prophet ﷺ called these "days of eating, drinking and remembering Allah" (Muslim). According to the scholars, someone who is ill, elderly or weak may appoint another person to throw for them. Follow your group's schedule for the stoning times; it is designed to reduce crowding at the Jamarat.

The farewell tawaf

Before leaving Makkah you walk around the Kaaba one last time: Tawaf al-Wada'. Ibn Abbas reports that people were commanded to make their last act at the House, with an exemption for menstruating women (al-Bukhari and Muslim). Most scholars hold it to be obligatory; the Maliki school and the Ja'fari school regard it as recommended.

9The Day of Arafah for everyone at home

Not everyone can go on pilgrimage this year. But the days of Hajj belong to the whole ummah.

• The first ten days: The Prophet ﷺ said that there are no days in which good deeds are more excellent than these ten days of Dhul-Hijjah (al-Bukhari). Many commentators also relate the oath "by the ten nights" Quran 89:2 to them.
• Fasting on the Day of Arafah: The Prophet ﷺ said of fasting on 9 Dhul-Hijjah: "I hope from Allah that it expiates the sins of the year before and the year after" (Muslim 1162). For the pilgrims at Arafah themselves fasting is not intended; they need their strength for prayer. In the Ja'fari school, too, fasting on this day is recommended, as long as it does not keep one from supplication.
• Supplication and remembrance: Take time in the afternoon, just as the pilgrims stand at Arafah. Say La ilaha illallah wahdahu la sharika lah …, and pray for yourself, your family and people in need. In the Shia tradition many recite on this day the well-known Supplication of Arafah that goes back to Imam al-Husayn.
• Takbir: Many Muslims say the takbir after the prayers from the morning of the Day of Arafah until the end of the days of tashriq: Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, la ilaha illallah, wallahu akbar, Allahu akbar wa lillahil-hamd. There are different views on its beginning, end and wording.
• The sacrifice: Whoever wishes to sacrifice an animal for the festival refrains, according to a narration in Muslim, from cutting hair and nails from 1 Dhul-Hijjah until the sacrifice is made; the schools of law differ in how strictly they view this. They also differ on whether the sacrifice is obligatory for those who can afford it or a strongly recommended Sunnah: the Hanafi school regards it as obligatory, the majority as Sunnah.

You can read more about the festival in the chapter The important days of the Islamic year.

10Visiting Madinah

Many pilgrims travel to Madinah before or after Hajj to pray in the Prophet's ﷺ mosque and to greet him. This is highly recommended, but it is not one of the rites of Hajj. The Prophet ﷺ said: "A prayer in this mosque of mine is better than a thousand prayers elsewhere, except the Sacred Mosque" (al-Bukhari and Muslim).

In the mosque, between the Prophet's ﷺ house and his pulpit, lies the Rawdah. He said: "What is between my house and my pulpit is a garden from the gardens of Paradise" (al-Bukhari and Muslim). Because of the great crowds, visits to the Rawdah are currently organised with time slots and a permit from the Saudi authorities. Many visitors greet the Prophet ﷺ at his grave and then his two Companions Abu Bakr and Umar, who are buried beside him.

Other places in Madinah:

• The Quba mosque, the first mosque of Islam. The Prophet ﷺ visited it regularly (al-Bukhari and Muslim) and said that a prayer in it is like an Umrah (an-Nasa'i and Ibn Majah).
• Al-Baqi', the cemetery of Madinah, where many Companions and members of the Prophet's ﷺ family rest, and according to tradition also four Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt. Sunni and Shia pilgrims alike visit it.
• Mount Uhud, at whose foot Hamzah, the Prophet's ﷺ uncle, and those who fell at the Battle of Uhud are buried.

You can learn more about the two holy cities in the chapter The Most Important Cities of Islam.

11Preparation and health

Before the journey

• Learn beforehand: Read through the rites calmly at home and attend preparation courses. When you know what is coming, you can focus on your heart once you are there.
• Rights of others: Before the journey, ask people's forgiveness, settle debts and put your affairs in order. Many also write their will (wasiyyah) before setting off.
• Prepare your du'as: Write down what you want to pray for – for yourself, your family, those who have passed away and the whole ummah. You will find ideas among our duas.
• Prepare your body: On some days of Hajj you walk many kilometres. In the weeks before, get used to longer walks and wear in your sandals.

Health

• See a doctor: Get medical advice in good time and the required vaccinations; Saudi Arabia requires, among others, a vaccination against meningococcal disease. You can get the current list from the authorities and your operator. Anyone with a chronic illness should discuss the journey especially carefully.
• Medication: Bring your medicines in their original packaging, with a copy of the prescription and a short summary of your conditions.
• Heat: Drink plenty of water, even when you are not thirsty, avoid the midday sun where you can, and use an umbrella. Heatstroke and dehydration are among the most common health problems during Hajj.
• Feet and skin: Blisters and sore spots are common. Plasters, unscented cream and well-worn sandals help.
• Infection: Where millions of people are close together, colds spread quickly. Washing your hands and, where needed, wearing a mask protect you and others.
• For women: If you fear your period may fall during the days of Hajj, you can talk to a doctor about the options; many scholars permit medication to delay it if it is medically safe.

Packing list (a selection)

• for men, two sets of ihram sheets and a belt with a pouch
• unscented soap, sunscreen and unscented deodorant
• comfortable sandals, a light prayer mat, a small bag for the pebbles
• a refillable water bottle, an umbrella, a phone charger
• copies of passport, visa and permit, and your group's emergency numbers

On the ground

• Patience: Millions of people, heat, waiting – Hajj tests your patience. A kind word and a smile are part of an accepted Hajj.
• Stay with your group: Wear your wristband or card with your group's details, agree on meeting points and follow the schedules – especially for the stoning.
• Help others: Many pilgrims are elderly, ill or travelling for the first time. A glass of water, a way you point out, a place you make free – that, too, is Hajj.

An important note: the details differ between the schools of law. This page gives a general overview. On the ground, follow a qualified group leader or scholar you trust, and ask whenever you are unsure.

12Hajj from the United Arab Emirates

Residents of the Emirates apply for Hajj through the official registration of the competent UAE authority and travel with a licensed Hajj operator. Places are limited and are allocated according to fixed criteria; those who have never performed Hajj usually have priority. Whether and how residents without Emirati citizenship can apply, or whether they go through their home country, you can find out from the official bodies.

Broadly, the path looks like this:

1. 1Register within the official registration period, usually online with the competent authority.
2. 2Wait for confirmation – places are allocated according to the set criteria.
3. 3Choose an operator from the licensed providers and sign the contract.
4. 4Provide health certificates and vaccinations as required.
5. 5Prepare – many operators and mosques offer courses in which the rites are practised step by step.

Never book with unlicensed providers and do not rely on offers from social media; check current deadlines and requirements directly with the official bodies. Umrah has its own, simpler rules, and many families from the Emirates perform it during the year, especially in Ramadan. Here, too, it is worth checking the current visa and permit rules.

13After Hajj

Scholars say that one sign of an accepted Hajj is that a person comes back better than before: kinder, more honest, more faithful in prayer. Hajj does not end at the airport. There it begins anew – in daily life, in the family, at work. You do not need a title to be a pilgrim; you need a heart that remembers Arafah.

May Allah make the way easy for everyone who longs for His House – and accept the Hajj of every pilgrim.