How to Perform Umrah - Complete Step by Step Guide

Umrah is the lesser pilgrimage, which can be performed at any time of the year. This guide explains the four stages: ihram, tawaf, sa'i and shaving or trimming the hair, with the main duas and the points where schools differ. Follow your group leader and a qualified scholar for details specific to your situation.

Umrah consists of entering ihram at the miqat, performing tawaf of the Kaaba (seven circuits), sa'i between Safa and Marwa (seven laps), and shaving or trimming the hair. It takes a few hours.

• Before the miqat, take a bath (ghusl), trim nails and prepare. Men wear two unstitched white sheets, and women wear modest everyday clothes covering the body, with the face and hands uncovered.
• Make the intention for Umrah at or before the miqat and say the talbiyah: "Labbayk Allahumma 'umrah" ("Here I am, O Allah, for Umrah"), then "Labbayk Allahumma labbayk, labbayka la sharika laka labbayk, innal-hamda wan-ni'mata laka wal-mulk, la sharika lak." See dua 109.
• For pilgrims by air, the aircraft passes over the miqat alignment, and flight staff usually announce when to make the intention. Plan with your tour operator.
• Prohibitions of ihram include cutting hair or nails, using perfume, hunting, marital relations and the marriage contract. Men may not wear stitched clothing or cover the head. If you break a rule, a compensation (dam) may be due, which is why you should ask a scholar.

• Enter the Haram with the right foot and the dua for entering the mosque. Stop saying the talbiyah when you begin tawaf.
• Start at the Black Stone. Face it and say "Bismillahi Allahu Akbar." Kiss or touch it only if you can do so without pushing or harming anyone, which is rarely possible in crowds. Otherwise, point towards it with your hand.
• Walk seven circuits, keeping the Kaaba on your left. Men uncover the right shoulder (idtiba') and walk briskly (raml) in the first three circuits of this tawaf, a Sunnah.
• Between the Yemeni corner and the Black Stone, recite "Rabbana atina fid-dunya hasanatan wa fil-akhirati hasanatan wa qina 'adhaban-nar" (Quran 2:201). Make personal dua throughout.
• After the seventh circuit, cover the shoulder, and pray two rak'ahs behind the Maqam Ibrahim if possible (or anywhere in the mosque if it is crowded).
• Drink Zamzam.

• Go to Safa, and recite "Inna as-Safa wal-Marwata min sha'a'irillah" (Quran 2:158). Face the Kaaba, raise your hands and make dua.
• Walk to Marwa. That is one lap. Safa to Marwa and back counts as two. Complete seven laps, ending at Marwa.
• Men jog lightly between the green lights.
• Sa'i is a worship in itself, and wudu is recommended but scholars say it is not required.

• Men shave the head (halq, better) or trim all the hair (taqsir).
• Women trim a fingertip's length from the ends of their hair.
• After this, the Umrah is complete and the restrictions of ihram end.

The schools classify the acts differently. In the Hanafi school, ihram and most of tawaf are pillars, sa'i and the shaving are wajib, and leaving a wajib requires compensation. Other schools make sa'i a pillar. Your scholar will explain the details.

The Prophet ﷺ said that one Umrah to the next is an expiation for what is between them (Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim), and that Umrah in Ramadan is equal to a Hajj (Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim).

• Use a licensed operator, and read the visa and package terms. See our Umrah cost calculator.
• Learn the steps and duas before you travel. See our Umrah guide.
• Carry a small unscented bag, and wear comfortable footwear for walking.
• Be patient in crowds, and avoid pushing, especially near the Black Stone.
• Stay hydrated, and plan rest between tawaf and sa'i.
• Visit Madinah and the Prophet's Mosque as part of the trip, though it is not part of Umrah.