“Complete the pilgrimage and minor pilgrimage for Allah.” (Qur’an 2:196)
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May Allah (swt) bless and accept the noble Shaykh for teaching us how to perform the Hajj in accordance with the Qur’an and Sunnah. May all who follow this guide remember the blessed Shaykh in their du’a and may this teaching be a witness for the Shaykh on the day of reckoning. Amin.
Hajj Step by Step | From the Prohibitions of Ihram to the Exit of Umrah | Shaykh Abdul-Munim bin Rashid Al-Saidi
Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest. There is no god but Allah.
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all worlds, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master Muhammad, his family, and all his companions.
To proceed: I greet you, my brothers and sisters watching, with the beautiful, blessed greeting of Islam: Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh (May peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you all).
We are pleased to meet again for the second part of the jurisprudence course on the rulings of the rituals of Hajj and Umrah. We ask Allah, Glorified and Exalted, to make it full of goodness, benefit, and utility, and to grant us and you reward and blessing.
In our last meeting, we stopped after the person in a state of ritual consecration (Ihram) had entered Ihram and assumed the state of a Muhrim (one in Ihram). As long as he is a Muhrim, there are a number of things he is prohibited from doing, called the prohibitions of Ihram. These are matters he is forbidden from, and he cannot do any of them. If he does any of them, specific legal rulings apply.
What are these prohibitions, and what are these things that the pilgrim must avoid?
First, I note that abstinence is required only during the period of Ihram. Before his Ihram, he is not forbidden from these things, and after exiting his Ihram (Tahalul), they become permissible for him. So this prohibition is during the state of Ihram, from the start of the Talbiyah (chanting) until the Tahalul from the ritual he has entered.
Some of these prohibitions are specific to men, some specific to women, and some common to both. What are these prohibitions?
Let us all watch the following clip on the rulings of Hajj.
Question: What are the prohibitions of Ihram for Hajj and Umrah for men and women in general?
Answer: The prohibitions of Ihram for men and women are three categories:
- What is prohibited for both males and females.
- What is prohibited only for males.
- What is prohibited only for females.
As for what is prohibited for both males and females:
- Removing head hair by shaving or other means, due to the saying of Allah: “And do not shave your heads until the sacrificial animal has reached its place of slaughter.” The majority of scholars include the hair of the rest of the body by analogy with head hair.
- Trimming or cutting fingernails or toenails, by analogy with shaving hair, according to the well-known view of scholars.
- Using perfume after entering Ihram, on one’s clothes, body, or anything else, due to the Prophet’s (saw) statement about the Muhrim: “He should not wear a garment touched by saffron or wars (a yellow dye).”
- Concluding a marriage contract, due to the Prophet’s (saw) saying: “The Muhrim should not marry, nor arrange a marriage for himself or others, nor propose marriage.”
- Sexual touching with desire, such as kissing, caressing, hugging, etc.
- Sexual intercourse, due to Allah’s saying: “The Hajj is during well-known months. So whoever has made Hajj obligatory upon themselves therein [by entering Ihram], there should be no sexual relations, no wicked conduct, and no arguing during Hajj.”
- Killing game animals, due to Allah’s saying: “…and hunting of the land is forbidden to you as long as you are in Ihram.” So the Muhrim is not permitted to hunt or kill game, whether directly, indirectly, or by assisting in its killing through guiding, pointing, handing over a weapon, etc.
As for what is prohibited only for men (and permissible for women):
- Covering the head with something that adheres to it, like a turban, cap, or head cover, due to the Prophet’s (saw) statement about the Muhrim who was thrown by his mount at Arafat: “Do not cover his head.”
- Wearing sewn garments – meaning wearing what is tailored to fit the body parts, whether covering the whole body like a hooded cloak (Burnus) or shirt, or part of it like pants, leather socks, socks, or gloves. This is based on the hadith of the Prophet (saw) when asked what the Muhrim should wear; he said: “He should not wear a shirt, nor a turban, nor a Burnus, nor pants, nor leather socks.”
As for women: She may cover her head and wear whatever clothes she wishes while in Ihram, provided she does not display her adornment (Tabarruj), she should not wear gloves (for hands), nor a face-veil (Niqab), and she should not cover her face unless non-mahram men are passing close by, in which case she may cover her face. And Allah knows best.
So, when the pilgrim enters Ihram and performs the Talbiyah, he becomes a Muhrim and is prohibited from these forbidden things.
What does he do from the moment of Ihram until he reaches Makkah to perform this ritual (Umrah)?
He must recite the Talbiyah frequently throughout the journey, from the moment of Ihram at the Miqat (designated point) until he sees the Sacred House of Allah. He should say it often. It is narrated from the Prophet (saw) that on the Day of Resurrection, those who recited the Talbiyah will have witnessed for them everything to their right and left. The man should raise his voice with the Talbiyah – this was the practice of the companions of the Messenger of Allah (saw). As for the woman, she should not raise her voice but recite it in a low voice audible only to those next to her.
So the Muhrim, whether man or woman, continues reciting the Talbiyah frequently until he reaches Makkah and sees the Sacred House. There, he stops the Talbiyah and begins performing the rituals of Umrah.
The rituals of Umrah include: Tawaf (circumambulation), praying two Rak’ahs behind Maqam Ibrahim (Station of Abraham), Sa’yi (walking) between Safa and Marwah, and then Tahalul (exiting Ihram).
The first is Tawaf. Tawaf has conditions that the pilgrim performing Umrah must adhere to. The Umrah is not valid, nor is the Tawaf, unless these three conditions are met:
- Purity (Taharah) from ablution (Wudu): The Messenger of Allah (saw) said: “Tawaf is a prayer, except that Allah has permitted speaking during it. So whoever speaks, should speak only good.” Therefore, the one performing Tawaf must maintain his Wudu throughout the entire Tawaf and until he completes the two Rak’ahs behind Maqam Ibrahim.
- The Tawaf must encompass the entire Kaaba: Meaning that no part of his body enters inside the Kaaba; rather, he must go around the entire Kaaba. (Some may ask if the pilgrim can enter any part of his body into the Kaaba – we will clarify this shortly).
- He must complete seven circuits (Ashwat) around the Kaaba – no less, and no more than seven. Acts of worship are Tawqifiyyah (based on divine prescription, not personal opinion). It is not valid for the pilgrim to add or subtract anything from the practice of the Messenger of Allah (saw), who said: “Take your rituals from me.”
Just as Tawaf has conditions, it also has recommended practices (Sunnan). The pilgrim should strive to adhere to them:
- First Sunnah: Al-Idtiba’ – Exposing the right shoulder. Before starting Tawaf, he takes his upper garment (Rida’) from his right shoulder, passes it under his armpit, and places it over his left shoulder. This is a Sunnah. When does he do it? For all seven circuits. After completing the seventh circuit, he returns his garment to its normal state.
- Second Sunnah: Ar-Raml – Walking with quick, short steps (not running). This is specific to men. He does this during the first three circuits only, from the Black Stone to the Yemeni Corner. When he reaches the Yemeni Corner, he walks normally. If he cannot due to severe crowding, there is no sin if he leaves Ar-Raml.
- Third Sunnah: Kissing the Black Stone if he can reach it without causing crowding or harm to others. If he cannot (the usual case during Hajj due to crowding), the sensible person should not approach that place to avoid harming or being harmed. He then has another option: to face it, raise his hands, and say “Allahu Akbar” without kissing.
- Fourth Sunnah: Touching (Istilam) the Yemeni Corner – touching it with his hand without kissing it or kissing his hand. If he cannot, he does not gesture or say Takbir.
- Fifth Sunnah: Supplication (Dhikr) – The one performing Tawaf should frequently remember Allah with all types of Dhikr. The minimum is to say Al-Baqiyat As-Salihat (the enduring good deeds). Each of us has needs when going to this pure place; he should ask Allah in any language, as Allah understands all languages. Is there a specific Dhikr? No specific Dhikr is required during Tawaf except in one place: between the Yemeni Corner and the Black Stone. The Prophet (saw) would say there: “Rabbana atina fid-dunya hasanah, wa fil-akhirati hasanah, wa qina ‘adhab an-nar” (Our Lord, give us in this world good, and in the Hereafter good, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire). For the rest of Tawaf, there is no required specific Dhikr.
My advice to my brothers and sisters is to occupy themselves with venerating the ritual, not paying attention to the actions of others, and seeking Allah’s pleasure. You will find people busy with useless talk, taking pictures with phones, or even having audio/video calls with others in other countries. All of this contradicts the veneration of this blessed ritual. Venerating the rituals of Allah stems from the piety of hearts.
Earlier, we mentioned that the pilgrim must avoid letting any part of his body enter inside the Kaaba during Tawaf. (Visual description of the Kaaba, the Black Stone, the Yemeni Corner, the door, Maqam Ibrahim, and the curved wall called Al-Hijr or Hateem). The common mistake is entering the area between Al-Hijr and the Kaaba. This space is actually part of the Kaaba, as is that wall, based on the foundations laid by Ibrahim and Isma’il (peace be upon them). Whoever performs Tawaf must avoid entering this space or placing his hand on top of the wall. A hand placed on that wall has not circumambulated the Kaaba as Allah commanded: “Let them circumambulate the Ancient House” (22:29).
(Clip showing how to perform Tawaf, from entering the Sacred Mosque until after praying the two Rak’ahs).
After finishing Tawaf at the Sacred House, the pilgrim moves to the second ritual: Sa’yi between Safa and Marwah.
Upon entering the path leading to the Mas’a (place of Sa’yi), he enters through Bab as-Safa. It is Sunnah, when approaching Safa, to recite the verse: “Indeed, As-Safa and Al-Marwah are among the symbols of Allah. So whoever makes Hajj to the House or performs ‘Umrah, there is no blame upon him for walking between them. And whoever volunteers good – indeed, Allah is Appreciating and Knowing.” (2:158).
He recites this, then when he reaches Safa, he faces the Qibla, raises his hands, and makes the supplication narrated from the Prophet (saw), repeating it three times and supplicating between them. Then he descends towards Marwah, remembering Allah, and it is Sunnah for the man only to walk quickly (Ramal) between the two green markers. When he reaches Marwah, he supplicates as he did at Safa (without reciting the verse), completing one circuit. He returns to Safa the same way. Each time he goes from Safa to Marwah or Marwah to Safa counts as one circuit. He continues until he ascends Marwah on the seventh circuit.
The two green markers are the lights found in the Mas’a. The man runs quickly in this area. The woman does not run. A common question: What should a man do if he is with women he might lose during Sa’yi? The solution is to take a specific path – either the far right edge or the far left edge of the Mas’a, not the middle. When he reaches the start of the green markers, he runs. At the end of the running area, he stops at the corresponding pillar and waits for the women, who walk normally, to catch up.
After completing Sa’yi, nothing remains of the Umrah rituals except Tahallul (exiting Ihram). For the man, this is done by taking some hair from all over the head, not just one part. Some take only from one side – this contradicts the Sunnah. The legal principle is to cover the entire head. Since the Mutamatti’ pilgrim will need to shave on the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah, he should shorten (Taqseer) his hair after finishing Umrah, using scissors or a machine, covering the whole head.
As for the woman, she shortens or cuts from the end of her hair by about a fingertip’s length. She gathers all her hair at the back and cuts the end by the length of a fingertip. I remind believing sisters heading to the Sacred House that shortening hair to exit Umrah (or Hajj on the 10th) must be done in a covered place away from men’s eyes, as a woman’s hair is ‘Awrah (must be covered). Secondly, she should do this immediately upon returning to her lodging, before getting busy with something else, so she doesn’t forget and then do something prohibited in Ihram. Can she cut her own hair? Yes, there is no sin in that, Allah willing.
After this Tahallul – either by shortening for the man or cutting a fingertip’s length for the woman – the person performing Umrah has exited his Ihram. For the Mutamatti’ pilgrim, he puts on his normal clothes, and everything prohibited during Ihram becomes permissible. As for the Qarin (performing Hajj and Umrah together) and Mufrid (performing Hajj alone), they remain in their Ihram until the 10th day of Dhul-Hijjah, after completing the actions of that day.
With this, we conclude this blessed episode at the end of the actions of the Umrah rituals. We ask Allah, Glorified and Exalted, to accept righteous deeds from us and you. In the next episode, we will talk about the rituals of Hajj, by the permission of Allah.
We will meet you in the next meeting.
Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh.
Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest. There is no god but Allah.
May Allah Guide the Ummah.
May Allah Forgive the Ummah.
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