Umrah is a holy pilgrimage which can be performed by Muslims, at any month of the year, and the rituals of performing Umrah are very simple. These rituals are a symbol of resecting and prosperity for the Muslims, no matter on which destination of earth they live, for them the best sort of travel and journey will always be the journey towards the light of Allah. To become the guest of Allah is the best privilege one can ever have and for this purpose, there are so many Umrah packages which are being introduced so that no matter from where the Muslims are traveling they can be carefree and their journey could also be more easy and resourceful.
While we are discussing the Umrah, let’s discuss the significance of this holy pilgrimage as well. There are four Major pillars of Umrah which are a compulsion. By following these rituals or you can say Pillars, your travel towards the blessings of Allah and the completion of the religion will become easier.
Ihram
Ihram is a state which requires the proper and detailed concentration towards the hygiene. In this state, Muslims have to be more focused on when men wear the un-stitched sheets and women wear the gowns, as Ihram then all the prohibited things which are not allowed in Islam should never be a part of their routine. There are so many points which are affiliated with this state while performing Umrah.
- Men should not wear the stitched clothes as ihram.
- Women should not cover the face and should wear the gown as Ihram but they can wear the gloves on hands for the sake of coverage.
- Muslims wear Ihram for creating and obeying the decorum of Allah’s home.
Ibn Umar narrated that The Messenger of Allah Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) said:
“Whoever assumes Ihram for Hajj and Umrah, then it is acceptable for him to perform one Tawaf and one Sa’I for them both until he exits Ihram for both of them together.” — Jami` at-Tirmidhi 948
Tawaaf
After wearing Ihram the second most important thing is the Tawaaf, without Tawaaf holy pilgrimage is not possible at all. You have to revolve around the Kaa’ba which is the most sacred site in Islam counterclockwise seven times. The reason behind this is that during any holy pilgrimage this is very important to be followed properly as this ritual has been here for ages from the beginning til now Kaa’ba has reported being one of the most sacred sites in the history of the world! This ritual begins from the black stone also known as Al-Ḥajar al-‘Aswad which is on the corner of the Ka’aba. Muslims have to either kiss or touch this stone for starting the Tawaaf, due to the hassle and crowd sometimes the proper detailed performance is not possible so point or hold up their hand to the Stone on each circuit. Then, if you are a man then you need to be fast in the first three circuits and then in the next four, you can low the pace. After the performance of Tawaaf, you need to offer prayer at the Station of Ibrahim and them drink the holy water of Zamzam to complete the process of Tawaaf properly. This is how much sacred the ritual of Tawaaf is that it has a proper definition and the steps which need to be fulfilled accordingly.
Sa’y
This is the ritual which is basically linked with the search of Ibrahim’s wife, Hajrah which is depicted in this ritual. For the completion of this ritual, you need to go to the Masa, which is the place between the Safa and Marwa. There, in this area, you have to run seven times to finish the Sa’y.
Aishah narrated that Prophet Muhammad (P.B.U.H) said:
“Stoning the Jimari and Sa’i between As-Safa and Al-Marwah are only done for the establishment of Allah’s remembrance.” — Jami` at-Tirmidhi 902
Tahallul
This is the state which comes after coming out of Ihram, people can do ziarats and they have to shave their heads. For men, they have to shave their heads but women can only trim the tips. This is the state when all the prohibited things become lawful after removing the Ihram. This is very important to read about this step in the books and do proper research when you select your Umrah package for performing Umrah. Now next time you want to perform the Umrah keep one thing in mind that whenever you go to perform any religious ritual, the most important thing is to do the research regarding it properly. By proper research, you have read the books which are available or you can also read the blogs on it, this way you will save your time and will be able to perform all the rituals of your holy pilgrimage without any confusion.
May Allah grant all the Muslims chance to become His guest and avail the blessing sprinkled during the holy pilgrimage on them. Ameen!
