Guide
A friendly, step-by-step walk through ihram, tawaf, sa'i and cutting the hair.
Umrah is beautifully simple. It is performed in a set order, and most pilgrims complete the rites in somewhere between one and a half and four hours depending on how busy the Haram is on the day.
The steps are: entering ihram at or before the miqat, reciting the talbiyah, performing tawaf around the Ka'bah, performing sa'i between Safa and Marwah, and finally shaving or trimming the hair.
Ihram is both a state and a garment. Before reaching the miqat (the boundary point), pilgrims perform ghusl, put on the ihram clothing and make the intention (niyyah) for Umrah.
Men wear two unstitched white cloths — the izar around the waist and the rida over the shoulders — and leave the head uncovered. Women wear ordinary modest clothing; the face and hands are left uncovered during ihram, while normal hijab still applies.
From the moment of entering ihram, pilgrims recite the talbiyah — Labbayk Allahumma Labbayk — repeatedly until tawaf begins. Many travellers describe this as the moment the journey truly starts to feel real.
Tawaf is seven circuits around the Ka'bah, moving anticlockwise, beginning and ending at the corner of the Black Stone (al-Hajar al-Aswad).
Afterwards it is Sunnah to pray two rak'ahs near Maqam Ibrahim, the Station of Ibrahim, and to drink Zamzam water, which is available throughout the mosque.
Sa'i is seven traverses between the hills of Safa and Marwah, recalling Hajar's search for water for her son Isma'il. Both hills now sit inside a long, air-conditioned enclosed gallery within Masjid al-Haram, which makes the walk far more comfortable than many first-time pilgrims expect.
Umrah is completed by shaving the head (halq) or trimming the hair (taqsir). Men may do either; women trim a small amount, roughly a fingertip's length, from the ends of their hair. At this point the state of ihram ends.
The sequence above reflects the mainstream position followed by most UK pilgrims. There are small differences of detail between schools of thought, so if you have a specific question it is always best to ask a scholar you trust.
