What Is Umrah? How Is Umrah Performed?

We continue our blog posts about Umrah software from where we left off. Due to the many questions we received about performing Umrah, we prepared this article series for you. The word Umrah literally means “to visit.” In religious terms, it refers to the act of worship performed by entering into Ihram, circumambulating the Kaaba (Tawaf), performing Sa’i between Safa and Marwa, and shaving or shortening the hair to exit Ihram, without being tied to a specific time period.

It is considered Sunnah for a person to perform Umrah once in their lifetime. Unlike Hajj, Umrah does not have a fixed time and does not include rituals such as standing at Arafat and Muzdalifah, sacrificing an animal, or stoning the devil. For this reason, Hajj is called “Hajj al-Akbar” (the greater pilgrimage), while Umrah is referred to as “Hajj al-Asghar” (the lesser pilgrimage).
Umrah has two obligatory acts (fard): Ihram and Tawaf. Ihram is the prerequisite, while Tawaf is the essential pillar. Its wajib acts are performing Sa’i and shaving or shortening the hair to leave Ihram.

How Is Umrah Performed?

During the Umrah pilgrimage; entering into Ihram [Ihram is entered with “Niyyah” (intention) and “Talbiyah.” Men wear two pieces of cloth and sandals on their feet. (Ihram is worn only while performing Umrah. Outside the rituals of Umrah, pilgrims may wear any clothing they wish). Performing Tawaf around the Kaaba (an act of worship performed by circling the Kaaba seven times starting from the alignment of the Hajar al-Aswad corner. As it is performed during Umrah, Tawaf can also be performed at any desired time outside of Umrah.) “Indeed, the first House established for mankind was surely the one at

Makkah, blessed and a guidance for all worlds — the Kaaba.” (Aal-i Imran, 96) Tawaf Prayer (After Tawaf, two rak’ahs of Tawaf prayer are performed.) Performing Sa’i between Safa and Marwa (four walks from Safa Hill to Marwa Hill and three returns from Marwa Hill to Safa Hill) Exiting Ihram by shortening or shaving the hair (Men leave Ihram by cutting at least one centimeter of their hair or shaving it completely, while women cut a small portion from the ends of their hair.) Although Umrah is the name of the worship performed within these rituals, over time the journey undertaken to perform Umrah has also become commonly referred to as Umrah. During this journey, the cities of Makkah and Madinah are visited.