How to Perform Umrah — Complete Step-by-Step Guide (2026)

What Umrah is — and how it differs from Hajj

Umrah (sometimes called “the lesser pilgrimage”) consists of four rituals performed in a state of Ihram: entering Ihram with intention, Tawaf of the Ka‘bah, Sa‘i between Safa and Marwah, and Halq/Taqsir (shaving or trimming). It can be performed any time of the year, on its own (Umrah Mufradah), or as part of Hajj (Tamattu‘ or Qiran).

Hajj, by contrast, can only be performed in the month of Dhul-Hijjah, involves standing at ‘Arafah, throwing pebbles at the Jamarat, and an animal sacrifice. The Umrah ritual itself usually takes 3–6 hours; most pilgrims complete it the same day they arrive in Makkah.

Scholars across all four Sunni madhāhib agree Umrah is highly recommended. The Hanafi and Maliki schools consider it sunnah mu’akkadah; the Shafi‘i and Hanbali schools consider it wājib once in a lifetime for those able. (Al-Mawsū‘ah al-Fiqhiyyah 30/313).

Before you leave home — spiritual & practical checklist

Spiritual preparation begins weeks before the journey. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Actions are by intentions” (Bukhari 1). Make sincere tawbah, settle outstanding debts, ask forgiveness from people you may have wronged, write or update your will, and learn the rituals before you go — once you are in the crowd at Mataf, it is too late to study.

• Tawbah — sincere repentance from major and minor sins.
• Settle debts and return what you owe (rights of people are not erased by Umrah).
• Update your will (the Prophet ﷺ said a Muslim should not pass two nights without one).
• Ask forgiveness from family, friends, neighbours you may have wronged.
• Learn the rituals in advance — this guide, a short course, or a trusted scholar.
• Passport with 6+ months validity, Umrah visa, meningitis ACWY vaccination certificate.
• Two sets of Ihram for men; modest, loose abayas for women (avoid niqab and gloves in Ihram).
• Pack fragrance-free toiletries to avoid applying perfume during Ihram. Using perfume is a prohibited act, but does not itself end Ihram or invalidate Umrah; any compensation depends on the circumstances and madhhab.
• Comfortable walking sandals suitable for Ihram; footwear details differ between madhhabs, so follow your school’s guidance.
• A small offline ritual checklist for when phones lose signal in the crowd.

The five Miqat boundaries

A Miqat is the geographical boundary at which a pilgrim must enter the state of Ihram. There are five Miqat points fixed by the Prophet ﷺ (Bukhari 1524). You must enter Ihram before crossing your Miqat — going past it without Ihram requires sacrificing a sheep as expiation (per the majority).

• Dhul-Hulayfah (Abyar ‘Ali) — for pilgrims coming from Madinah. ~450 km from Makkah.
• Al-Juhfah (Rabigh) — for pilgrims coming from Egypt, the Levant, and the West. ~180 km.
• Qarn al-Manazil (As-Sayl al-Kabir) — for pilgrims from Najd and the Gulf. ~75 km.
• Yalamlam — for pilgrims from Yemen and most flights from South & Southeast Asia. ~92 km.
• Dhat ‘Irq — for pilgrims from Iraq. ~94 km.

Step 1 — Entering Ihram at the Miqat

Ihram is a sacred state, not simply the clothing. Prepare and enter this state before crossing the Miqat when travelling for Umrah. If flying to Jeddah, change beforehand and enter Ihram before the flight crosses the Miqat; do not rely on an announcement arriving at a fixed time.

Intend in your heart to enter the rites of Umrah and recite the Talbiyah. You may say “Labbayk Allahumma ‘Umrah” — Here I am, O Allah, for Umrah. The majority regard the intention to enter the rites as establishing Ihram; in the Hanafi school, intention is accompanied by the Talbiyah or an equivalent invocation. Merely putting on the wraps does not establish Ihram. Once you enter it, the restrictions remain until Halq/Taqsir.

1. Perform ghusl (a full ritual bath) — this is sunnah even for menstruating women per the hadith of Asma bint Umays (Muslim 1209).
2. Trim nails, shorten moustache, remove unwanted hair before entering Ihram — none of this is permitted once in Ihram.
3. Men: perfume may be applied to the body before entering Ihram, not to the Ihram garments (‘Aishah’s report, Bukhari 1539). Do not newly apply perfume to the body or clothes once in Ihram.
4. Men: wear an izar (lower wrap) and rida (upper wrap); white is recommended, not required. “Stitched clothing” is shorthand for ordinary garments shaped to fit the body or limbs, such as shirts, trousers and underwear — not a ban on every stitch. Hems, seams or repairs in the wraps do not by themselves make them prohibited (Bukhari 1542).
5. Women: any modest clothing that covers everything except face and hands. No niqab, no gloves while in Ihram.
6. If a prescribed prayer is due, enter Ihram after it. Schools differ over a separate two-rak‘ah prayer for Ihram; it is not a condition, and voluntary prayer must be avoided during prohibited times.
7. Make the niyyah for Umrah: “Labbayk Allahumma ‘Umrah”.
8. Begin the talbiyah immediately and continue it constantly — in the bus, the taxi, walking — until you reach the Black Stone for Tawaf.

The Talbiyah — recite it constantly

The talbiyah is the heart-call of the pilgrim. The Prophet ﷺ said: “No Muslim recites the talbiyah except that everything to his right and left — stones, trees, mud — also recites it, to the ends of the earth” (Tirmidhi 828, sahih).

Arabic: لَبَّيْكَ اللَّهُمَّ لَبَّيْكَ، لَبَّيْكَ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَكَ لَبَّيْكَ، إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ وَالنِّعْمَةَ لَكَ وَالْمُلْكَ، لاَ شَرِيكَ لَكَ.

Transliteration: Labbayk Allāhumma labbayk. Labbayka lā sharīka laka labbayk. Innal-ḥamda wan-ni‘mata laka wal-mulk. Lā sharīka lak.

Translation: Here I am, O Allah, here I am. Here I am, You have no partner, here I am. Indeed all praise, favour and sovereignty belong to You. You have no partner.

Men raise their voices; women say it audibly to themselves. Stop the talbiyah the moment you begin Tawaf at the Black Stone.

Ihram restrictions — what is forbidden until Halq

These restrictions apply after entering the state of Ihram and remain until Halq/Taqsir. A prohibited act does not automatically mean you have left Ihram or that your Umrah is invalid. Compensation is not the same for every violation: it depends on the act, its extent, the circumstances and your madhhab. Qur’an 2:196 gives the fidyah options for shaving due to illness or a scalp ailment; do not assume that formula covers every breach.

• Cutting hair or nails (intentional).
• Using perfume of any kind on body or clothes.
• Hunting land game or assisting a hunter.
• Sexual intercourse — a serious violation that can invalidate Umrah; the ruling depends on the ritual stage and madhhab. Seek a qualified scholar’s advice immediately.
• Foreplay, kissing, intimate touch with desire.
• Marriage contract — neither proposing nor performing a nikāḥ.
• Men only: wearing ordinary fitted garments such as shirts, trousers or underwear, and covering the head with a worn covering. Seams in the izar or rida are not themselves prohibited; footwear rulings have madhhab-specific details.
• Women only: wearing the niqab or gloves (face may still be covered with a loose cloth when needed for hijab).

Step 2 — Arriving at Masjid al-Haram

Enter the masjid with your right foot, reciting the dua of entering a masjid: “Allāhummaftah lī abwāba raḥmatik” (O Allah, open for me the doors of Your mercy — Muslim 713). The closest gate to the Mataf for most arriving pilgrims is King Abdulaziz Gate (Bāb al-Malik ‘Abdul-‘Aziz, Gate 1) or Gate 79 (Ajyad).

When you first see the Ka‘bah, pause. Some scholars consider this a moment of accepted dua based on a weak narration (Hakim 1671) — even if the hadith is weak, asking Allah at any moment of awe is always good. Raise your hands and ask for the greatest of your needs in this life and the next.

There is no specific reported dua upon first seeing the Ka‘bah. Make personal dua in your own language. Then make your way to the Mataf (Tawaf area) and position yourself at the brown line on the ground aligned with the Black Stone (Hajar al-Aswad).

Step 3 — Performing Tawaf

Tawaf is seven anti-clockwise circuits around the Ka‘bah, starting and ending at the Black Stone. Wudu is a condition for the validity of Tawaf according to the majority (Maliki, Shafi‘i, Hanbali); the Hanafis hold it is wājib not a condition, so the Tawaf is valid but requires expiation if done without wudu.

For the Tawaf of arrival (Tawaf al-Qudum) — which for ‘Umrah is the Tawaf of ‘Umrah itself — men perform two sunnah acts: Idtiba‘ (uncovering the right shoulder by passing the rida under the right armpit) and Raml (a brisk, vigorous walk) in the first three rounds. Women do neither.

There are no fixed duas for each round. Any dhikr, Qur’an recitation, or personal supplication in any language is valid. The only specifically reported dua is between the Yemeni Corner (Rukn Yamani) and the Black Stone in every round: “Rabbanā ātinā fid-dunyā ḥasanah, wa fil-ākhirati ḥasanah, wa qinā ‘adhāban-nār” (Qur’an 2:201).

At the Black Stone in each round: face it, raise your right hand and say “Allāhu Akbar” (kissing or touching is sunnah but only if you can do so without harming others — pushing in the crowd is forbidden). At the Yemeni Corner: touch with the right hand only if possible — do not point or say takbir at this corner.

1. Begin at the brown line aligned with the Black Stone. Face the Ka‘bah, raise right hand toward the stone, say “Bismillāh, Allāhu Akbar” and start walking.
2. Keep the Ka‘bah on your left. Walk anti-clockwise. The Hijr Isma‘il (the semi-circular wall) is part of the Ka‘bah — you must walk outside it, not through it.
3. Round 1, 2, 3 (men only): Raml — quick, vigorous walking with the chest out. Round 4–7: normal pace.
4. At every Yemeni Corner → Black Stone stretch, recite Rabbanā ātinā fid-dunyā ḥasanah…
5. At every Black Stone: face it, raise the right hand, say Allāhu Akbar. That counts as one round complete.
6. After 7 rounds, cover the right shoulder before the two rak‘ah.

Step 4 — Two rak‘ah at Maqam Ibrahim & Zamzam

After completing seven rounds, walk toward Maqam Ibrahim (the small glass-and-gold dome containing the footprint of Prophet Ibrahim ‘alayhi as-salām). Recite: “Wat-takhidhū min maqāmi Ibrāhīma muṣallā” (Qur’an 2:125) and pray two short rak‘ah behind it if possible. If it is impossibly crowded — and it almost always is — pray anywhere in the masjid; the action is sunnah, the location is not a condition.

In the first rak‘ah, recite Surah al-Kāfirūn after al-Fātiḥah. In the second, Surah al-Ikhlāṣ. This was the practice of the Prophet ﷺ (Muslim 1218).

Then go to the Zamzam taps (now located around the perimeter of the Mataf and on the ground floor). Face the Qiblah, say Bismillāh, drink in three breaths, pour some over your head, and say Alhamdulillāh. Make dua before drinking — the Prophet ﷺ said: “The water of Zamzam is for whatever it is drunk for” (Ibn Mājah 3062, sahih per al-Albani).

Step 5 — Sa‘i between Safa and Marwah

Sa‘i is seven trips between the two small hills of Safa and Marwah, commemorating Hajar (peace be upon her) running between them searching for water for her infant Isma‘il. Allah says: “Indeed Safa and Marwah are among the symbols of Allah” (Qur’an 2:158).

The full round trip Safa→Marwah→Safa counts as TWO trips, not one. This is the single most common mistake — pilgrims end up doing 14 trips instead of 7 because they thought a “lap” was one. Sa‘i ends at Marwah, not at Safa.

Climb Safa until you can see the Ka‘bah (a small flat area is provided). Face the Qiblah, raise your hands, and recite the verse: “Innaṣ-Ṣafā wal-Marwata min sha‘ā’irillāh…” adding “Abda’u bimā bada’allāhu bih” (I begin with what Allah began with). Then say takbir three times, then this dua three times: “Lā ilāha illallāh waḥdahu lā sharīka lah, lahul-mulku wa lahul-ḥamd, wa huwa ‘alā kulli shay’in qadīr. Lā ilāha illallāh waḥdah, anjaza wa‘dah, wa naṣara ‘abdah, wa hazamal-aḥzāba waḥdah.” Make personal dua between the takbirs. Repeat the same at Marwah after each trip (except the verse — which is only at the first time on Safa).

Men jog briskly between the two green pillars (lit green from the ceiling) — this is the area where Hajar ran. Women walk normally throughout. The corridor has separate lanes for wheelchairs and for the elderly.

Step 6 — Halq or Taqsir

This is the final ritual. Men perform Halq (shaving the entire head — more rewarded) or Taqsir (trimming from all parts of the head). The Prophet ﷺ supplicated three times for those who shave and once for those who trim (Bukhari 1727).

Women perform Taqsir only — gather the hair, and cut a fingertip-length (approximately 2.5 cm / one inch) from the ends. Shaving for women is forbidden.

Once Halq/Taqsir is complete, all Ihram restrictions immediately lift. You may wear normal clothes, use perfume, and resume marital relations. Your Umrah is complete. Make sajdah ash-shukr (prostration of thanks) — you have just been forgiven.

Practical tip: licensed barber shops surround the Marwah exit. Bring small Saudi riyals (SAR 10–20 for trim, SAR 20–30 for shave). For women, the cutting should be done in private — bring scissors and have a maḥram or female companion cut for you, or do it yourself in your hotel.

What invalidates Umrah & how to fix mistakes

Sexual intercourse while in Ihram has serious consequences. Whether Umrah is invalidated, whether a replacement is required, and the compensation depend on when it occurred and the madhhab. Do not assume the same ruling applies before Tawaf, after Sa‘i and before hair-cutting; consult a qualified scholar with the exact circumstances.

Applying perfume or wearing prohibited fitted clothing does not itself invalidate Umrah or release you from Ihram. Stop the violation, remove the perfume or change the clothing, and continue observing Ihram. Any fidyah must be determined from the act, its duration or extent, and your school’s rulings — not a blanket penalty for all mistakes.

Forgetfulness, ignorance or necessity can affect responsibility and compensation, but schools distinguish between different acts. Do not assume every accidental violation is penalty-free, especially hair or nail removal. Ask a qualified scholar rather than choosing compensation yourself.

Lost count in Tawaf or Sa‘i? Go with the lesser number — finish to be safe. Broke wudu mid-Tawaf? Step out, renew wudu, resume from where you left off (majority) or restart (Shafi‘i sunnah).

Special situations

Women on menses: cannot enter the Mataf or pray, so Tawaf is delayed until purification. Sa‘i can be performed without wudu (Sa‘i does not require wudu — majority position), but in practice it is performed after Tawaf. If your flight leaves before you become pure, follow the IslamQA & contemporary fatwa allowing Tawaf for the woman who fears missing her flight (with full ghusl, a pad, and on the basis of need).

Wheelchair users: a dedicated wheelchair Tawaf level exists on the first and second floors. Sa‘i has dedicated lanes. Hire a pusher (~SAR 200) from the official desk inside the masjid — avoid unofficial pushers.

Children: Umrah of a child is valid; reward goes to the parents. Children below puberty wear Ihram if they are old enough to understand; otherwise the parent makes niyyah on their behalf.

Combining Umrah with Hajj (Tamattu‘): perform full Umrah, exit Ihram, then re-enter Ihram for Hajj on 8 Dhul-Hijjah. This is the form the Prophet ﷺ commanded and is the most rewarded.

After Umrah — what to do next

Pray as many prayers as you can in the Haram — one prayer there equals 100,000 prayers elsewhere (Ibn Mājah 1406, sahih). Make tawaf an-nafl (voluntary Tawaf) whenever you have time — every step is recorded as a good deed.

Visit Madinah if possible. There is no Ihram for visiting Madinah and Masjid an-Nabawi. Pray in the Rawdah (the area between the Prophet’s ﷺ pulpit and his grave — “a garden from the gardens of Paradise” Bukhari 1196). Send salam upon the Prophet ﷺ, then Abu Bakr, then ‘Umar — without facing the graves while making dua.

When you return home, the truest sign of an accepted Umrah is that your life changes: better salah, kinder to family, more generous, less attached to sin. The Prophet ﷺ said: “Follow up a sin with a good deed, it will erase it” (Tirmidhi 1987) — let Umrah be the first of many good deeds.

Related FAQs

• Ihram rules and restrictions
• Tawaf step-by-step
• Sa‘i: 7 trips, not 14
• Halq vs Taqsir
• Umrah for women

Sources & further reading

• Sahih al-Bukhari — Book of Hajj & Umrah (Kitab al-Hajj)
• Sahih Muslim — Book of Hajj
• Sahih al-Bukhari 1542 — prohibited clothing in Ihram
• Sahih al-Bukhari 1539 — perfume before entering Ihram
• IslamQA — How to perform Umrah (45917)
• IslamQA — Description of Umrah (31819)
• Al-Mawsū‘ah al-Fiqhiyyah al-Kuwaitiyyah — Umrah (vol. 30)
• SeekersGuidance — Rulings of Ihram (Hanafi; IslamQA.org mirror)
• SeekersGuidance — fitted clothing and expiation (Hanafi)
• MuftiOnline — toiletries, perfume and compensation (Hanafi)
• Muslima Coaching — Ihram violations and penalties (Hanafi)

Where scholars differ, we follow the majority position and note significant differences. Always consult a qualified local scholar for personal rulings.