بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
“In the name of Allah the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.”
Before coming into Ihraam
1. It is sunnah to take a ghusl before entering into ihraam. Soap, shampoo, toothpaste, deodrants may be used.
2. One should also remove their pubic hair / under arm hair, clip their nails etc as they will not be able to do so in ihraam.
3.Ensure the hair is combed. Plaited hair may be easier to manage in the state if ihraam.
4.If it is not makhrooh time offer the following:
- 2 rakaahs salatul tauba (asking for forgiveness)
- 2 rakaahs salatul safr (asking Allah ﷻ to make your journey easy & accept your umrah.
- 2 rakaahs salatul shukr (thanking Allah ﷻ)
- 2 rakaahs salatul hajah (prayer of need)
One may offer a total of 8 rakaahs or 2 rakaahs with the above 4 intentions.
The makhrooh times for salaah are:
- The beginning of Fajr time until approximately 15 minutes after sunrise.
- At the time of Zawal (mid-day). This is around 10minutes before the beginning time for Dhur.
- After performing ‘Asr Salah until the time of sunset or approximately half an hour before sunset, even though Asr Salah has not been performed. However, if the woman has not performed her ‘Asr Şalaah of that day she must perform it.
Miqaat
Miqaat are those points which have been fixed by Rasulullah ﷺ. Before crossing these points, it is compulsory to enter into ihraam. It is also necessary to recite the Talbiyah or any other form of praise to Allah.
A penalty of a small animal will have to be given if the above mentioned is not done before or at the Miqaat .
If you will be crossing more than one Miqaat, it is best to do the above mentioned things at the first Miqaat. If there is no fixed Miqaat that you will be directly crossing, then whichever Miqat, on the right or left of a particular Miqat that you will pass by, will be the one that will be used into entering into ihraam
If a person is going to Makkah first, they will need to enter ihraam before they reach Jeddah, as Jeddah is within Miqaat. This can be done on the plane (1 hour before landing) or during your stop over before you fly to Jeddah.
Ihraam
Ihram is to enter a state in which certain permissible actions become prohibited.
Sahl Ibne Sa’d radhiyallahu anhu relates that Rasoolullah ﷺ said, “When a Muslim recites talbiyah, then verily every stone, tree and all the ground to his right and left recites the talbiyah with him to the end of the earth.” [Tirmidhi]
1. On (or prior to) reaching Meeqaat, perform ghusl if possible, otherwise wudhu. Thereafter, put on the clothes of ihraam. (Women will already be in their ihraam as there is no special clothing for women in the state of ihraam
2. Perform two raka’at nafl with the intention of ihraam. It is sunnah to recite ‘Qul yaa ayyuhal kaafiroon’ in the first raka’ah and ‘Qul huwallaahu ahad’ in the second raka’ah.
3. On completing the two raka’ah, make the niyyah of Umrah saying:
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّيْ أُرِيْدُ الْعُمْرَةَ فَيَسِّرْهَا لِيْ وَتَقَبَّلْهَا مِنِّيْ
allaahumma innee ureedul umrata fayassirhaa lee wataqabbalhaa minnee
“O Allah, I intend to perform Umrah. Make it easy for me and accept it from me”.
(The intention may be made in one’s own language)
4,Then read the following du’aa (known as talbiyah) three times:
لَبَّيْكَ اللهُمَّ لَبَّيْكَ – لَبَّيْكَ لَا شَرِيْكَ لَكَ لَبَّيْكَ – إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ وَالنِّعْمَةَ لَكَ وَالْمُلْكَ – لَا شَرِيْكَ لَكَ
Labbayk, Allaahumma labbayk. Labbayka laa shareeka laka labbayk. Innal hamda wanni’mata laka wal mulk. Laa shareeka lak.
“Here I am at Your Service, O Lord, here I am. Here I am, no partner do You have, here I am. Truly, the Praise and the Favour is Yours, and the Sovereignty. No partner do You have”.
•Men should recite these words loudly, and the women silently. It is mustahab (recommended) to read durood shareef and make du’aa for as long as you can.
A menstruating woman will also enter the state of ihraam without performing the salaah. She will make niyyah & recite the talbiyah.
Ihraam becomes complete on:
(1) making niyyah
(2) recitation of talbiyah.
Hence now you must refrain from certain acts which become forbidden.
To make things easier & incase your flight may be delayed or cancelled, don’t enter the state of Ihraam too early.
Things prohibited in ihraam
1. It is strictly prohibited to indulge in sexual intercourse, to kiss, or talk about sexual intercourse.
2. It is prohibited to indulge in those acts which Allah ﷻ as made unlawful, e.g. obscenity, transgression, conflict, lying, backbiting etc.
3. It is prohibited to hunt animals or help or guide anyone in this act; even killing a lice is prohibited.
4. Do not use scent, deodorant, perfume, perfumed oil or anything that has a fragrance; whether on the body or on the clothes, or in food or drink.
5.It is prohibited to shave or clip hair from any part of the body or to clip the nails.
6. It is prohibited for men to use stitched clothes. It is prohibited for men to wear footwear of any kind that will cover the central bone of the upper part of the feet.
7. Men must not cover their heads and faces.
8. A woman must ensure that her face is uncovered in the state of ihraam, including the forehead till below the chin, from one ear lobe to the other ear lobe.. To ensure that Pardah (veil) is also maintained, a cap may be worn so that the Pardah cloth goes over the cap and stays away from the face. Keeping in mind that the forehead stays uncovered by the cap as well.
9. Do not cause harm to any Muslim – be it verbal or physical.
10. Henna / Mehndi
11. On the planes, one may be offered freshening tissues by the flight attendants. It is not permissible to use this in the state of ihraam as they contain fragrance.
12. Makeup / surma
13. Ointment (unless it becomes necessary)
Things permissible in ihraam
1. It is permissible to use an umbrella or shadow of any object such as a car roof, as long as it does not touch the head.
2.It is permissible to put on a ring, a pair of glasses, a hearing aid, a wrist watch and a belt or girdle which protects one’s money and documents.
3.It is permissible to change one’s garments and to wash them as well as to wash one’s hair and body without removing dirt by the means of using soap.
4. It does not matter if some hair comes off by itself during washing without you intending it.
5.It is permissible to cover the body, including the feet with a blanket, quilt, sleeping bag, etc. Do not cover the head and the face.
6. It is permissible to use miswaak to clean the teeth
7. There is no harm in carrying something on the head / back.
8.Eating fragrant fruits such as mangoes and oranges.
9..Using tampons / sanitary towels.
10 .Breastfeeding
11. Vaseline / petroleum jelly
12. Injections/ vaccines
13. Contact lenses / glasses
14. Braces / false teeth
Other rulings regarding Ihraam
Ruling 1: If you are travelling to Madinah first, then you will not enter the state of ihraam untill you departure from Madinah to go to Makkah. In Madinah one must enter the state of ihraam either at the hotel before leaving for Makkah or at a place called Dhul-Hulaifah. This is the place where Rasulullah ﷺ came into the state of ihraam when performing the farewell hajj. The taxi / coach will stop there for you. A large masjid is located there with toilet, shower & wudhu facilities.
Ruling 2: There are no special clothes for the woman to enter Ihraam. It is permissible for her to wear normal everyday clothes.
Ruling 3: A woman may change clothes as many times as necessary. It is better to wear coloured clothing rather than white (as it is often see-through).
Ruling 4 : The talbiyah should be recited as much as possible throughout Umrah, whether standing or sitting, in a vehicle or walking, whether with or without Wudhu and whether in a state of menstruation or not.
Ruling 5 :If you have a direct flight to Jeddah & then you are going to Makkah, perform the 2 rakaahs nafl salaah for Ihraam at the airport, just before boarding the plane. Then 1.5 hours before arrival, just before you cross Miqaat, make the intention for ihraam & recite the talbiyah (as explained above).
Ruling 6 :If your flight is a connecting flight, then intention & talbiyah should be recited on your connecting flight, before you cross Miqaat.
Ruling 7: It is permissible for women to wear sandals / slippers / shoes.
Ruling 8: It is permissible to have a bath / shower in the state of ihraam. However one should ensure they do not scrub themselves, instead just let water run over one’s body.
Ruling 9: It is permissible to cover the body including the feet with a blanket / quilt / sleeping bag etc. However one must not cover the head & face.
Ruling 10: If a woman already has henna stains on her hand she does not need to scrub it off to come into ihraam. It is not permissible to apply henna after coming into ihraam.
Ruling 11: It is permissible for a woman to wear jewellery in the state of ihraam. However it would be disliked to wear it to a degree that would draw undue attention to oneself from the opposite gender.
*Some airlines announce that they do not cross Miqaat. This is not true. All planes flying to Jeddah will cross Miqaat either by flying over it or by the side of it.*
Tayyibah Tree 
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