Know these facts before your best Umrah Tour!

May Allah call every Muslim for Umrah- Inshallah!”

What is the meaning of 'Umrah'?

Umrah is originated from the word I‘timaar that means “A Visit”. However, according to Islamic point of view, it is actually a visit to Holy Kaaba and performing a religious ritual to attain self-purification. The main difference between Umrah and Hajj lies in the time of performing the act. According to Islam, Hajj is an obligatory religious duty whereas Umrah is a non-obligatory religious duty.

Hajj can be done at a particular time of a year while Umrah can be done any time around the year. If anyone wants to perform Umrah in the time of Hajj he or she must do Hajj after finishing the Umrah. Performing only Umrah in Hajj timing is prohibited. It is believed that with the conduct of Umrah, one can also be able to remove all the past sins and also deepen the relationship with the gracious Allah (SWT).

The steps of Umrah are as follows:

• Step one:
  The very first step of Umrah is Ihraam, a state of purity that needs to be assumed at the Meeqaat.
• Step two:
  The next step is Niyyah that is a declaration of the intention while uncovering the head and uttering the following dua:
  اَللَّهُمَّ اِنِّيْ اُرِيْدُ الْعُمْرَةَ فَيَسِّرْهَا لِيْ وَ تَقَبَّلْهَا مِنِّيْ
  “O Allah! I intend to perform umrah, please make it easy for me and accept it from me”
• Step three:
  Niyyah is followed by Talbiya which is a prayer invoked by the person intended to do Umrah as a belief that they aim to complete the Umrah only for the glory of Allah and nothing else.
  بِسْمِ اللَّهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ عَلَى اللَّهِ، لاَ حَوْلَ وَلاَ قُوَّةَ إِلاَّ بِاللَّهِ
  “In the name of Allah, I place my trust in Allah, and there is no might or power except with Allah””
• Step four:
  When the pilgrims enter Masjid Al Haram; they are supposed to recite Darud e Sharif and perform Ibadat to Allah while proceeding towards the Holy Kaaba.
  اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وسلم, اللَّهُمَّ افْتَحْ لِي أَبْوَابَ رَحْمَتِكَ
  “In the name Of Allah, O Allah! Exalt the mention of your Messenger. O Allah! Forgive my sins, and open the gates of your mercy for me”.
  At the very first sight of Ka’bah pilgrim should recite
  اللّهُ أكبر اللّهُ أكبر, لا إلَهَ الا اللّه, اللّهُ أكبر اللّهُ اكبر, و لِلّه الحمدَ
  “Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, there is no God, but Allah, Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, to Him belongs all Praise.”
• Step five:
  The significant part of Umrah is Tawaaf which is seven times anti clock circumambulations around the Kaaba- Starting from the Hajar-al-Aswad. At the End of Seven circles, the pilgrims should do Istilam by touching or kissing the Hajar-al-Aswad while uttering the following verse.
  وَاتَّخِذُوْا مِنْ مَّقَامِ إِبْرَاهِيْمَ مُصَلًّى
  “And take you (people) the Maqaam (place) of Ibraheem as a place of Prayer.” [Quran: 2:125]
  In times of huge gatherings, pointing the sacred Kaaba with the right hand can also serve purpose for every Muslim.
• Step six:
  After finishing the seven circumambulations around the Holy Kaaba, pilgrims should proceed to the Maqaam-e-Ibrahim for offering 2 Rakat of Nafal which is done without covering their heads.
• Step seven:
  In this step, the pilgrims tread towards the Zamzam well which is regarded as the most sacred source of water in Islam. This Well is situated in the basement of Haram where on approaching pilgrim utter the following verse and drink it.
  الهم انئ اسءلك علما نافعا ؤرزقا ؤاسعا ؤشفاءً من كل داء
  “O, Allah! I implore for the beneficial knowledge, vast provisions and cure from every disease.”
• Step eight:
  The very first step of Umrah is Ihraam, a state of purity that needs to be assumed at the Meeqaat.
  Sai’ is the penultimate step of Umrah which includes to and fro walking between As-Safa and Al-Marwa seven times. This step imitates the suffering of Hagar when she is left with her infant son Ishmael by Abraham on the command of God. In search of water, Hagar walked seven times from Safa to Marwa. On seeing her dedication and patience, God had sent Jibra’il who hit the ground with the wing and had created the source of holy water, Zamzam.
• Step nine:
  Qasar or Halaq is a ritual of cutting hair either completely or trimming it equal to a length of a fingertip. Finally, Tahal-lul denotes coming out of the state of Ihraam and when all the prohibition during Ihram become lawful. This also signifies the ending of Umrah pilgrimage.