A Guide for Hajj and Umrah Pilgrims Hajj 2022 1443 Season
The Ihram
In this guide, you will learn everything you need to know about entering Ihraam.
Ihraam is the first step in your journey of pilgrimage, and it is an act of the heart with which you enter into a great act of worship. Allah commanded us to form sincere intentions for Hajj and ‘Umrah and to establish them for His sake, Glory be to Him, to the fullest extent. As the Almighty said: “Perform the pilgrimage and the visit (to Makkah) for Allah.”
What is Ihraam? in Hajj & Umrah
It is entering into the act of worship of Hajj or ‘Umrah, which is done by forming the intention to enter into the ‘Umrah or Hajj and begin with the Talbiyah.
One has to declare the exact form of worship that he intended at the beginning of his Talbiyah, saying: “Labbayka ‘Umratan” or “Labbayka Hajjan”. By he enters the state of Ihraam and starts his worship of Hajj or Umrah.
It is Sunnah for him to perform ghusl (bath) or wudoo’ (ablution) before he intends to enter Ihraam.
As soon as he has formed the intention, he will have begun his rituals and must abstain from all the prohibitions of Ihraam.
The clothes of Ihraam
The person in Ihraam (Muhrim) wears a robe which is wrapped around the lower part of his body, and a robe which covers the top. Its colour should be white.
He can use a buckle or belt which he wraps around his waist to hold his Izaar (loincloth) from falling and to keep his belongings, phone, and money in.
All people are equal in their dress and appearance, and are not separated by colours or material things, and they stand on equal footing, supplicating to Allah and imploring Him.
Women take on the Ihraam in whatever clothes they want, provided that they are:
Loose and wide, covering everything and not hindering movement.
It has no adornment which are charming to men.
Stipulation
If the pilgrim performing Hajj or ‘Umrah fears that he will not be able to complete his rituals due to a disease or a legitimate excuse or a reason outside of his control, then it is permissible for him to stipulate the intention. He does so by saying this after mentioning his ritual when saying “Labbayka ‘Umratan” or “Labbayka Hajjan”:
If anything prevents me, then my place is where You prevented me.” (he can say this in any language he prefers).
If he says this and stipulates a condition, and then something prevents them from completing the ritual, it is permissible for him to leave state of Ihraam, and there is no atonement for him.
The Talbiyah
The Talbiyah is when you recite: “LabbaykAllaahumma labbayk, labbayka laa shareeka laka labbayk. Innal hamda wan-ni’matah laka wal-mulk, laa shareeka lak” (“At your service, o Allah, at Your service! At Your service, there is no partner for You, at Your service! Indeed all praise and grace belong to You, and so does the supreme authority, You have no partner.”) And its meaning is: O Allah, we came, answering Your call to perform Hajj time after time, acknowledging You in monotheism and worship, acknowledging Your grace and the perfection of Your supreme authority. It is the majestic motto of the pilgrims, which declares servitude and obedience to the Creator, the Blessed, Glory be to Him.
The men raise their voices and the women whisper.
The Talbiyah starts from the beginning of the Ihraam
And the Talbiyah ends:
For the person performing ‘Umrah: when seeing the House (Ka’bah).
For the person performing Hajj: When stoning the Jamrah of ‘Aqabah
The Miqats
In veneration of the Sacred House of Allah, the Messenger of Allah specified places before Makkah from which those coming for Hajj and ‘Umrah must enter the state of Ihraam. They begin reciting the Talbiyah before they reach the boundaries of the Sanctity (Haram). These locations vary according to the location one is travelling from.
The pilgrim or the visitor who lives far from Makkah is obliged to take on the state of Ihraam from these Miqats or what is adjacent to them and parallel to them on their way, whether he travels by plane or by land. One should not go beyond these points without Ihraam.
Usually, planes coming to Jeddah announce the timing of alignment with the Miqat, so that pilgrims coming for Hajj and ‘Umrah can enter into the state of Ihram.
There are three types of people when it comes to entering the state of Ihraam: 1 2 3 Whoever is in Makkah: He enters the state of Ihraam to perform ‘Umrah from the nearest place outside the Sanctity (Haram), such as the mosque of the Mother of the Believers ‘Aishah in At-Tan’im. One takes on the state of Ihraam for Hajj from the place where he is. Whoever is located between Makkah and the Miqats: he takes on the state of Ihraam for Hajj and ‘Umrah from the place where he is. Whoever is in his place beyond the Miqats: he must take on the state of Ihraam from the Miqats or those adjacent to them for Hajj or ‘Umrah.