First act of Tamattu‘ Hajj is to perform ‘Umrah. Therefore, the method of performing ‘Umrah is discussed in detail below.
Introduction to ‘Umrah:
Entering ihram, performing tawaf, walking briskly between the two hills, and shaving or shortening the hair—this collection of acts of worship is called ‘Umrah. Their detailed description is as follows:
First: Ihram:
After reaching the miqat, it is Sunnah to perform ghusl in the same manner as the obligatory ghusl is performed. This is mentioned in the hadith narrated by Zayd ibn Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him):
«أَنَّهُ رَأَى النَّبِىَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم تَجَرَّدَ لإِهْلاَلِهِ وَاغْتَسَلَ».
He saw that “The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) removed his clothes for ihram and performed ghusl.”[1]
This ghusl before ihram is Sunnah for both men and women, even for women experiencing menstruation or postnatal bleeding. This is because, during the Farewell Hajj, when Asma bint ‘Umays (may Allah be pleased with her) gave birth to her son Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to her,
«اغْتَسِلِى وَاسْتَثْفِرِى بِثَوْبٍ وَأَحْرِمِى».
“Perform ghusl, use a cloth to contain the bleeding, and enter ihram.”[2]
Thereafter, one should apply the best perfume available to the head and beard. There is no problem if its fragrance remains after entering ihram. This is known from the hadith narrated by ‘A’ishah al-Siddiqah (may Allah be pleased with her), who said,
«كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم إِذَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يُحْرِمَ يَتَطَيَّبُ بِأَطْيَبِ مَا يَجِدُ ثُمَّ أَرَى وَبِيصَ الدُّهْنِ فِى رَأْسِهِ وَلِحْيَتِهِ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ».
“When preparing to enter ihram, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would use the finest perfume available to him. Even after he entered ihram, I could see the sheen of its oil on his hair and beard.”[3]
If necessary, at this time one should remove the hair from the armpits and below the navel, and trim the nails and moustache, so that these will not be needed after entering ihram, when they will be prohibited. These acts are not Sunnah in themselves. They should be done as preparation before worship. If these acts were done shortly before entering ihram, there will be no need to do them while in ihram. From this, some people also consider shortening the hair of the head before ihram to be Sunnah. This notion is incorrect. As for shaving the beard on this occasion, that is out of the question, because shaving the beard is always haram. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said,
«خَالِفُوا الْمُشْرِكِينَ وَفِّرُوا اللِّحَى وَأَحْفُوا الشَّوَارِبَ».
“Act contrary to the polytheists. Let your beards grow and trim your moustaches.”[4]
After completing the stages of ghusl, cleaning oneself, and applying perfume, one should put on the ihram garments. If possible, one should put them on after a prayer. If an obligatory prayer is due at that time, one should perform it and then enter ihram, as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) did. Otherwise, one should perform two rak‘ahs of Tahiyyat al-Wudu and put on the ihram garments.
It should be noted that the ihram garments for men are an upper wrap and a lower wrap. However, it is recommended that the two pieces of cloth be white and clean. Women, on the other hand, may wear whatever they wish as their ihram clothing. Care must be taken, however, that the clothing does not resemble men’s clothing and does not display a woman’s beauty. Likewise, they should not cover their faces with a niqab, nor should they wear gloves. However, when facing non-mahram men, they should draw a cloth over their faces. Footwear may also be worn while in ihram. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said,
«وَلْيُحْرِمْ أَحَدُكُمْ فِي إِزَارٍ وَرِدَاءٍ ، وَنَعْلَيْنِ ، فَإِنْ لَمْ يَجِدْ نَعْلَيْنِ فَلْيَلْبَسْ خُفَّيْنِ ، وَلْيَقْطَعْهُمَا حَتَّى يَكُونَا أَسْفَلَ مِنَ الْعَقِبَيْنِ».
“Let each of you enter ihram wearing a lower wrap, an upper wrap, and a pair of sandals. If he has no sandals, he may wear leather socks, but he should cut them so that they are below the ankles.”[5]
After completing all the aforementioned acts, one should make the intention in the heart to begin ‘Umrah and say, لَبَّيْكَ عُمْرَةً (“Labbayka ‘umratan”) or لَبَّيْكَ اللَّهُمَّ عُمْرَةً (“Labbayka Allahumma ‘umratan”). It is preferable to enter ihram and recite the talbiyah after mounting one’s conveyance. This is because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) mounted his conveyance in preparation to depart from the miqat, and then began reciting the talbiyah when it started moving.
If a person entering ihram for ‘Umrah fears illness or something else that may prevent him from completing the rites of ‘Umrah, then when beginning ‘Umrah he should make the intention in this manner:
«اللَّهُمَّ مَحِلِّي حَيْثُ حَبَسْتَنِي».
(Allahumma mahilli haythu habastani.)
“O Allah, I shall come out of ihram wherever You prevent me.”[6] Or he should say,
«لَبَّيْكَ اللَّهُمَّ لَبَّيْكَ ، وَمَحِلِّي مِنَ الأَرْضِ حَيْثُ تَحْبِسُنِي».
(Labbayka Allahumma labbayk, wa mahilli min al-ardi haythu tahbisuni.)
“Labbayka Allahumma labbayk. I shall come out of ihram wherever You prevent me.”[7] This is because the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) taught Duba‘ah bint al-Zubayr (may Allah be pleased with her) in this manner.
After completing these acts, continue reciting the talbiyah frequently, because the talbiyah is the verbal symbol of Hajj. In particular, recite the talbiyah frequently when there is a change in place, time, or circumstance. For example, when ascending to a high place or descending to a low place, at the transition between night and day—at sunrise and sunset—after committing any wrongful or improper act, and after prayer, and so forth. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) would recite the talbiyah as follows:[8]
«لَبَّيْكَ اللَّهُمَّ لَبَّيْكَ لَبَّيْكَ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَكَ لَبَّيْكَ إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ وَالنِّعْمَةَ لَكَ وَالْمُلْكَ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَك».
(Labbayka Allahumma labbayk, labbayka la sharika laka labbayk, innal-hamda wan-ni‘mata laka wal-mulk, la sharika lak.) Sometimes he would add a little to it and recite it as follows:[9]
لَبَّيْكَ إِلَهَ الْحَقِّ ، لَبَّيْكَ.
(Labbayka ilaha al-haqq labbayk.)
It is also preferable for a person in ihram to add لَبَّيْكَ ذَا الْمَعَارِجِ (Labbayka dhal-ma‘arij) to the talbiyah. During the Farewell Hajj, the Companions added various words to the talbiyah. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) heard them but did not say anything to them.[10]
If one adds the following to the talbiyah:
لَبَّيْكَ لَبَّيْكَ وَسَعْدَيْكَ وَالْخَيْرُ بِيَدَيْكَ لَبَّيكَ وَالرَّغْبَاءُ إِلَيْكَ وَالْعَمَلُ.
(Labbayk, labbayka wa sa‘dayka wal-khayru bi-yadayka, labbayka war-raghba’u ilayka wal-‘amal.) There is no problem with that either, because there is evidence that ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) and his son ‘Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) added phrases of this kind.[11]
It is Sunnah for men to recite the talbiyah aloud. The Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said,
«أَتَانِى جِبْرِيلُ فَأَمَرَنِى أَنْ آمُرَ أَصْحَابِى وَمَنْ مَعِى أَنْ يَرْفَعُوا أَصْوَاتَهُمْ .بِالإِهْلاَلِ - أَوْ قَالَ – بِالتَّلْبِيَةِ».
“Jibril (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) came to me. He instructed me to recite the talbiyah aloud and told me to instruct my Companions and associates to raise their voices when pronouncing the ihlal—or, he said, the talbiyah.”[12]
Moreover, reciting the talbiyah aloud manifests the symbols of Allah, constitutes a radiant proclamation of His oneness, and expresses freedom from shirk. For women, on the other hand, according to the consensus of all scholars, it is Sunnah not to raise their voices in verbal acts of worship such as the talbiyah, dhikr, and du‘a. This helps preserve modesty and suppress fitnah.
[1]. Tirmidhi: 830; Ibn Khuzaymah: 2595; Bayhaqi: 8726.
[2]. Ibid.
[3]. Bukhari: 5923; Muslim: 1170.
[4]. Bukhari: 5892; Muslim: 295.
[5]. Musnad Ahmad: 9984; Ibn Khuzaymah: 1062.
[6]. Bukhari: 5089; Muslim: 1207.
[7]. Nasa’i: 2766.
[8]. Bukhari: 1574; Muslim: 1218.
[9]. Ibn Majah: 2920.
[10]. Musnad: 14440.
[11]. Bukhari: 1549, Muslim: 1184.
[12]. Abu Dawud: 1814.