How to Perform Umrah from USA?

An Umrah is a sacred journey which though includes four major rituals yet includes the whole journey where each of your steps counts. The journey starts from Umrah planning and getting the right umrah package. Think of Umrah packages as a service that takes care of your needs during pilgrimage. And it's right to say that the right umrah travel deal makes the real difference especially if you are traveling for the first time.

Another thing that makes a difference during your pilgrimage is the understanding of Umrah rituals especially if you are a first-time traveler going from the USA to Saudi Arabia. So, here is a complete guide for USA citizens to follow. The guide is dedicated for US citizens as they may find language barriers while understanding the whole process.

An Umrah pilgrimage is divided into four main rituals which are entering Ihram, Tawaf, Sa'i and Halq or Taqsir. However, we break down the whole journey of performing your first umrah in various steps. The purpose is to guide you at each step of the way and make your journey fulfilling even if you are undertaking pilgrimage for the first time. So, follow this guide to know how to perform umrahstep by step:

Physical purity is the foremost requirement of pilgrims getting on the journey. It involves your personal hygiene like clipping nails or removing unnecessary body hair. After that, perform ghusl which is a recommended Sunnah for pilgrims before entering Ihram. However, if you are unable to perform ghusl for any reason, wudhu can still suffice. Pilgrims can also apply fragrance after ghusl or before wearing ihram as it's completely safe and preferable too for men.

After ghusl, wear ihram clothes which are different for men and women. Men wear two white unstitched pieces of cloth and cover their waist and lower body in a way that their right shoulder is exposed. Women wear simple and modest clothing which can be proper dress or abaya and hijab to cover their whole body except hands and face.

Putting on your ihram clothes is necessary before approaching Miqat. So, it's recommended for pilgrims traveling by airplane to wear ihram at the airport. However, they can delay their niyyah until they approach Miqat.

Though it's a part of the process, wearing ihram doesn't refer to your intention of performing Umrah. So, make intention of your journey for the sole purpose of performing Umrah from your heart. Ask Allah for ease and his help throughout the journey. You can make niyyah either at the time of entering Ihram or while crossing Miqat in the plane. As soon as you will make niyyah of performing Umrah, the restrictions of the state of ihram will be applied on you.

Many people perform two Rak'ah salah of wearing ihram which is not a Sunnah of neither the holy prophet nor the Sahaba. In fact, you should offer your Fard prayer before entering Ihram which is a Sunnah. So, it's completely valid and up to the Sunnah that you wear ihram and make niyyah from heart. Because no Ibadah requires Salah of niyyah as it's only an intention of heart and between you and Allah. Make niyyah that you are going to perform Umrah for the sake of Allah. Otherwise, here's what you can say instead:

• لَبَّيْكَ اَللَّهُمَّ عُمْرَةً

• اَللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أُرِيدُ الْعُمْرَةَ

• اَللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أُرِيدُ الْعُمْرَةَ فَيَسِّرْهَا لِي وَتَقَبَّلْهَا مِنِّي

No matter in which language you have made niyyah, it's compulsory to recite talbiyah at least for once to validate your niyyah which is also a sunnah. Talbiyah are the words of affirmation and your intention to perform Umrah to please Allah. Talbiyah also highlights the praise and sovereignty of Allah and the Shahadat of his oneness.

لَبَّيْكَ اللَّهُمَّ لَبَّيْكَ، لَبَّيْكَ لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ لَبَّيْكَ، إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ وَالنِّعْمَةَ لَكَ وَالْمُلْكَ، لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ

The recitation of talibiya validates your state of ihram and now you have to abide by the restrictions of this state. Keep reciting Talbiyah after crossing Miqat until you are in Haram prior to performing tawaf. Men should recite it loudly while women should whisper in a way that none of the non-mehram could hear.

Haram is a sacred place in Makkah which is a Muzaf area around Masjid al-Haram in all directions. However, the city of Makkah is an honorable place in itself which is a birthplace of Islam as well as holds the sacred house of Allah. So, recite the Sunnah Dua of entering Makkah which is:

اللّٰهُمَّ هٰذَا حَرَمُكَ وَأَمَانُكَ فَحَرِّمْ لَحْمِي وَدَمِي وَعَظْمِي عَلَى النَّارِ

After that, continue reciting talbiyah and be conscious of the restrictions of ihram as well as the Haram. For example, don't harm any type of vegetation, don't kill any wild animal, don't carry weapons, and don't fight or abuse anyone as all of these violate the sanctity of the place. After arriving at your accommodation, you can either take a rest or consider a shower as long as you follow the guidelines of Ihram. Don't unnecessarily delay going to Masjid al-Haram but try to be there in masjid as soon as possible once you have settled your belongings safely in the hotel.

Masjid al-Haram has various gates all over the directions which guide pilgrims to the Kaabah. So, it depends on your accommodation which entrance gate finds closer to you. So, enter the masjid with your right foot first while reciting the Dua of entering Masjid. No matter from which gate you enter the Mosque, keep your gaze lower until you reach Mataf which is the place of performing tawaf.

After reaching Mataf, see Kaabah for the first time with humility and gratitude. The first sight of Kaabah is the time of acceptance of prayers. So, raise your hands and ask Allah about his blessings in this dunya as well as in akhirah and anything else you want.

There are following dua's you can recite at this moment:

بِسْمِ اللهِ اَللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ اللّٰهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي وَافْتَحْ لِي أَبْوَابَ رَحْمَتِكَ ﷺ

أَعُوذُ بِاللهِ الْعَظِيمِ وَبِوَجْهِهِ الْكَرِيمِ وَسُلْطَانِهِ الْقَدِيمِ مِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ الرَّجِيمِ

Make sure that you are in the state of wudhu to perform Tawaf. Then, start your Tawaf from the corner of Kaabah having Hajar al-Aswad. There is also a green light opposite to that corner which guides pilgrims as well. Align yourself in a way that you keep Kaabah on your left side throughout tawaf and walk around it in an anticlockwise direction. Make niyyah by performing tawaf for the sake of Allah.

Here is a Dua you can recite for that:

اَللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أُرِيدُ طَوَافَ بَيْتِكَ الْحَرَامِ فَيَسِّرْهُ لِي وَتَقَبَّلْهُ مِنِّي

Though tawaf begins with kissing Hajar al-Aswad, it's often not possible for pilgrims to reach there. In this case, raise your right hand when you are in line with the Hajar al-Aswad and say:

بِسْمِ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ

This act is known as istilam and it marks the beginning of each circuit around the Kaabah. There is no specific supplication to recite in each circuit of Tawaf as you can recite any quranic or Sunnah dua throughout your seven circuits. You can supplicate in any language as long as your heart feels connected with Allah as it's the essence of the ritual you are performing.

However, it's Sunnah to recite the following Dua while walking through rukn al-yamni. It’s the corner that precedes the Hajar al-Aswad.

رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً، وَفِي الآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً، وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ

When you reach in line with Hajar al-Aswad again, the second circuit will begin. So, perform istilam again as you did earlier. Similarly, complete your seven circuits this way and end your Tawaf with istilam which would be the eighth istilam in your seven circuits. Note that Tawaf is a continuous process of walking around the Kaabah and completing seven circuits in one go. However, if the congregational prayer is due to start, you have to join the prayer and resume your circuit from where you ended. There is also no need to repeat that circuit or begin your Tawaf again. The procedure will be the same if you want to renew your wudhu during Tawaf. Just remember your circuit number and location to resume Tawaf from there.

After completing Tawaf, find a place near Maqam e Ibrahim to offer Salah al-tawaf. During peak seasons, it's not possible to offer prayer in proximity to Maqam e Ibrahim. In this case, offer two Rak'ah nafil with the intention of completing Tawaf anywhere in Masjid al-Haram.

Zam Zam is available everywhere in Masjid al-Haram which is also a Sunnah to drink during pilgrimage. It's Sunnah to face the Kaabah while standing and drink Zam Zam in three pauses. After drinking Zam Zam, recite the following Dua:

اللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ عِلْمًا نَافِعًا وَرِزْقًا وَاسِعًا وَعَمَلًا مُتَقَبَّلًا وَشِفَاءً مِنْ كُلِّ دَاءٍ

Proceed to perform Sa'i as soon as you completed Tawaf and offered two Rak'ah salah. However, you can also relax a bit or wait if the congregational prayer is due to start. Sa'i is a process of completing seven circuits between Safa and Marwa. For that, perform istilam for the last time and proceed to Safa. Before starting, take a short pause and recite Sunnah Dua and make prayers that you want Allah to accept.

Then, proceed walking towards Marwah while supplicating any Sunnah or Quranic Dua's. Women have to walk normally throughout Sa'i while men have to walk faster under the area of green lights. Once you will be at Marwah, it will count as the first circuit and your second circuit will start immediately from Marwa to Safa. In this way, your seven circuits will be completed at Marwah.

After performing Sa'i, you can leave Masjid al-Haram. Step out with your left foot and recite Dua of leaving the masjid.

بِسْمِ اللهِ وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَّامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ اللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ

Halq or Taqsir is the final ritual of Umrah, involving either shaving the head completely or trimming the hair. For women, it requires cutting up to one inch of hair. This marks the end of the state of Ihram, after which you can remove the Ihram clothing and return to normal attire. At AlHaq Tours, we guide our pilgrims step-by-step through these essential rituals to ensure your Umrah is performed smoothly and correctly.

Performing umrah is both a spiritual as well as a physical ritual that has to be done as per Sunnah. After securing your dream Umrah package, understand all the steps of the pilgrimage and follow each of them in order to make it acceptable. It's even more important to know these rituals for first-time travelers. Besides understanding the whole process, keep asking Allah for his help and ease and renew your intention to earn blessings in this dunya and hereafter.