Umrah Step-by-Step: A Practical Guide to the Rites (Ihram, Tawaf, Sa'i, Halq)

Umrah consists of four obligatory pillars performed in order: entering ihram at the Miqat, tawaf around the Kaaba, sa'i between Safa and Marwah, and halq or taqsir (shaving or trimming the hair). Missing any of the four invalidates the Umrah; missing certain required acts (the wajibat) requires fidya (compensation) but does not invalidate the pilgrimage. This guide walks through the rites in their performed order, the prayers said at each stage, the practical "what does it look like on the ground" detail, and what to do when things go differently than the textbook describes.

This is a practical companion to our Umrah travel planning guide (which covers the logistics — visas, hotels, dates, packing) and our Umrah visa requirements guide. The fiqh detail below follows the majority opinion across the four Sunni schools where there is consensus; where they differ meaningfully, both views are noted. Pilgrims should read a school-specific manual from their own tradition before travelling and consult their group muthawwif or a local scholar for live questions during the pilgrimage.

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The Four Pillars and the Wajibat

Scholars divide the acts of Umrah into three tiers of significance:

• Arkan (pillars, four in total): ihram, tawaf, sa'i, halq/taqsir. Each must be performed. Missing any of these means the Umrah is not valid and must be repeated.
• Wajibat (required acts): entering ihram at or before the Miqat (not after), refraining from the prohibitions of ihram. Missing a wajib does not invalidate the Umrah but requires fidya — typically a sheep, ten days of fasting, or feeding six poor people.
• Sunan and mustahabbat (recommended acts): ghusl before ihram, the talbiyah, raml (brisk walking) in the first three circuits of arrival tawaf, drinking Zamzam, the two rak'ah behind Maqam Ibrahim, the supplications at Safa and Marwah. Recommended; missing them carries no consequence but pilgrims should perform them where possible.

The Hanafi school designates sa'i as wajib rather than rukn (a smaller terminological difference with the same practical effect — sa'i is performed by all schools' pilgrims). The Shafi'i, Maliki, and Hanbali schools count sa'i as a rukn.

Step 1: Preparation Before Reaching the Miqat

The Miqat is one of five geographic boundary points around Makkah set by the Prophet (peace be upon him), beyond which no pilgrim may enter Makkah for Hajj or Umrah without being in the state of ihram. The Miqat for pilgrims arriving by air at Jeddah depends on the route — most commercial flights pass over Yalamlam (for arrivals from the south, including Southeast Asia) or Qarn al-Manazil (for arrivals from the east, including South Asia). UK and European flights pass over Dhul Hulaifah area.

Before reaching the Miqat:

1. Perform ghusl (full ritual bath) — strongly recommended. If you cannot perform ghusl on the aircraft, perform wudu instead.
2. Trim nails, remove unwanted body hair, and groom as needed. Once in ihram, none of this is permitted.
3. For men: change into the two-piece white ihram garments. The izar (lower wrap) covers from navel to mid-calf or ankle. The rida (upper wrap) covers the upper body and shoulders. No stitched clothing, no underwear (some schools permit a wrap-style undergarment). White, untailored, unscented.
4. For women: regular modest clothing that covers the body except the face and hands. Women are not required to wear white; they should not wear niqab during ihram (the face is uncovered, although in crowds women often shield the face with a hand or loose fabric without it touching the skin). No gloves.
5. Pray two rak'ah of nafl with the intention of ihram if time and ablution permits. If you cannot pray on the aircraft, this can be omitted — but the niyyah (intention) is essential.

Step 2: Entering Ihram at the Miqat

At or just before the Miqat (most airlines announce when the aircraft is crossing it), make the intention to enter ihram:

"Labbayka Allahumma 'umratan" ("Here I am, O Allah, for Umrah.")

For those performing Umrah followed by Hajj in the same trip during the Hajj season (Hajj at-Tamattu' or Qiran), the wording differs — consult a school-specific manual.

Immediately begin the talbiyah, recited repeatedly during the entire state of ihram (in flight, on the bus to Makkah, in the hotel, on the way to the Haram), audibly for men and quietly for women, until the moment tawaf begins:

"Labbayka Allahumma labbayk, labbayka la sharika laka labbayk, inna l-hamda wa n-ni'mata laka wa l-mulk, la sharika lak."

("Here I am, O Allah, here I am. Here I am, You have no partner, here I am. Verily all praise and grace and dominion belongs to You. You have no partner.")

The prohibitions of ihram

From the moment of niyyah at the Miqat until exiting ihram with halq or taqsir, a pilgrim must abstain from:

• Cutting or pulling hair from any part of the body
• Cutting or filing fingernails or toenails
• Applying perfume to body, clothing, or hair
• Wearing stitched clothing (men) or face veil and gloves (women)
• Covering the head (men) — hats, hoods, umbrellas only if not touching the head are permitted by some scholars in extreme heat
• Marital relations of any kind — including foreplay and looking at one's spouse with desire
• Marriage contracts (officiating or being party to)
• Hunting, killing, or assisting in the killing of game animals on land
• Arguing, swearing, fighting, and bad speech (these are forbidden generally but emphasised during ihram)

Violations carry consequences ranging from a fidya (typical for accidental violations like covering the head) to invalidating the Umrah entirely (sexual relations before completing the rites). Travel light and conservative.

Step 3: Arrival at Makkah and the Haram

On arriving at your Makkah hotel, refresh briefly but do not delay. Walk to the Haram or take the hotel shuttle. Standard etiquette on entry:

• Enter with the right foot and recite the du'a of entering the masjid.
• Hotels closest to the Haram have direct entrances. The most common public entrances are Bab al-Salam (the King Abdulaziz Gate), Bab al-Fath, and Bab al-Umrah for pilgrims.
• The first sight of the Kaaba is a moment many pilgrims describe as the emotional centre of the trip. Recite the du'a of seeing the Kaaba (any sincere supplication accepted; the Prophet recommended raising hands and praying for whatever you need).
• Sa'i and the tawaf area can be entered from the upper levels for those finding the ground floor too crowded. The upper levels have smoother flow during peak periods.

Step 4: Tawaf — Seven Circuits Around the Kaaba

Tawaf is one of the four pillars. Seven circuits, performed in the following manner:

1. Start at the Black Stone (Hajar al-Aswad). A green line on the floor and a green light on the wall to the right of the Kaaba mark the starting point. Face the Black Stone, raise your right hand toward it (pointing or palm out), say "Bismillah, Allahu akbar", and begin walking with the Kaaba on your left.
2. Keep the Kaaba on your left throughout. The direction is anticlockwise as seen from above.
3. The path includes the Hijr (the semi-circular wall on the north side). You must walk outside the Hijr — passing through it does not count.
4. At the Yemeni Corner (the corner one before the Black Stone), the Prophet would touch it with his right hand without raising the hand to lips, and recite "Rabbana atina fi d-dunya hasana wa fi l-akhirati hasana wa qina 'adhaba n-nar" on the stretch between the Yemeni Corner and the Black Stone. In a crowd, touching is impossible — point or do not point, but do not push to touch.
5. Each return to the Black Stone begins the next circuit. Raise your right hand, say "Allahu akbar", and continue.
6. For men: idtiba and raml. Men uncover the right shoulder by passing the rida under the right armpit and over the left shoulder (idtiba) for the arrival tawaf only. During the first three of the seven circuits, men walk at a brisk pace (raml). For the last four circuits, walk normally. Idtiba is only during arrival tawaf — it does not apply to subsequent tawaf or tawaf al-wada.
7. For women: walk normally throughout. No raml. No idtiba. Modest pace, modest dress.
8. Supplications: there is no specific obligatory supplication during the circuits. Many pilgrims recite short well-known du'a books; others make personal du'a in their own language. The supplication is a private conversation with Allah — make it personal.
9. After completing the seventh circuit at the Black Stone, tawaf is complete.

Total walking distance is approximately 1.2 to 1.5 km depending on which level you perform tawaf on (upper levels are wider but longer per circuit). Allow 30 to 90 minutes depending on crowd density.

Step 5: Two Rak'ah Behind Maqam Ibrahim

After tawaf, the Sunnah is to pray two rak'ah behind Maqam Ibrahim (the small gold-and-glass structure containing the stone with the footprint of Prophet Ibrahim). If the area immediately behind Maqam Ibrahim is too crowded — which it almost always is — pray anywhere in the Mataf area or anywhere in the Masjid al-Haram.

Recommended recitation: Surah al-Kafirun in the first rak'ah, Surah al-Ikhlas in the second. These are short; the Prophet kept these two rak'ah brief out of respect for the crowd flow behind him.

Step 6: Drinking Zamzam Water

The Sunnah is to drink from Zamzam after the two rak'ah. Coolers are available throughout the Haram. Drink while standing, facing the Kaaba, in three breaths. Make du'a — there is no fixed text but the Prophet said Zamzam is "for whatever it is drunk for."

Step 7: Sa'i Between Safa and Marwah

The Sa'i ritual commemorates Hajar's seven runs between the two hills searching for water for her son Ismail. It is performed in the long arcade now connecting the two hills, fully air-conditioned and on multiple levels.

1. Approach Safa. Recite "Inna s-Safa wa l-Marwata min sha'a'iri llah" ("Indeed Safa and Marwah are among the rites of Allah") — the verse from Surah al-Baqarah that the Prophet recited at this point.
2. At Safa, face the direction of the Kaaba (the Kaaba is not visible from Safa today but the direction is marked), raise both hands in du'a, recite the takbir three times ("Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar"), then the talbiyah and any personal du'a.
3. Walk from Safa toward Marwah. This is the first of seven walks. Walk normally.
4. Between the green markers (two pairs of green pillars marking a particular stretch where Hajar's running was most pronounced) — men jog at a moderate pace; women walk normally.
5. At Marwah, face Kaaba direction, raise hands in du'a, repeat the takbir, talbiyah, and personal du'a. This is the end of the first walk.
6. Walk back to Safa. This is the second walk.
7. Repeat until you have completed seven walks total. The seventh walk ends at Marwah, not Safa. The pattern is: Safa → Marwah (1) → Safa (2) → Marwah (3) → Safa (4) → Marwah (5) → Safa (6) → Marwah (7).

Total distance for the seven walks is approximately 2.7 to 3 km. Allow 30 to 60 minutes. Wheelchair-accessible lanes are available on the upper levels; rentals and porter services are widely available at the Haram entrances for the elderly and the unwell.

Step 8: Halq or Taqsir — Shaving or Trimming the Hair

The final pillar of Umrah is hair cutting. For men:

• Halq (full shave) is recommended and considered more meritorious — the Prophet supplicated three times for those who shaved their heads.
• Taqsir (trim) is permissible. The trim must reach across the entire head — a token snip from one or two strands is insufficient. Cut at least an inch from all sides.

For women: taqsir only — trim a fingertip's length from each braid or from the ends of the hair. Women do not shave their heads.

Barbers are stationed at the Marwah end of the Sa'i arcade and throughout the area around the Haram. Cost: SAR 10 to 30 (USD 3 to 8). Confirm clean razors and disposable blades — there have been past hygiene concerns with crowded barber stations.

Once halq or taqsir is performed, the pilgrim has exited ihram. All ihram prohibitions are now lifted. Change into regular clothing.

What to Do If You Make a Mistake

Mistakes happen — through ignorance, error, or unavoidable circumstance.

• Crossing the Miqat without ihram — return to the Miqat to enter ihram if practical. If returning is impossible (already in Makkah), enter ihram from where you are and pay fidya (a sheep slaughtered in Makkah and distributed to the poor, or feeding six poor people, or fasting three days).
• Breaking ihram by accident (clipping a nail without thinking, applying scented soap, briefly covering the head) — pay fidya, ihram remains valid.
• Marital relations during ihram — before tawaf invalidates the Umrah entirely (must be repeated and a sacrifice paid). After tawaf but before halq, the consequences are lighter — consult a scholar.
• Losing count of tawaf or sa'i circuits — assume the lower number and complete to seven. The default benefit goes to the lower count.
• Menses during tawaf — see the next section.
• Inability to complete sa'i in one session — sa'i can be split across rest breaks if you become unwell. Tawaf cannot be split — if interrupted (e.g., for prayer), resume from where you were once the prayer is complete.

Women in Menses, the Disabled, and the Elderly

The most common edge case is a woman entering menses during the trip:

• Before tawaf: she cannot perform tawaf (which requires the wudu state). She remains in ihram, performs all other rites possible (including sa'i, which most scholars permit without wudu though some require it), and performs tawaf once the menses end. Many pilgrims extend their trip to allow for this.
• During tawaf: exit the Haram immediately, complete the menses, then return to perform a fresh tawaf (the partial tawaf does not count).
• Between tawaf and sa'i: tawaf already counts; sa'i can be performed without wudu in most schools' view. The Umrah is completable.

For pilgrims with mobility limitations: wheelchair-accessible lanes are clearly marked at every level of the Mataf and the Sa'i arcade. Wheelchair porters are available for hire (SAR 50 to 200 depending on the duration). For severe medical conditions, a designated representative can perform tawaf carrying the pilgrim — historically common practice for the elderly.

After Umrah — Continuing the Visit

Once Umrah is complete, pilgrims commonly:

• Perform additional supererogatory tawaf (tawaf nafl) — every tawaf is rewarded, and many pilgrims perform one each day of their stay.
• Pray in the Haram — prayer in the Masjid al-Haram is reported in hadith to be worth 100,000 prayers elsewhere.
• Visit historical sites in Makkah — Jabal an-Nur (where Surah al-'Alaq was revealed), Jabal Thawr (the cave of the hijrah), the Maqbarah al-Mu'alla cemetery, the museum of the Two Holy Mosques.
• Travel to Madinah for the highly recommended (but not religiously obligatory) visit to the Prophet's Mosque, with prayer in the Rawdah, and visits to Quba, Uhud, and the seven mosques.

For the broader planning context, see our Umrah travel planning guide and the Saudi Arabia country profile.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I perform Umrah more than once in a single trip? Yes. After exiting ihram from the first Umrah, you can leave the Haram boundary (commonly to Tan'im or Ji'ranah, where mini-Miqats exist), enter ihram again, and return to perform another Umrah. The Saudi Hajj Ministry permits multiple Umrahs per trip outside the Hajj season; some restrictions apply close to Hajj.

Is Umrah valid if I forget the talbiyah? Yes — the talbiyah is sunnah, not a pillar. The intention (niyyah) at the Miqat is what enters you into ihram.

How long does the entire Umrah ritual take? The rites themselves (tawaf, prayer, Zamzam, sa'i, hair cut) typically take 2 to 4 hours depending on crowd density. Most pilgrims time their first arrival Umrah for late evening or after Fajr to avoid peak congestion.

Can I perform Umrah for a deceased relative? Yes. The pilgrim must already have performed Umrah for themselves first. The niyyah at the Miqat is then specified as being on behalf of the named person.

Do I need a muthawwif (guide)? Not religiously required. Many first-time pilgrims find a muthawwif (often a group leader from their travel operator) reduces stress significantly. Self-guided pilgrims should bring a printed rites guide and study before arrival.

What if I cannot read or remember the supplications? The talbiyah and the verses recited at Safa and Marwah are recommended but not pillars. Make any sincere supplication in your own language. The Prophet's recorded du'as are model examples — not exclusive permissions.

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For visa and entry requirements, see our Umrah visa requirements guide. For value-focused package selection, see our cheap Umrah packages guide. For Hajj specifically, see our Hajj 2026 pilgrim's guide.