Rites of Umrah العمرة

The rites without which the Umrah is not valid at all. Missing one cannot be repaired with a sacrifice — the pilgrim stays in ihram until it is performed.

• Ihram (entering the state of ritual consecration)الإحرامPillar (Rukn) according to the majority — Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali — being the entry-act into the rites, constituted by the niyyah (intention) to assume the nusuk together with the Talbiyah. The Hanafi school classifies it not as a rukn but as a shart (precondition for the validity) of the 'Umrah. Its essence is the intention; ihram is not merely the two white garments.›
• Tawaf al-'Umrah (the circumambulation of 'Umrah)طواف العمرةRukn (Pillar) of 'Umrah — agreed upon by all four madhabs. It is the seven-circuit circumambulation of the Ka'bah performed after entering ihram for 'Umrah and before the sa'i. It is the indispensable tawaf of the 'Umrah, which no sacrifice can replace.›
• Sa'i between Safa and Marwahالسعي بين الصفا والمروةRukn (Pillar) of 'Umrah according to the majority (Maliki, Shafi'i, Hanbali); Wajib (obligatory duty) according to the Hanafi school. Category given as 'pillar' reflects the majority view.›

Required acts that, if missed, are compensated with a dam (sacrifice) rather than invalidating the Umrah. Note that the Shafi'i school treats halq/taqsir as a pillar instead.

• Entering Ihram from the Miqatالإحرام من الميقاتWajib (obligatory duty). Note: the ihram/niyyah itself is a rukn (or condition) of the 'Umrah; performing it from the designated miqat boundary (i.e. not crossing the miqat without ihram when intending 'Umrah) is the wajib addressed here. The four madhabs agree on this.›
• Shaving or trimming the hair (Halq or Taqsir)الحلق أو التقصيرMajority: Wajib (obligatory act) — Hanafi, Maliki, and Hanbali. The Shafi'i school (its dominant view) classifies it as a rukn (pillar/nusuk) of the 'Umrah. Either shaving (halq) or trimming (taqsir) fulfils it.›

Recommended acts carrying no penalty if omitted, but they are how the Prophet (peace be upon him) performed his own four Umrahs.

• Ghusl before Ihramالغسل للإحرامSunnah (mustahabb / recommended), not obligatory. All four madhabs agree it is a recommended act at the point of entering ihram, not a condition or pillar of the 'Umrah.›
• Perfuming the body before Ihramالتطيب قبل الإحرامSunnah (mustahabb / recommended act of Ihram). It is not a pillar (rukn) or a wajib; the majority regard applying scent to the body before ihram as a recommended part of the ihram preparation.›
• Two rak'ahs before Ihramركعتا الإحرامSunnah (mustahabb / recommended). All four schools agree it is recommended (mustahabb) to enter ihram immediately after a prayer; whether there is a prayer prescribed specifically for ihram is disputed (see "Across the madhabs"). It is not a pillar or wajib.›
• Reciting the Talbiyah frequentlyالتلبية (الإكثار من التلبية)Reciting and renewing the Talbiyah frequently is Sunnah (mustahabb) by agreement of all four schools. The legal status of the Talbiyah itself, however, diverges by school (see "Across the madhabs"): Sunnah (Shafi'i, Hanbali), Wajib (Maliki), or a condition for the validity of ihram (Hanafi).›
• Etiquette of entering Makkah and Masjid al-Haram (ghusl before entering Makkah, entering the mosque with the right foot and its du'a, and du'a at the first sight of the Ka'bah)آداب دخول مكة والمسجد الحرامSunnah / mustahabb (recommended adab), agreed upon by the four madhabs. This bundles several recommended acts on arrival: (a) ghusl before entering Makkah; (b) entering al-Masjid al-Haram leading with the right foot and reciting the du'a for entering a mosque; (c) making du'a — and, per some, raising the hands — at the first sight of the Ka'bah. None of these is a rukn (pillar) or wajib.›
• Istilam of the Black Stone (touching, kissing, or pointing to al-Hajar al-Aswad)استلام الحجر الأسودSunnah, agreed upon by all four madhabs. Kissing, touching, or pointing to the Black Stone at the start of each of the seven circuits is a recommended act, not a pillar or wajib. (Distinct point: beginning the tawaf in line with the Black Stone — muhadhah — is a validity requirement of tawaf, but the istilam itself, i.e. the touching/kissing/pointing, is sunnah.)›
• Raml and Idtiba' in Tawaf (brisk stepping in the first three circuits, and baring the right shoulder)الرمل والاضطباع في الطوافSunnah — two distinct recommended acts performed within a tawaf, for men only. Raml is walking briskly with short quick steps, chest out and shoulders moving, in the first three of the seven circuits (walking normally in the remaining four). Idtiba' is wearing the upper ihram sheet under the right armpit with both ends thrown over the left shoulder, leaving the right shoulder bare, for the duration of that tawaf. In 'Umrah both attach to the tawaf al-'Umrah, which is followed by the sa'i.›
• Two rak'ahs behind Maqam Ibrahim (Prayer of Tawaf)ركعتا الطواف خلف مقام إبراهيمTwo units of prayer performed after completing the seven circuits of tawaf, ideally behind the Station of Ibrahim. Its ruling diverges by school: Shafi'i and Hanbali hold it a Sunnah (muakkadah); Hanafi and Maliki hold it Wajib (obligatory, for the obligatory tawaf in the Maliki case). See "Across the madhabs". It is filed here under sunnah because that is the majority/relied-upon guidance in general practice, but the divergence is genuine.›
• Zamzam etiquette after Tawafآداب شرب ماء زمزم بعد الطوافSunnah (mustahabb) — a recommended act of etiquette. Drinking Zamzam is a confirmed Sunnah; the specific manner (facing the Qiblah, du'a) is recommended adab.›
• Clinging to the Multazam (iltizam al-Multazam)الالتزام بالملتزمSunnah / mustahabb (recommended). Standing at the Multazam — the stretch of the Ka'bah wall between the Black Stone and the door — and pressing one's chest, face, forearms and palms against it while making du'a is a recommended act across the schools. It is not a pillar, a wajib, or a validity requirement of tawaf. Note a genuine grading dispute: the specific marfu' (Prophetic) reports are weak in isolation, so some scholars (e.g. Ibn 'Uthaymin) hold it is not a firmly-established Sunnah of the Prophet (ﷺ) but is nevertheless good/permitted and supported by the practice of the Companions; others (al-Albani) authenticate it by corroboration and treat it as an established recommendation.›

Validity conditions, the single release from ihram, the ihram prohibitions and their expiations, and the rules specific to Umrah — when it may be performed, and where a pilgrim already inside Makkah enters ihram.

• The ruling and virtue of 'Umrah (obligatory duty or emphasised sunnah?)حكم العمرة وفضلهاRuling/Condition — a scope note, not an act. 'Umrah is the 'lesser pilgrimage': its rites are ihram, tawaf, sa'i and halq/taqsir, all performed in Makkah and the Haram. Whether it is an obligation once in a lifetime is a genuine four-madhab dispute: the Shafi'i and Hanbali schools hold it wajib upon whoever is able (mustati'), while the Hanafi and Maliki schools hold it a sunnah mu'akkadah (emphasised sunnah). Both camps agree it is legislated, rewarded, and never to be belittled.›
• Timing of 'Umrah (valid all year, and the virtue of 'Umrah in Ramadan)وقت العمرة وفضل عمرة رمضانRuling/Condition — a timing rule. 'Umrah has no season at all: the majority (Maliki, Shafi'i, Hanbali) hold it valid on every day of the year without exception. The Hanafi school agrees it is valid year-round but holds five specific days makruh tahrimi (prohibitively disliked) for it.›
• Miqat for 'Umrah for one already inside the Haram (al-Tan'im, al-Ji'ranah)ميقات العمرة لمن كان داخل الحرم (التنعيم، الجعرانة)Ruling/Condition. A special-case miqat rule for 'Umrah. The five territorial mawaqit serve a person travelling in from outside; a person already in Makkah — a resident, or a pilgrim who has completed one 'Umrah and wants another — has no outer miqat to cross. To enter ihram for 'Umrah he must first leave the boundary of the Haram into the surrounding Hill and enter ihram there; the nearest and most established point is al-Tan'im (today's Masjid 'Aishah), and al-Ji'ranah is the alternative established by the Prophet's (ﷺ) own practice.›
• Declaring the type of pilgrimage (nusuk) in the Talbiyah at ihramتعيين النسك في التلبية (لبيك عمرة)Sunnah / mustahabb (recommended). Voicing the intended nusuk in the talbiyah when assuming ihram — for 'Umrah, 'Labbayka 'Umratan' ('Here I am for 'Umrah') — is a recommended Prophetic practice, not a rukn or a wajib. The binding element of ihram is the intention (niyyah) in the heart; the 'Umrah is valid without pronouncing the nusuk, and one may even enter ihram unspecified (ihram mutlaq) and designate it before beginning the rites, or tie one's ihram to another's — as 'Ali (RA) did ('I entered ihram with that which the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) entered ihram').›
• Ishtiraat (stipulating a condition of release when entering ihram)الاشتراط عند الإحرام (اللهم محلي حيث حبستني)A recommended concession (mustahabb), not obligatory — and its very validity is contested (see "Across the madhabs"). By consensus it is not wajib. Per the Shafi'i and Hanbali schools it is a valid, beneficial stipulation; the preponderant practical view (Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn 'Uthaymin) is that it is recommended specifically for a pilgrim who fears an obstacle (illness, an enemy, a lapsed permit) that may stop him completing the rites — not a routine phrase for everyone. Per the Hanafi and Maliki schools it carries no legal effect.›
• Prohibitions of Ihram (Mahzurat al-Ihram)محظورات الإحرامRuling/Condition. This is not itself a pillar (rukn), wajib, or sunnah act; it is the itemized set of maḥẓūrāt — the restrictions that the state of iḥrām imposes. Avoiding each of them is obligatory (wajib) upon the muhrim from the moment iḥrām is assumed until taḥallul. The individual prohibitions carry different consequences when violated (from no penalty when excused, to fidyah/dam, to jazāʾ al-ṣayd for hunting, to outright invalidation of the 'Umrah for sexual intercourse before the tahallul). All four madhabs agree on the substance of the roughly nine categories; the chief genuine divergence is over the validity of a marriage contract concluded in iḥrām (see "Across the madhabs").›
• Sexual intercourse before the tahallulالجماع قبل التحللRuling/Condition. This is a prohibition — one of the maḥẓūrāt al-iḥrām, specifically the rafath — but it is singled out as its own item because, uniquely among all the prohibitions of iḥrām, its violation before the tahallul invalidates (yufsid) the ʿUmrah itself. Every other iḥrām violation (perfume, sewn garments, even hunting) leaves the ʿUmrah valid and merely obligates a fidyah, dam, or jazāʾ; only this one corrupts the ʿUmrah as an act of worship.›
• Fidyat al-adha (expiation for shaving/removing hair during ihram out of illness or harm)فدية الأذىWajib fidyah (obligatory expiation) of the 'fidyah of choice' (fidyat al-takhyir) type: the person freely chooses among three options — fast three days, or feed six poor persons, or slaughter a sheep. It arises from a permitted concession (rukhsah): shaving/removing hair while in ihram is allowed when there is illness or an ailment of the head, and the fidyah is the compensation for that permitted act. The four madhabs agree on this classification and on the three-way choice, since it is stated explicitly in the Qur'an and the Sunnah.›
• Jaza' al-sayd (penalty / expiation for killing land game while in ihram)جزاء الصيدWajib kaffarah (obligatory expiation / penalty) for violating an ihram prohibition — not a rite that is performed, but a penalty incurred when the prohibition against hunting land game is breached. It is a 'penalty of choice' (takhyir): per the majority, the offender freely chooses among the three options laid out in Qur'an 5:95 — (1) an equivalent livestock animal offered at the Ka'bah, (2) feeding the poor, or (3) the equivalent in fasting. The four madhabs agree the penalty exists and that Qur'an 5:95 gives three options; they diverge on how the 'equivalent' is measured and on whether accidental killing is included (see "Across the madhabs").›
• Conditions for a valid Tawaf (Shurut sihhat al-Tawaf)شروط صحة الطوافRuling/Condition. This is not itself a pillar, wajib, or sunnah act; it is the itemized set of shurut (conditions) whose fulfilment makes a tawaf legally valid. Note that the individual sub-conditions carry different classifications across the schools — some are conditions of validity (shart sihhah), others merely wajib or sunnah.›
• Conditions for a valid Sa'i (Shurut sihhat al-Sa'i)شروط صحة السعي بين الصفا والمروةRuling/Condition. This is not itself a pillar, wajib, or sunnah act; it is the itemized set of shurut (conditions) whose fulfilment makes a sa'i legally valid. The sa'i act itself is a pillar (rukn) of the 'Umrah per the majority (Maliki, Shafi'i, Hanbali) and wajib per the Hanafi school — see the linked item 'sai'. Note that a menstruating woman may perform sa'i, because ritual purity is not a condition of sa'i (unlike tawaf).›
• Dam (compensatory sacrifice) for omitting a wajib act of 'Umrah — dam jabr / dam al-jubranدم جبر (دم ترك واجب من واجبات الحج أو العمرة)Wajib expiation — a compensatory sacrifice (dam jabr / dam al-jubran) owed when a pilgrim leaves out one of the wajibat (obligatory acts) of the 'Umrah. It sits in the middle tier of the three-way scheme: omitting a rukn (pillar) invalidates the 'Umrah and cannot be mended by a dam; omitting a wajib keeps the 'Umrah valid but obligates this dam; omitting a sunnah carries no penalty. All four madhabs affirm the principle that leaving a wajib is mended by a dam; they differ on which acts count as wajib and on the substitute when the sacrifice cannot be afforded (see "Across the madhabs"). In Hanbali framing it is a 'dam of arrangement' (dam tartib): slaughter, or — if unable — fast.›
• Tahallul of 'Umrah (the single, complete release from ihram)التحلل من العمرةRuling/Condition. Not itself a rukn, wajib or sunnah act — it is the legal threshold at which the state of ihram for 'Umrah ends. 'Umrah has one tahallul: it occurs at the halq or taqsir performed after a valid tawaf and sa'i, and it lifts every ihram prohibition at once, including marital relations.›
• Repeating 'Umrah, and the gap between two 'Umrahsتكرار العمرة والمدة بين عمرتينRuling/Condition — a frequency rule, and the companion to the Timing of 'Umrah record. Validity is not in dispute: a second 'Umrah begun the same day the first ended is a valid 'Umrah on all four schools, with no dam and nothing to repeat. The disagreement is entirely about what is preferable (afdal) and about karahah — the Maliki dislike of more than one 'Umrah in a year, and the criticism by Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn al-Qayyim and Ibn 'Uthaymin of stacking 'Umrahs from inside Makkah.›
• Visiting Madinah is not a rite of 'Umrah (Ziyarah of the Prophet's (ﷺ) Mosque)زيارة المدينة المنورة والمسجد النبوي ليست من مناسك الحج والعمرةRuling / Scope-note (boundary clarification), not a ritual act of 'Umrah. Traveling to and praying in the Prophet's (ﷺ) Mosque in Madinah is an independently recommended (mustahabb/mandub) act of worship in its own right, but it is not a rukn (pillar), not a wajib, and not a sunnah of 'Umrah. It lies entirely outside the 'Umrah's rites: it has no ihram, no talbiyah, and no connection to the 'Umrah. It is commonly, but mistakenly, bundled into 'Umrah packages as though it were a step of the pilgrimage.›