Umrah- Its benefits and procedure
Umrah- Definition and Meaning
Umrah is a beautiful spiritual journey taken by every single Muslim to acknowledge Allah (Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala – Glory to him, the exalted) as the harbinger of peace and to come in close contact with him to remove the impurities within. Any pilgrim who proceeds on the journey of Umrah, goes along the path to purifying their soul, heart, mind and body from the sins committed in the past. And the person who maintains this purity even after returning from Umrah will be distinguished from others on Resurrection day.
Umrah, which is known as the “smaller” pilgrimage, might be performed by several million pilgrims each year, most probably due to it being cheaper and quicker to complete. umrah is almost a spiritual “quick-fix” and can be completed in under two hours, depending on how busy it is.Millions of Muslims travel to Mecca from across the globe to perform Umrah, an act of worship and devotion. Umrah offers an opportunity for Muslims to refresh their faith, seek forgiveness and pray for their needs. One who performs it is said to be cleansed of their sins.
Umrah the soul lifting sunnah is the only sunnah that Prophet Mohammed (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) performed twice.
Benefits of Umrah
The most beautiful benefit of umrah is the blessing of being the guest of the all mighty Allah.
Another most benefit of Umrah is one can clense their soul by performing Umrah piously.
Allah gifts wealth to the pilgrims to recompense for the money they spent on this arduous spiritual journey of Umrah
Another significant benefit of Umrah is the strengthening of Iman. Performing Umrah reaffirms the faith of the pilgrim in the almighty Allah.
The Prophet Mohammed(sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said- "The guest of Allah are three: The Ghazi ( The Warrior who fights in Jihad), The Hajji (i.e The pilgrim who performs hajj), and The Mu'tamir (The pilgrim performing Umrah)". Hadith No. 2626 Abu Hurairah narrated
In Hadith No. 2630, Abu Hurairah narrates that Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said – “From one Umrah to another is expiation for what comes in between, and ‘Hajj Al-Mabrur’ brings no reward less than Paradise.”
Ibn Abbas, the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said – “Perform Hajj and Umrah consecutively; for they remove poverty and sin as bellows removes impurity from iron.”
According to Hazrat Aisha, wife of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), Prophet said – “Whoever leaves his home solely for the purpose of Hajj or Umrah and he dies, nothing will be presented to him nor will he have any liability on the Day of Judgment and it will be said to him, enter into Jannah.”
As per a hadith, Ibn-e-Maajah explained that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said – “The performers of Hajj and Umrah are deputations of Allah Almighty. If they call Him, He answers them and if they seek His forgiveness, He forgives them.”
Get Full Packages Details , Important Dates, Guidelines List of 2022.
Online applications will be accepted by 5 February 2022. However, in view of the ongoing coronavirus epidemic, strict rules and laws have been enacted for pilgrimage.
Economy, Deluxe, Luxury and Custom Umrah packages are also provided.
Bakhla tours and travels offers many different Low price Umrah Packages from India that includes different kinds of facilities and services to our clients according to thier budget.
Here is a step by step guide to perform umrah:
Umrah is an Islamic pilgrimage and is, in short, an act of worship of Allah (SWT). It is based on the teachings of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) and his Sunnah. It holds great value and virtue in the eyes of Allah (SWT).
Umrah comprises of various basic requirements:
1) Ihram: It is essentially making the formal intention of performing the Umrah. In order to enter the fold of Ihram, the individual must change clothes and take ghusl (bath) which is considered an act of washing away all impurities.
Men change into the two fabrics. Whereas women can wear any form of clothing which covers the body and head.
Upon the cleansing, the individual should perform the obligatory prayers or offer two rakaat of Sunnah prayer. Once that is done, the individual should face the direction of the Qibla and officially do iyyat of Ihram. The individual must enter Ihram before he/she enters the Meeqat in Makkah.
Perfume or perfumed products are strictly prohibited while a person is in his/her Ihram. At the Meeqat, the pilgrim must make the intention and recite the words: Allaahumma Labbayk Umrah (O Allah, For You is this Umrah) After this, he/she should recite the Talbiyah, in line with the Sunnah: Labbayka Allaahumma labbayk, labbayka laa shareeka laka labbayk. Inna al-hamd wan nia mata laka wal mulk, laa shareeka lak. (Here I am, O Allah, here I am. Here I am, You have no partner, here I am. Verily all praise and blessings are Yours, and all sovereignty, You have no partner). It is advised that the individual keep reciting the Talbiyah from the moment he/she enters Ihram until he/she gets to the performance of the Tawaaf.
2) Tawaaf (around the House of Allah (SWT)): The pilgrim must then enter Masjid al-Haram, and that too with his/her right foot and recite: Bismillaah. As-salaatu wal-salaamu alaika ya Rasool-Allaah. Allaahumma ighfir li dhunoobi waftah li abwaab rahmatika. Auoodhu Billaah il-Aliyiil Azeem wa bi wajhihil-kareem wa bi sultaanil-qadeem min al-Shaytaan il-rajeem (In the name of Allah, and blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah. O Allah, forgive me my sins and open to me the gates of Your mercy. I seek refuge with Allah the Almighty and in His noble Countenance and His eternal power from the accursed Satan).
The pilgrim can then touch the Black Stone (Hajr e Aswad) and start the Tawaaf. Ideally, the pilgrim should touch it with his right hand and then kiss it. If, however, he/she is unable to kiss it directly, he/she can touch it with his/her hand then kiss his/her hand, If he/she cannot even touch the stone with his/her hand, the pilgrim should face his/her hand in the direction of the stone and say “Allahu Akbar. There is great virtue in touching the Black Stone.
Then the pilgrim starts the Tawaaf by taking rounds around the Kabah, with the Kabah being on their left. One must be careful not to touch the cloth of the Kabah during Tawaaf as it is perfumed and touching it might rub off some of the perfume onto you making the state of Ihram void. Men must keep the right shoulder uncovered during the Tawaaf, which is known as Idtibaa. This is done by placing the Ridaa beneath the right armpit and taking it up on the left shoulder. Moreover, the men must practice Ramla (walking fast while taking small steps) in the first three rounds of Tawaaf . For the rest of the rounds, they can walk on their normal place.
3) Makam-e-Ibrahim: Upon finishing the seven rounds of Tawaaf, the pilgrim must then go to the Makam-e-Ibrahim and recite the following words: Wattakhizu mim makame ibraheema musallah. The pilgrim should then offer two rakaat of prayer behind Maqaam e Ibrahim. If that is proving difficult, the pilgrim can offer the prayers in any spot of the mosque. During the first rakah, Surah Al-Kafirun (109) is recited and for the second rakah, Surah Al-Ikhlaas (112) is recited. Upon offering the prayer, the individual should head back to the Black Stone and touch it if possible.
4) Sai: it is performed between Safa and Marwah. Proceed to the hill of Safa, which is situated in line with the Hajar al-Aswad. Here, one should start Saee by performing Niyat (intention ) facing the Kabbah. It is Sunnah to recite the following – “Inna s-safa wa l-marwata min sha’a’iri llah(i)”. It means that indeed, Safa and Marwa are from the signs of Allah. After this, pilgrims would have to recite the following Dua – “Abda’u bima bad’allahu bihi”. This Dua says, I begin with that which Allah has begun with. These supplications are required to be only recited once before Saee and not at the beginning of each lap. It is believed that dua is accepted immensely.
On reaching the hill of Safa, pilgrims are required to face the direction of the Kaaba and raise their hands in supplication. Their view of the Kaaba will be obscured so make an educated guess about its location and face this direction. They don’t have to raise their hands up to their earlobes or gesture towards the Kaaba as they would have done during Tawaf.
From Safa, pilgrims need to move towards Marwa. Between Safa and Marwa, they will come across two sets of green fluorescent lights approximately 50 metres apart. These lights indicate the distance that Hagar ran in order to get to higher ground. These two green milepost markers are known as Milayn al-Akhdharayn. Between these two lights, it is Sunnah for men to run at a medium pace while women should continue normally.
Upon reaching the hill of Marwa, they must face the direction of the Kaaba and raise their hands in supplication. The same supplications should be recited at Safa. This completes one lap of Saee and returning back to Safa is considered a second lap. They need to repeat this procedure until they have completed seven laps, at which point they will be reaching the hill of Marwa.
At the end of Sai, it is advisable to perform two rakats of Nafil Shukrana (it is not compulsory). Here you end the holy ritual of Saee in Umrah.
5) After sai: it is Sunnah to recite the following Dua – “Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, wa lillahi l-ḥamd. La ilaha illallah wahdahu la sharika lah(u), lahu l-mulku wa lahu l-hamdu yuhyi wa yumit(u), wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadir. La ilaha illallahu wahdah(u), anjaza wa’dahu wa nasara ‘abdahu wa hazama l-ahzaba wahdah.” This Dua says – Allah is the greatest and to Allah belongs all praise. There is no deity except Allah, alone without a partner. To Him belongs the Dominion, and to Him belongs all praise. He gives life and death and He has power over everything. There is no deity except Allah alone. He fulfilled His promise, supported His slave and defeated the confederates alone.
Note: According to the Sunnah of the Prophet, pilgrims need to read the above dua a total of three times. They can also make their own supplications in between each time, and can recite any prayers or supplications of their choice during Saee.
6) Shaving the head/Cutting of Hair: Lastly, upon the completion of the seven circuits, the pilgrim is required to cut his/her hair. The men are required to shave their heads or cut their hair on their entire head equally. The women are required to cut their hair equal to the length of a fingertip. With this last act, the pilgrim officially completes his/her Umrah. Hopefully, this article will prove to be useful to those planning on performing the Umrah soon. May Allah (SWT) accept your duas and good deeds. Ameen!
Recommended links:
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDelete