ʿUmrah
ʿUmrah is a sacred act of worship in Islam that consists of visiting the Kaʿbah in Makkah and performing a series of prescribed rituals in devotion to Allah. Unlike ḥajj, which is obligatory once in a lifetime for those physically and financially capable, ʿumrah is generally regarded as a recommended (sunnah muʾakkadah) act of worship that may be performed at any time of the year. The Qurʾān commands: “And complete the ḥajj and the ʿumrah for Allah” (Qurʾān 2:196), indicating the spiritual significance of both pilgrimages within Islamic devotion. Although shorter and less comprehensive than ḥajj, ʿumrah remains an important expression of submission, repentance, and spiritual renewal.
The essential rites of ʿumrah begin with entering the state of iḥrām from designated stations (mawāqīt), accompanied by the recitation of the talbiyah: “Labbayka Allāhumma labbayk.” Pilgrims then perform ṭawāf, circumambulating the Kaʿbah seven times in reverence and worship, followed by saʿy between the hills of Ṣafā and Marwah, commemorating the devotion and struggle of Hājar (AS). The rituals conclude with shaving or trimming the hair (ḥalq or taqṣīr), symbolizing purification and humility before Allah. These rites embody remembrance of God, obedience, equality among believers, and spiritual discipline.
The Sunnah of the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ provides the primary practical model for the performance and virtues of ʿumrah. The Prophet ﷺ performed several ʿumrahs during his lifetime, including the famous ʿUmrat al-Qaḍāʾ and the ʿumrah performed during the Farewell Pilgrimage. Numerous aḥādīth emphasize its spiritual merit. In one narration, the Prophet ﷺ stated: “One ʿumrah to another is an expiation for the sins committed between them, and an accepted ḥajj has no reward except Paradise” (Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī; Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim). The Prophet ﷺ also highlighted the spiritual equality and humility fostered during pilgrimage, where distinctions of status and wealth are set aside in favor of collective worship and devotion.
Historically and spiritually, ʿumrah has occupied a central place in Muslim religious life. It serves as a means of renewing faith, seeking forgiveness, and strengthening attachment to the sacred sanctuary (al-Masjid al-Ḥarām). Muslim scholars have described it as a journey of purification in which believers detach themselves from worldly distractions and focus entirely on worship and remembrance of Allah. Through the combined guidance of the Qurʾān and sunnah, ʿumrah continues to function as a profound spiritual experience that unites Muslims across linguistic, cultural, and geographical boundaries in devotion to God.
## References
1 Qurʾān 2:196. 1 Mohammad Hashim Kamali, The Hajj and ʿUmrah: From A to Z (Markfield: Islamic Foundation, 2012). 2 Muṣṭafā al-Jibālī, The Ultimate Guide to Ḥajj and ʿUmrah (Bowie, MD: Al-Kitaab & al-Sunnah Publishing, 2005). 3 Muḥammad Nāṣir al-Dīn al-Albānī, Ḥajjat al-Nabī wa ʿUmratuh (Riyadh: Maktabat al-Maʿārif, 2000). 4 Yūsuf al-Qaraḍāwī, Fiqh al-Ḥajj wa al-ʿUmrah (Cairo: Maktabat Wahbah, 1993). 5 Ṣāliḥ ibn Fawzān al-Fawzān, Taḥqīq al-Maqṣūd fī Aḥkām al-Ḥajj wa al-ʿUmrah (Riyadh: Dār al-ʿĀṣimah, 2001). 6 Muḥammad ibn Ṣāliḥ al-ʿUthaymīn, Manāsik al-Ḥajj wa al-ʿUmrah (Riyadh: Dār al-Thurayyā, 1995). 7 Muḥammad Hisham Kabbani, The Pilgrimage of Islam: Ḥajj and ʿUmrah (Washington, DC: Islamic Supreme Council of America, 1998). 8 Aḥmad Farāḥat, al-ʿUmrah: Aḥkāmuhā wa Ādābuhā (Beirut: Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah, 2004). 9 Muḥammad al-Amīn al-Shinqīṭī, Manāsik al-Ḥajj wa al-ʿUmrah fī al-Kitāb wa al-Sunnah (Madinah: Maktabat al-ʿUlūm wa al-Ḥikam, 2002). 10 ʿAbd Allāh ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Bassām, Taysīr al-ʿAllām fī Aḥkām al-Ḥajj wa al-ʿUmrah (Riyadh: Maktabat al-Rushd, 2006).