The short answer
How to perform Umrah: the steps in order
This guide explains how to perform Umrah the way all the main schools agree, and says plainly where they differ. Umrah has four essential parts — ihram, tawaf, sa’i and cutting the hair — with a few practices around them. Where the guide flags a difference, follow your own scholar.
| Step | What you do | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ihram and intention | Bath, ihram clothes, then the intention for Umrah before crossing the miqat | Flying from Pakistan, change before boarding and make the intention when the crew announces the miqat |
| 2. Talbiyah | Recite “Labbaik Allahumma labbaik…” often, from ihram until you begin tawaf | Men aloud, women quietly |
| 3. Tawaf | Seven circuits of the Kaaba, anticlockwise, starting and ending at the Black Stone | Use a finger counter; crowds make losing count easy |
| 4. Two rak’ahs | Pray two rak’ahs, behind Maqam Ibrahim if there is room | Anywhere in the mosque counts; don’t stop in the flow of people |
| 5. Zamzam | Drink Zamzam water | Dispensers are throughout the mosque |
| 6. Sa’i | Seven laps between Safa and Marwah, starting at Safa and ending at Marwah | Upper floors and the roof are usually less crowded |
| 7. Halq or taqsir | Men shave or trim the head; women cut a fingertip’s length of hair | Barbers are just outside the Marwah end |
Ihram and the miqat on a flight from Pakistan
The miqat is the boundary a pilgrim heading for Makkah may not cross without being in ihram. Flights from Pakistan to Jeddah cross it in the air, well before landing, and Jeddah itself lies inside it. So the majority view is that you must be in ihram before the plane crosses it, not after you land. A minority of contemporary scholars allow air travellers to use Jeddah as their miqat; if you follow that view, follow it knowingly.
The practical routine is simple. At home or at the airport in Lahore, Karachi or Islamabad, take a bath and change into ihram clothes. Pray two rak’ahs if it is not a disliked time. On the plane, make the intention for Umrah and begin the talbiyah when the crew announces the miqat, which is usually some time before the descent. Changing in a plane toilet is possible but miserable.
If you fly to Madinah first, you don’t need ihram on the flight. You enter it later at Dhul Hulayfah, the miqat of Madinah, now called Abyar Ali, on the road to Makkah; most groups stop at the mosque there. Once you have made the intention, the ihram rules apply until your hair is cut at the end.
Tawaf: seven circuits from the Black Stone
In Masjid al-Haram, go to the mataf, the open area around the Kaaba (the upper floors are used when it is full), and find the line of the Black Stone, marked by a green light on the wall facing its corner. Face the stone, raise your right hand towards it and say “Bismillah, Allahu akbar”. Touching or kissing it is sunnah, but in the crowd it is rarely possible without pushing, and pushing is not. Then walk anticlockwise with the Kaaba on your left. Each return to the Black Stone line is one circuit; there are seven.
Two practices are for men only. Idtiba means wearing the upper sheet under the right arm and over the left shoulder, leaving the right shoulder bare, for the whole tawaf. Raml means walking briskly with short steps in the first three circuits, where the crowd allows. There is no fixed du’a for each circuit; between the Yemeni corner and the Black Stone many recite “Rabbana atina fid-dunya hasanah…”. Make du’a in any language.
You need wudu for tawaf; the schools agree on that, though they differ on what follows if you don’t have it. If your wudu breaks, renew it; most scholars allow you to continue from where you stopped. If you lose count, go with the lower number you are sure of.
Two rak’ahs, Zamzam and sa’i
After the seventh circuit, men cover the right shoulder again. Pray two rak’ahs — behind Maqam Ibrahim if there is space, otherwise anywhere in the mosque. The schools differ on whether these are obligatory or strongly recommended, and everyone prays them. Then drink Zamzam.
Sa’i starts at Safa. Climb a little way, face the Kaaba, praise Allah and make du’a, then walk to Marwah: that is one lap. Marwah back to Safa is the second, and the seventh ends at Marwah. Men jog between the two green lights; women walk throughout. Wudu is recommended for sa’i but not required.
Halq or taqsir: finishing your Umrah
Men either shave the head (halq), which carries more reward, or trim the hair (taqsir). The schools differ on how much trimming is enough, so trim evenly from the whole head rather than a few strands. Women gather the hair and cut about a fingertip’s length from the ends, in private. Barbers line the area outside the Marwah end, and many pilgrims carry a disposable razor.
With that your Umrah is complete, and the ihram rules end.
Ihram rules for men and women
Ihram is less restrictive than first-timers fear. Showering with unscented products, a belt or money pouch, a watch, glasses, an umbrella, changing into a clean ihram and sleeping are all fine. If you break a rule, ask a scholar before doing anything: depending on the rule and whether it was deliberate, the remedy ranges from nothing to fasting, charity or a sacrifice, and the schools differ on the details.
What is not allowed while you are in ihram:
- Cutting or removing hair or nails
- Perfume, and scented soap, shampoo, cream or wipes
- Sexual relations, and anything leading to them
- Contracting a marriage
- Hunting land animals
- For men: stitched or fitted clothing such as shirts, trousers and underwear, and covering the head
- For women: a face veil (niqab) and gloves
What is different for women
Women wear ordinary modest clothes of any colour; there is no special ihram dress, only the rule against a face veil and gloves. Many women lower a cloth from the head when men are close, without it pressing on the face. Women do not do idtiba or raml, do not jog in sa’i, and recite the talbiyah quietly.
A woman who is menstruating enters ihram as normal but waits until she is clean before tawaf, and so before sa’i; the schools agree on that. If her flight home is before then, scholars differ on what she should do, so ask before you travel and leave some slack in the return date if you can.
Saudi rules allow women to perform Umrah without a mahram. Whether to travel that way is a religious question on which scholars differ, and a decision for the family.
Visiting Madinah and the Rawdah
Madinah is not part of Umrah, and your Umrah is complete without it. But visiting the Prophet’s Mosque is a sunnah that almost every pilgrim from Pakistan includes, usually for a few days, either before Makkah or after.
Praying in Al-Rawdah Al-Sharifah needs a separate permit in the Nusuk app, with separate times for men and women. How often you can book one has changed more than once, so book as soon as your visa is issued. Our Umrah visa guide covers the visa, vaccinations and Nusuk permits, and the Umrah package checklist covers what to confirm with an operator.
Umrah packing list and practical tips
Wheelchairs are available at several gates of Masjid al-Haram, and electric carts for tawaf and sa’i run on a dedicated floor and are booked through an app; use them before an elderly parent is exhausted, not after. Late afternoon to late evening and just after Fajr are usually the busiest hours; late morning and the small hours are calmer, though summer mornings are fiercely hot.
Agree a meeting point by gate number before you enter, and stick to it if anyone is separated, because phones often fail in the crowd. Put your hotel’s name and your phone number on each child and elderly relative. Drink more than you think you need. Our guide to the best time for Umrah compares the months if you haven’t chosen dates yet.
Beyond everyday clothes, pack these:
- Two ihram sets for men, and a belt with zipped pockets
- Unscented soap, shampoo, deodorant and lip balm
- Comfortable sandals, and a cloth bag to carry them inside the mosque
- A small finger counter for tawaf and sa’i
- Medicines in original packaging, with prescriptions
- Meningitis and polio vaccination certificates, and copies of your passport and visa
- A phone with the Nusuk app, a Saudi SIM or roaming, and a power bank
- A refillable water bottle, and a cap or umbrella for outside ihram
Frequently asked questions
This is general guidance
