The Umrah or (Arabic: عمرة ) is a pilgrimage to Mecca performed by Muslims that can be undertaken at any time of the year. It is sometimes called the 'minor pilgrimage' or 'lesser pilgrimage', the Hajj being the 'major' pilgrimage and which is compulsory for every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it. According to some schools of Islamic thought, the Umrah is not compulsory but highly recommended. This is a sub-article of fiqh and Law and economics. ... Islamic politics is the profession of Muslim politicians. ... Marriage in Islam is considered to be of the utmost importance. ... This is a sub-article to Islamic jurisprudence and etiquette. ... Islamic theological jurisprudence is the filed of Islamic jurisprudence specialized in theological issues. ... In Islamic legal terminology, Baligh or Bulugh refers to a person who has reached maturity or puberty and has full responsibility under Islamic law. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Arabic word rakaah (pl. ... Facing the Qibla at a prayer in Damascus The geometrical calculation of Qibla Qibla () is an Arabic word for the direction that should be faced when a Muslim prays. ... Rendered image of a clay Turbah A turbah (Arabic تربة) is a small piece of soil or clay used by practitioners of Shia Islam during the daily prayers (Salat). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Tahajjud Prayer And during part of the night, pray Tahajjud, beyond what is incumbent upon you; maybe your Lord will raise you to a position of great glory. ... Tarawih (تراويح) is an Arabic phrase referring to extra prayers given at night in the Islamic month of Ramadan. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Hajj (Arabic: , transliteration: ; Turkish: ; Ottoman Turkish: حاج, Hāc; Malay: , Bosnian: ) is the Pilgrimage to Mecca in Islam. ... Ihram (إحرام) is an Arabic word that denotes a sacred state in which a Muslim must enter in order to perform the major pilgrimage, hajj or the minor pilgrimage, umrah. ... This is a sub-article of Ehram . ... Mutah of Hajj or hajj at-tamattu or joy of hajj (?) involves some practice between the time of a Umrah and a Hajj. ... In Islamic context, Tawaf refers to the ritual of circumambulating the Kabah (the holiest building in Mecca) during the Hajj (pilgrimage). ... Combining Umrah and Hajj is something that became forbidden by Umar, the second Sunni Caliph. ... This is a sub-article to fiqh and Hygiene Hygiene in Islam is a prominent topic but one which non-Muslims are not very familiar with. ... Arabic ( or just ) is the largest living member of the Semitic language family in terms of speakers. ... This article is about the city in Saudi Arabia. ... A Muslim is a believer in or follower of Islam. ... The Hajj (Arabic: , transliteration: ; Turkish: ; Ottoman Turkish: حاج, Hāc; Malay: , Bosnian: ) is the Pilgrimage to Mecca in Islam. ...

Umrah rituals

The pilgrim (mu'tamir), sometimes referred to as a 'Hajj', performs a series of ritual acts symbolic of the lives of the prophet Abraham (Ibrahim) and his wife Hagar (Hajarah), and of solidarity with Muslims worldwide. These acts of faith are: In religion, a prophet (or prophetess) is a person who has directly encountered the numinous or the divine and serves as an intermediary with humanity. ... The angel prevents the sacrifice of Isaac (Rembrandt, 1634) Abraham (Hebrew: , Standard Avraham Ashkenazi Avrohom or Avruhom Tiberian  ; Arabic: ,  ; Geez: , ) is a figure in the Bible and Quran who is by believers regarded as the founding patriarch of the Israelites and of the Nabataean people in Jewish, Christian and... Hagar can refer to: Hagar (Bible), in the Book of Genesis, the handmaiden of Sarah and wife of Abraham Hagarism: The Making of the Islamic World, title name taken from the above lady Hagar (company), an Icelandic retailer company, part of the Baugur Group Hägar the Horrible, the comic...

• Perform a tawaf, which consists of circling the Kaaba seven times in a counter-clockwise direction. Men are encouraged to do this three times at a hurried pace, followed by four times, more closely, at a leisurely pace.^[1]
• Perform a sa'i, which means rapidly walking seven times back and forth between the hills of Safa and Marwah. This is a re-enactment of Hagar's frantic search for water, before the Zamzam Well was revealed to her by Allah.
• Perform a halq or taqsir, meaning a cutting of the hair. A taqsir is a partial shortening of the hair, whereas a halq is a complete shave of the head.

These rituals complete the Umrah, and the pilgrim can choose to go out of ihram. Although not a part of the ritual, most pilgrims drink water from the Well of Zamzam. Various sects of Islam fiqah perform these rituals with slightly different methods. In Islamic context, Tawaf refers to the ritual of circumambulating the Kabah (the holiest building in Mecca) during the Hajj (pilgrimage). ... The Kaaba (Arabic: ) , also known as (), ( The Primordial House), or ( The Sacred House), is a large cuboidal building located inside the mosque known as al-Masjid al-Haram in Mecca. ... Al-Safa and Al-Marwah (Safa and Marwah) (Arabic: الصفا AÅŸ-Åžafā ; المروة Al-Marwah) are two small hills now located in the Masjid al Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia between which Muslims travel back and forth seven times during the ritual pilgrimages of Hajj and Umrah. ... The Well of Zamzam (or the Zamzam Well, or just Zamzam; Arabic: زمزم) is a well located within the Masjid al Haram in Mecca, near the Kaaba, the holiest place in Islam. ... Allah is the Arabic language word for God. ... Ihram (إحرام) is an Arabic word that denotes a sacred state in which a Muslim must enter in order to perform the major pilgrimage, hajj or the minor pilgrimage, umrah. ...

The Umrah can be completed in one hour during the off-peak pilgrimage season. The peak times of pilgrimage are the days before, during and after the Hajj and during the last ten days of Ramadan. The fourth pillar of Islam, which is fasting, is practiced during the month of Ramadan. ...

Types of Umrah

There are two types of Umrah, depending on whether one wishes to combine the Umrah with Hajj: al-Umrat al-mufradah al-mustaqillah 'an al-Hajj (al-Umrat al mufradah) and al-Umrat al-mundammah ila al-Hajj (Umrat al-tammatu).

al-Umrat al mufradah refers to Umrah that is performed independently of Hajj.

Umrat al-tammatu refers to Umrah that is performed in conjunction with Hajj. More precisely, the rituals of the Umrah are performed first and then the Hajj rituals are performed.

Scholarly opinions on the Umrah

According to the Hanafi and Maliki madhabs, Umrah is not obligatory, but a highly recommended sunnah (sunnah mu'akkadah). According to the Hanbali and Shafi'i schools (and most Imamiyyah legists), it is obligatory for one who is mustati (one who has the means of performing the pilgrimage) and mustahabb (desirable) for one who is not mustati. // The Hanafi (Arabic حنفي) school is the oldest of the four schools of thought (Madhhabs) or jurisprudence (Fiqh) within Sunni Islam. ... This page deals with Islamic thought. ... Madhhab(مذهب) (Madhahib, pl) is an Islamic term that refers to a school of thought or religious jurisprudence (fiqh) within Sunni Islam. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Šāfiˤī madhab (Arabic: شافعي) is one of the four schools of fiqh, or religious law, within Sunni Islam. ... A Mustati is a Muslim who is physically and financially capable of performing the pilgrimage of Hajj or Umra. ... Mustahabb (Arabic مستحبّ), literally recommended, is an Islamic term referring to actions whose status of approval in Islamic law (ahkam) falls between mubah (neutral) and wajib (actions which must be performed). ...

The Jafari school also recognises the obligation of the pilgrim to perform a second tawaf (tawaf al-nisa) in al-Umrat al-mufradah, but not in Umrat al-tammatu. Twelvers or the Ithna Asharia are members of the group of Shias who believe in twelve Imams. ... In Islamic context, Tawaf refers to the ritual of circumambulating the Kabah (the holiest building in Mecca) during the Hajj (pilgrimage). ...

See also

• The first pilgrimage
• Hajj
• Mut'ah of Hajj

The first pilgrimage or Umrah Dhul-Qada was the first pilgrimage that the Muslim made after the Migration to Medina. ... The Hajj (Arabic: , transliteration: ; Turkish: ; Ottoman Turkish: حاج, Hāc; Malay: , Bosnian: ) is the Pilgrimage to Mecca in Islam. ... Mutah of Hajj or hajj at-tamattu or joy of hajj (?) involves some practice between the time of a Umrah and a Hajj. ...

Notes

References

• The Hajj According to the Five Schools of Islamic Fiqh (Part 1), by 'Allamah Muhammad Jawad Mughniyyah (translated from Arabic by Ali Quri Qara'i), al-Tawhid, Vol. II, No.4,

External links

• Hajj & Ummrah Supplications
• Simple 'Umrah Guide - Shaikh Nasiruddin Albaani - AbdurRahman.org - 3p.doc
• The Hajj According to the Five Schools
• Umrah Guides from HajjUmrah.com
• Hajj Leaflet