Hajj and Umrah are the two most important pilgrimages for Muslims that are observed by millions of people from all over the world. Though Umrah can be performed at any time of the year, Hajj is performed only during the holy month. Every year the dates vary as per the lunar calendar. However, the final dates are subject to the appearance of the moon. This year’s dates are from 28 July 2020 to 2 August 2020. Due to the rush, many people are unable to book flight tickets at affordable prices.
All the people interested in Hajj or Umrah must make the preparations well in advance, especially if they are planning to go on Hajj. One of the major reasons behind this being a fixed number of Hajj visas approved every year. So, we recommend making your preparations for the pilgrimage well in time.
To help all the Hajis, we are offering a complete guide for Umrah and Hajj so that they don’t miss anything. You can find all the information here and make the preparations accordingly.
Hajj and Umrah Guide – Preparations
Table of Contents
Make sure that the money you use for Umrah and Hajj has been earned lawfully. Performing Hajj with ‘haraam’ money fetches no merits. If you have a limited budget, opt for some smart money-saving options such as Spicejet offers. By using it, you can enjoy decent savings on flight bookings. You can arrive at Jeddah via flights and board the dedicated buses from there to reach Mecca. The bus journey is a little over one hour, and buses are readily available.
Hajj and Umrah Guide – Luggage and Must-haves
- You will be travelling to many places. Therefore, the luggage should be carefully packed. Check out the list of the must-pack items in your luggage:
- Airplane Tickets
- Visa and Passport Photocopies (You might have to keep your passport at the ‘Unified Agents Office’)
- Shahadah Certificate (for the people who have reverted to Islam)
- Necessary Medication and Cash
- Muzdalifa becomes cold at nights, so bring essentials such as shawl or sweaters
- Hand-Towels
- Extra slippers
- Unscented Toiletries
- Small Umbrella for warding off the sunlight
- Toilet Paper and Flashlight
- Snacks and water bottles
- Carry a spray bottle for making wudu as there will be a huge crowd and you might not be able to reach the taps
- A small copy of the Quran, duaa books, and Hajj Manual.
- First-aid kit
Different modes of Hajj are as follows
- Ifrad: Only the rituals are performed in this.
- Tamatu: Both Umrah and Hajj are performed completely. Each one should be done separately. This means that first, you have to perform Umrah in the months of Hajj. Then, after it is complete, and you have come out of Ihram, start Hajj on Dhul-Hijjah 8.
- Qiran: This is a combination of Umrah and Hajj. Both of them are performed without any break.
Detailed Process of Umrah
Steps for Umrah
- To begin with, you have to enter into Ihram by putting on the clothing and saying prayers.
- The next step is Tawaf. It is performed after arriving in Mecca and can be started after you have taken a rest.
- For Tawaf, start by doing the Ghusl or the bathing. If you don’t take a bath, at least do the wudu or ablutions.
- Then you have to do Idtiba, and drape only the left shoulder while the right one stays exposed. Now, you have to reach the Al-Haram mosque.
- Say the dua after entering the Mosque. Now the Tawaf will start in which you have to walk around the Kabaah 7 times. The Black Stone is your start and endpoint. As per the religious rites, you have to either kiss it. You can also touch it and kiss your hand. If you are unable to touch it because of the crowd, you can face it and point at it.
- The men have to jog from the Black Stone to the Yemeni corner to the 3rd corner and the one that comes before the Black Stone; in the first three rounds.
- Remember Allah all the time and touch the Yemeni corner. If you cannot do so, then it is not mandatory.
- Now, you have to pray the two ‘rakahs’ behind the Maqam Ibrahim. Here you have to recite Surat-al-Kafirun and Surat Al-Ikhlas respectively in the first and second rakah. Now you can drink Zamzam water.
- After this, you have to do the Tawaf and include the Hijr Ismail in it. Then you have to do Sai in between the Mounts of As-Safa and Al Marwah. This completes the rites and rituals of Umrah, and you can now shave or cut your hair on the heads. Females have to just shorten their hair slightly. The males should shorten them only if they want to do Hajj as well. After Hajj, they have to either remove their hair completely or shorten them after Hajj.
There are many other famous religious and tourist attractions near Mecca. After you have completed the rituals, you can explore them on your way back. Thousands of Hajis do the same. To keep your Travels budget-friendly, don’t forget to use Spicejet promo code that will fetch you decent savings.
Steps for Hajj
- After doing the Tawaf, you can make the Sai of your Hajj. You can do it after the second Tawaf of Hajj.
- Then you have to do the Qiran. The rituals of Ifrad Qiran are the same; except the offering of Hadi in which animal slaughter is done in Makkah, and it is given to the poor people as a gift.
- Ultimately, you have to perform the Dhul Hijjah & Hadi. This completes the Hajj and Umrah Guide. You can refer to the official handbooks for more information.
