In Islamic terminology, the word Umrah refers to the act of entering the state of Ihram, performing Tawaf of the Holy Kaaba and Saee between the mountains of Safa and Marwa. In this article, we have listed down fard, wajib and sunnah acts of performing Umrah.

Umrah, which literally means visiting a populated place, is to be performed by those who can afford it. Umrah can be performed at any part of the year except during the days of Hajj which are from 9th to 13th Dhul Hijjah. Recommended: What are Fard, Wajib, and Sunnah of Hajj?

What is the reward of performing Umrah?

Even though only Allah knows the rewards of pious acts and He alone is the one who shall give rewards according to His will, yet an Umrah tends to compensate sins of the Muslims. Defining the importance of Umrah, the Prophet PBUH said:

As per the narration of Abu Hurayrah, “Umrah tends to compensate for sins which have been committed by the Muslim between the time periods of two Umrahs.” (Found in Bukhari and Sahih-Muslim)

Is it ok to perform Hajj and Umrah over and again?

One thing that often comes to the mind of Muslims is that if they shall perform Hajj and Umrah again and again? If a Muslim can afford it and he has the thirst of visiting the House of Allah Almighty again and again then is it okay?

The Prophet PBUH said: As per the narration of Abdullah ibn Masood (RA) and Jabir (RA), “Perform Hajj and Umrah again and again for both remove poverty and sins in the same way as the furnace removes the impurities of gold, silver, and iron”. (Found in Tirmidhi and Nasa’i)

What are the Fard acts of Umrah?

An Umrah is based on four essential and obligatory acts. Here are the obligatory, fard or wajib acts of an Umrah:

1. Entering the state of Ihram with the intention of performing Umrah after reciting the Talbiyah
2. Performing Tawaf of the Holy Kaaba. Tawaf is circumambulating the Kaaba seven times.
3. Performing Saee between the mounts of Safa and Marwa. The Saee starts from the Mount Safa and ends at the mount Marwa. The pilgrim has to complete 7 rounds of Safa and Marwa and the walk between Safa to Marwa will be considered as one round.
4. Performing the Qasr or cutting your hair. Qasr for men and women are different. Men need to shave their head or cut their hair from the entire head while female have to clip their hair from the bottom.

What are the Sunnah Acts in Umrah?

Sunnah Acts of Umrah are also 4 in number. These acts are the most authentic one and thereby we have selected them:

1. To start the tawaf from the black stone i.e. Hajr-e-Aswad
2. During Tawaf-e-Qudoom or Tawaf-e-Ziyarat perform Ramal. Recommended: How to do Ramal?
3. Running among the two green lights during Saee of Mount Safa and Marwa.