Umrah is an Islamic pilgrimage having a great importance to Muslims. A Muslim should perform Umrah once in his life if he can afford it. These acts are considered to be spiritually cleansing and rewarding acts for Muslims. These acts strengthen the beliefs of Muslims in Allah and his Prophet Muhammad. Hajj and Umrah are sometimes mixed by the people therefore it is better to understand the different between both. In this blog post you will be able to know the important pillars of Umrah and how to perform it.
4 Pillars of Umrah
Umrah is an Islamic ritual and the journey towards Mecca and Madinah. Umrah can be performed at any time of the year unlike Hajj and only at the time of Hajj it cannot be done. It is a journey of cleansing one soul and strengthen the connection with Allah and His prophet. It is an act which take lesser time as compared to Hajj. The important pillars Umrah are explained as follow:
1. Ihram. To perform a successful Umrah with full dedication, It is necessary to follow all the rules and regulations of it. Ihram is one of the important part of Umrah, where the pilgrims before entering the sacred and Holy land have to wear a clean and simple cloth known as Ihram. Besides that, there are other prohibitions which should be followed by the pilgrims throughout the Umrah. The wearing of Ihram is only compulsory in the first Umrah or tawaf after that the pilgrims can enter haram in any type of cloths (which cover the whole body).
2. Tawaf. This is also an important part of Umrah where the pilgrims have to walk around the Kaaba and recite verses of Quran while surrounding it. Tawaf contains 7 rounds of the Kaaba and after its completion the other steps can be completed.
3. Saee. This is an act which show solidarity to Hazrat Ibrahim Wife Hajar when she run in different directions to seek for water. Saee is covering the distance between Safa and Marwa, The two small hills situated in the Holly Mosque in Mecca. Some distance is covered while walking while some through slow running. This portrays the distance covered by Hajar while looking for water. Besides that, the pilgrims recites the verses of Quran and seek motivation and courage from Allah to overcome the problems of the daily life.
4. Tahallul. After completion of the above rituals now the men and women are bound to perform several activities in which the first one is Tahallul. It is done to free the pilgrims from the restrictions of Umrah like wearing of Ihram and not going outside the boundaries of Haram. The men have to shave their heads and women have to cut their hairs upto several inches. After this pilgrims have to go through Halq and Taqseer which are different for men and women.