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The 5th
Pillar – (Umra and) Hajj (and a Medina trip)
Hajj is to journey to special places and to do special things there. It includes going from Mecca to
Mina, then Arafah, then Muzdalifah, then back to Mina. Most people do an Umra before the Hajj.
An Umra is performing certain actions around and near the Kaaba, the building Ibrahim (as)
dedicated to Allah. An Umra only takes around 2-3 hours to complete. Hajj takes 5 days.
There are 3 hajj-types:
1. 2 Ihram Umraj (Arabic: Tamattu)
2. 1 Ihram Umraj (Arabic: Qiraan)
3. Hajj only (Arabic: Ifraad)
The Umrajjes (Umra and Hajj), Include an Umra and a Hajj. A Hajj is just a Hajj – no Umra.
Although Umra isn’t a pillar of Islam, most people still do Umrajjes, combining a Hajj and an Umra
together, because, according to some scholars, Allah gives more reward for it. We’ll study Umra
first, and then research Hajj.
The Umra
Before you leave home, clean yourself. Take a shower. Shave your armpits and other areas. Clip
your nails. Then leave home.
Now set off. Stop at the nearest meeqat, or stopping
point. A stopping point is an area of land on the way to
Mecca that has many showers and lavatories for pilgrims.
There are 5 stopping points, and they all lie on the roads
to Mecca. The stopping point you use will depend on
where you are coming from.1 If you are travelling by air,
you must become an Ihraami (see below) before you
cross over the Meeqat boundary.
Ihram
At the stopping point, shower and put your Ihram on. An Ihram is a two-sheet suit.
Both sheets are long and have nothing sewn on them; one piece is the waist-wrapper
and the other is the top wrapper. To wear the waist-wrapper, wrap it around your
waist, tuck the trailing edge in and roll down from all sides. Wear a belt if you have
one. Now wear the top wrapper. First, drape it over your shoulders, then bring your
left arm down, and whip the right edge over your left shoulder. Both shoulders should
be covered. Bring your arms out from underneath. Use a safety pin to secure the top
wrapper if it keeps coming loose.
Women don’t wear any special clothes. They wear their normal, modest clothes, cover their whole
body including their head, but leave their face uncovered.
Now, remind yourself that you’re going for Umrah, and start saying the Labbayk.
The Labbayk is the repetition of the sentence: “Labbayk, Allahumma Labbayk.
Labbayka La sharikalaka Labbayk. Innal hamda wannimata laka wal mulk la
shareekalak”
1 People already inside the Meeqat area have different stopping points. The 5 stopping points above are for non-
Meeqatis.
The five stopping points
Man wearing
Ihram
You are now an Ihraami. Lots of things are not allowed anymore. They include:
No hunting
No perfumes
No sewn clothes (for men only)
No makeup
No bad language or talk about bad things
No hair-shaving and nail-clipping
No covering your head and face (for men only)
No harming anyone else
No conjugal relations
The following things are allowed though:
Umbrellas, rings, glasses, hearing aids, watches, belts, showering, covering the legs and
torso, using a toothbrush without toothpaste, and using a miswak, or organic toothbrush.
When you reach Mecca, take your things to the hotel, have a rest if you need one, then go to the
Haram. The Haram is the area near the Kaaba, the cube-shaped building that Ibrahim (as) first
built. When you see the Kaaba, make dua, praying to Allah and asking him for what you want.
Tawaaf
You’re now ready to start tawaaf. Tawaaf is going round the Kaaba 7 times. Join
the crowd already doing tawaf and keep walking round with them until you are in
line with the Black Stone. Now do Idtiba. Idtiba, or right-shoulder-uncovering, is
uncovering your right shoulder by bringing the right edge of your Ihram under
your right armpit, then tossing the edge over your left shoulder. Now, do an
A diagram showing the the Kaaba and its important surrounding structures
A man gets ready
for Tawaaf by doing
Idtiba
Istilam, or shadow-touch, by turning to face the Black Stone, raising your hands in the air towards
it, saying Bismillahi Allahu Akbar, and kissing your fingertips. Now march around the Kaaba 3
times, and walk leisurely 4 times. After each round, do a shadow-touch and continue.
After the seventh round, do your shadow-touch, then go
behind the Maqame Ibrahim and pray 2 cycles of prayer.
The Maqame Ibrahim is the stone block that Ibrahim (as)
stood on while bricklaying the topmost bricks of the
Kaaba walls. His feet sank into it and left his footprints.
The footprints have been worn away by time and
pilgrims’ touches. Today, the Maqame Ibrahim is stuck
on top of a concrete block around 1 metre tall and trapped
inside a glass and brass enclosure, around 5 metres away
from a Kaaba wall. After praying behind Ibrahim(as)’s
footprints, go to Safa for Saee.
Saee
Saee is travelling 7 times between the ex-hills of Safa and Marwa. The hills are now gone, having
recently been drilled and bulldozed to pieces by the ‘Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques’. In
Saee is travelling between the ex-hills of Safa and Marwa
Tawaaf is going round the Kaaba 7 times
The footprints of Ibrahim (as),
with and without its enclosure
better times, you could clearly see both hills, and could run up and down the slopes of the hills.
Today, there are no real slopes. Just a long stretch of cold, white marble.
In any case, start at the point that used to be the hill of Safa, make a dua, and start walking to
Marwa. When you reach a row of green lights stuck to the ceilings and walls, if you are a man, you
will run. Once you reach the second set of green ceiling lights, walk again. At Marwa, make a dua.
You’ve now done 1 length. You need to do 6 more. Keep walking and running until you’ve
travelled down the stretch of marble 7 times and finished up at Marwa. At each ex-hill, make a dua.
You should have done 7 lengths, or 3½ rounds.
Halq or Qasr
The final step is your hair. You can shave,
or halq it. Or you can trim, or qasr it. Both
are fine, though Allah gives your more
reward for a head-shave. Beware the
scissor-people at Marwah. These men and
women offer scissors for you to do a
quick snip of your hair. This is not qasr.
Qasr is trimming all the hair, and not
just bits of it. Women do not do halq, only a little qasr off the end of their hair.
Congratulations! You’ve now finished your Umrah. Go home. Shower. Change into your normal
clothes.2
Questions
1. What is an Umra?
2. How long does an umrah take?
3. What are the 4 main parts of Umrah?
4. What is the stopping point for people from the eastern region?
5. Tell 3 things you should do at the stopping point.
6. What is an Ihram? How many pieces is it?
7. What is the labbayk?
8. Tell 3 things Ihraamis can't do.
9. Tell 3 things Ihraamis CAN wear.
10. What is Tawaaf?
11. What is idtibaa? When should you do it?
12. When doing Tawaaf, how many times must you march round, and how many times must you
walk round?
13. What is the maqaame ibrahim?
14. What must you do behind the maqaame ibrahim.
15. What is Saee?
16. How many times must you go between the 2 hills in Saee?
17. When must you run during the saee?
18. What is halq?
19. What is qasr?
2 If you want to do some more Umras, you need to go to a mosque that’s called Masjid Taneem (some people call it
Masjid Aisha). That is the nearest meeqat point for people already in Mecca.
Halqing or qasring is the final act of the Umra
Hajj
Hajj is a set of activities that are spread over five days, and involves travelling to four places. Most
people get from place to place by bus, but a massive number still prefer to do a walking Hajj.
Hajj starts on 8th
Zul Hijja, the twelfth month of the Hijri calendar. When 8th Zul Hijja starts, have
a shower, trim your nails and shave your armpits and other hair. Become an Ihraami (see Umrah
section). There is no need to go to a stopping point. In Mecca, your hotel room is your stopping
point. Remind yourself you are going for Hajj, and say the full Labbayk. You are now an Ihrami.
Pray Fajr , and after sunrise, go from Mecca to your tent in Mina.3
Mina
At Mina, rest, pray
Quran, praise Allah,
learn about Islam.
You will spend a
whole day in Mina.
Pray your Zuhr,
Asr, Magrib and
Isha in the tent.
Sleep. Wake up,
pray Fajr, and after
sunrise, go to Arafa.
Arafa
At Arafa, rest, and pray Zuhr and Asr. The time after Asr in Arafa is the most precious time during
the Hajj. Don’t waste it. Pray Quran and praise Allah. When it gets nearer to Sunset, face the Qibla,
cup your hands in dua and pray to Allah for whatever you want or need. May Allah give it to you.
(Don’t forget to pray for your teacher!). After sunset, go to Muzdalifa without praying Magrib.
3 Nowadays, most people start going Mina in the middle of the night, because it’s so busy. You will probably do the
same and pray Fajr on the way to Mina or in Mina.
A view of the main mosque at Arafah: Namirah Mosque
Mina is the first stop on the Hajj
Muzdalifa
At Muzdalifa, pray Magrib and Isha together, at Isha time. Call out an Azan, then one Iqama and
pray Magrib. Then call out a second Iqama and pray Isha. Collect 70 stones that are around 1cm in
diameter. Sleep. Wake up. Pray Fajr. Go to Mina – before sunrise.
Stoning at Mina
At Mina, stone only the 3rd
wall. If you are doing an Umraj, you must now
sacrifice an animal. Your group leader will usually do this for you. If you
have come on your own, you should have bought a coupon and the
government will arrange to have your animal slaughtered for you. Ifradis,
or Hajj-only people, don’t slaughter an animal.
Shave your head. (women will do a little snip of the end of their hair)
Go to Mecca. Do Tawaf. Come back to Mina.
At Mina, on the next day, the 11th
Zul Hijjah, go to stone
the walls after Zuhr. Stone all 3 walls. Return to Mina.
On the final day, the 12th
Zul Hijjah, go to stone the walls
after Zuhr. Stone all 3 walls. Return to Mecca. If you don’t
go back to Mecca after the stoning, and are still hanging
around in Mina at sunrise, then you must stay and stone for
another day.
The view from Muzdalifa. You will notice that there are no tents in Muzdalifa
Hajj events grouped according to the days of Hajj
8th
Zul Hijja
[in Mecca] Pray Fajr.
[in Mecca] Wait for sunrise.
Go to Mina.
[In Mina] stay in Mina. Pray Zuhr, Asr, Magrib, Isha in Mina
9th
Zul Hijja
[Still in Mina] Pray Fajr.
[in Mina] Wait for sunrise
Go to Arafa
[in Arafa] Stay in Arafa. Pray Zuhr and Asr in Arafa.
[in Arafa] The time after Asr in Arafa is the most precious time during the Hajj. Don’t waste
it. Pray Quran and praise Allah. When it gets nearer to Sunset, cup your hands in dua and
pray to Allah for whatever you want or need. May Allah give it to you. (Don’t forget to pray
for your Islamic studies teacher!)
[in Arafa] Wait for sunset.
Go to Muzdalifa
[in Muzdalifa] Pray Magrib and Isha together at Muzdalifa, at Isha time. Call out one Azan,
then an Iqama and pray Magrib. Then call out a second Iqama and pray Isha.
[In Muzdalifa] Collect 70 little stones, around 1cm in diameter, for stoning the pillars at
Mina.
10th
Zul Hijja
[In Muzdalifa] Pray Fajr
Set off for Mina, to the Walls, before sunrise. The Walls, or Jamaraat, is an area of Mina a
short distance from its tents that has 3 stone walls marking the spots that Satan appeared in
front of Ibrahim (as). At each spot, Ibrahim (as) fired stones at Satan, and Satan fled.
Stone only the 3rd
wall
Umrajjis must now sacrifice your animal. Your group leader will usually do this for you. If
you have come on your own, you should have bought a coupon and the government will
arrange to have your animal slaughtered. Ifradis don’t slaughter an animal.
Shave or trim your head-hair
Go to Mecca and do the Ziyara Tawaf 4 – walk round the Kaaba 7 times, doing Istilam each
time, then pray behind Ibrahim (as)’s footprints.
Go back to Mina
11th
Zul Hijja
Stone the 1st, 2
nd and 3
rd wall.
Go back to your tent
12th
Zul Hijja
Stone the 1st, 2
nd and 3
rd wall.
Go to Mecca before sunset. If you are still there are sunset, you must stay and stone for
another day.
Congratulations! Well done! Hajj Mubarak!
4 You can do the Ziyara tawaf on the 11
th or on the 12
th until sunset.
Questions
1. What is the Hajj?
2. What 4 places do you stay at during Hajj
3. How long does a Hajj take?
4. What are the 3 Hajj types?
5. For the Hajj, when will you leave for Mina?
6. What will you do at Mina?
7. When will you go Arafa?
8. What will you do at Arafa?
9. When will you go Muzdalifa?
10. What will you do at Muzdalifa?
11. When will you go back to Mina?
12. Which wall will you stone at Mina on 10th Zul Hijjah?
13. How many walls will you stone on the last 2 days of Hajj?
Some historical places in Mecca
The Jinn Mosque – The Prophet (Saw) met some Jinns here; he preached
Islam to them and they accepted.
Namira Mosque – The Prophet (Saw) gave his famous farewell speech at
the spot where this mosque is. It was his last major speech.
Aysha Mosque – Aysha (ra), wife of the Prophet (saw), started an Umra
from here.
Hira Cave – The Prophet (saw) was sitting in this cave when Jibraeel appeared
suddenly with the first words of the Quran.
Thawr Cave – The Prophet (saw) spent 3 days in this cave before setting off
with Abu Bakr (ra) to relocate in Medina.
The birthplace of the Prophet (saw) –
This is the spot where the Prophet (Saw)
was born. The spot has now been turned
into a small library. The library is
always locked, so you can’t go inside.
A view of Medina. The Prophet (saw)’s tomb
is directly beneath the big green dome
Medina guide
The Prophet (saw) spent 23 years of his life spreading Islam so that you and I could grow up as
Muslims and become good people. The very least we can do is go to his adopted home, the city of
Medina, and say thank you to him. Muslims have been doing this for over a millennium.
So let’s try our best to visit the city of the
Prophet (saw), even if it’s only for a day
or two.
So what is a visit to Medina, to the
Prophet’s mosque, really like? In a word,
fantastic! Medina is such a calm, peaceful,
tranquil place you’ll never want to leave.
You can spend hours in the mosque just
sitting, praying Quran, studying, learning
or even just relaxing!
There are, however, 3 things that you
should try extra hard to do while in
Medina:
1. Visit the prophet’s grave site to say Salaam, or ‘hello’ to him;
2. spend some time praying Quran or performing Salaah in an area near the Prophet’s (old)
house called the Rawda;
3. and visit places of historical importance – places where the Prophet (saw) sat, prayed and
worshipped.
Sending Salaams
Sending Salaams means standing in front of the graves of the Prophet (saw), Abu Bakr (ra) and
Umar (ra), and saying to them ‘assalamu alaykum.”5 In the Quran, Allah tells us “Allah and His
angels send their salaams to the Prophet. O Muslims! You send your salaams too.”
To send Salaams, walk to the front of the Prophet’s mosque, near to where the Iman leads the
prayer. Walk past the Imam’s area towards a large exit. As you walk towards the exit, you will find
a brass mesh, that looks like a metal gate, on your left. Behind this brass mesh are the graves of the
Prophet (saw), Abu Bakr and Umar (ra). The brass mesh has 3 sections to it. The first and last are
empty. Ignore them.
At the second mesh are 3 circles - 1 with a large crescent shaped border, the others with thin
ring-like borders. The crescent-bordered circle is in line with the Prophet (saw)’s face. Turn your
body so that you are looking straight at the circle. Remember that the Prophet (saw) was once
sitting there, looking at the people and smiling back at them. Greet him, and thank him for all the
sacrifices he made for you.
Now move to the right a little bit until you are facing the next circle. You are now standing in front
of Abu Bakr (ra). Greet him, and thank him for all the sacrifices he made for you.
Now move to the right a little more bit until you are facing the third circle. You are now standing in
front of Umar (ra). Greet him, and thank him for all the sacrifices he made for you.
Note: women do their salaam from a different area, and will not see these mesh gates.
5 If you want to say a little bit more than just Assalamualaykum, you should buy a little book with a list of greetings in
it. These are greetings taken from the Hadith, and can be read in the Prophet’s mosque.
Finally, turn around to face the Qibla and make dua to Allah for whatever you want.
Spending time in the Rawda
The area between the Prophet’s (old) house and the (old) mimbar, where the Imam stands to give
the Friday speech, is called the Rawda. You can easily spot it because the floor of the Rawda is
covered with green carpets, whereas the rest of the Prophet’s mosque has red carpets. If you are
fortunate enough to find space in the Rawda, sit down, and spend your time praying Quran, or
performing Salaah.
Greet
Abu Bakr (ra)
here
Greet
Umar (ra)
here
Greet the
Prophet (saw)
here
The location of the graves of the Prophet (saw) and the first 2 caliphs
Today, the
Imam leads
Salaah from
here
This squared
section is the
Rawdah
Go to here to
greet the Prophet
(saw)
Prophet (saw)
gave Jumuah
Khutbah from
here
Prophet (saw)
led Salaah
from here
A map of the centre of the Prophet’s mosque
The Prophet
(saw) and his
wives lived around here.
Each wife had
her own little
one-room house
Visiting Historical Sites
Until recently, there were hundreds of old buildings, some dating from the Prophet’s time, dotted all
around Medina. However, industrialisation has meant these historical sites have been sacrificed for
business. In any case, some still remain – and there are 5 that you should go and visit. They are:
1. Masjid Quba – This is the first dedicated mosque to be built in Arabia. The Prophet (Saw)
used to visit Quba mosque once a week and pray 2 rakahs there.
2. The 7 mini-mosques – Until recently, seven old mosques stood on an area of land close to
the Prophet’s mosque. These mosques marked the spots that the Prophet (Saw) and his
companions stood during a battle. 5 of the mosques were recently destroyed to make way for
a Supermosque. Only 2 of the mini-mosques remain. One is called Masjidul fath. Allah
revealed some verses of the Quran at the spot where Masjidul Fath now stands.
3. The two-qibla mosque (Masjid Qiblatain). Muslims first used to pray facing Masjidul
Aqsa, in Jerusalem. Then Allah told us to face the Kaaba. Some Muslims were praying in
this mosque, facing Masjudul Aqsa, when someone called out that the Qiblah had changed.
The prayers in the mosque all turned around, the imam going to the front, and carried on
praying. This is why this mosque is called the two-qibla mosque.
4. The battlefield of Uhud – this battlefield consists of Mount Uhud, the archer’s hill,and a
graveyard of the Muslim martyrs, including the Prophet’s uncle, Hamza.
5. There is also a graveyard near the Prophet’s mosque called Jannatul baqi. Thousands of
Sahaba, or Muslims who lived at the same time as the Prophet (saw), are buried in this
graveyard. The Prophet’s wives, children, family and friends are all buried there. The
prophet (saw) said, “I used to forbid you from visiting graveyards, but now, I encourage you
to go.” Therefore, we should visit the graveyards. They remind us of death and help remind
us that one day, we will also be six feet under the ground.
Historical sites in Medina,From left to right:
Masjid Quba, the 7 Mini Mosques, the Two Qibla Mosque, Mount Uhud, and Baqi Graveyard
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