Umrah remains the annual religious gathering of Muslims in the holy city of Makkah. During the month of Dhul-Hijjah, millions of pilgrims traveling from across the globe with their umrah packages 2023 uk, arrive in Haramain for the holy rituals.
Umrah is an obligatory pilgrimage for every adult and able Muslim. For instance, if a person is financially, physically as well as mentally capable of performing umrah then it’s a religious obligation for him/her to observe umrah as the fifth pillar of Islam and if one doesn’t do so, it’s a sinful act.
So, if you are traveling for a umrah pilgrimage soon, here’s a brief description of the terms regarding Umrah.
Ihram.
The first ritual of Umrah is to assume the state of Ihram by wearing the specified ceremonial clothing and making Niyyah for umrah.
Stay in Mina.
After the morning prayers, all pilgrims of Umrah travel to Mina. They say an entire day there while carrying out ritual prayers.
Wuqoof-e-Arafat.
On the 9th day of Dhu-al-Hijjah, pilgrims head towards the Arafat region where they’ll observe Dhuhr and Asr prayers combined with Qasr prayers (near the Jabal al-Rahmah) and between noon to sunset. This act of Umrah is known as Wuqoof-e-Arafat.
Praying in Muzdalifah.
In order to observe the evening prayers and rest the night until Fajar prayers, pilgrims then head to the Muzdalifah region. Pilgrims also pick up 49 pebbles of similar size for the next day’s ritual of Rami-al-Jamarat.
Rami-al-Jamarat.
On the 11th and 12th days of Umrah, pilgrims must complete the rami ritual i.e., stoning of the Devil Before in this ritual, 7 pebbles (of similar sizes) are thrown at a stone structure present in Mina and known as ‘Jamarat al-Aqabah;
Nahar.
The culmination of the Rami ritual calls for animal sacrifice and this is known as the Nahar ritual.
Halq or Taqsir.
After the animal sacrifice, men should get their heads completely shaved (Halq) while women are required to clip a fingertip’s length of their hair (Taqsir). This act of cutting is symbolizing a pilgrim’s detachment from physical appearances and complete subjection to Allah Almighty.
Farewell Tawaf.
The final ritual of the Umrah pilgrimage is the performance of farewell Tawaf. During this, pilgrims reflect on their experience of Umrah and thank Allah Almighty for everything, while circumambulating the Holy Kaabah.
These are some of the fundamental terms regarding Umrah by booking Cheapest umrah packages uk. It’s advised that one should buy a umrah guidebook for a detailed yet comprehensive understanding of the rituals of umrah and the proper way of performing them.
