Umrah may be performed at any time of year and its rites take only a few hours: entering ihram at the miqat, tawaf around the Kaaba, sa'i between Safa and Marwah, and shortening the hair. This page takes each step in order and sets out how Umrah differs from Hajj.
Umrah is the visit to the Kaaba consisting of ihram, tawaf, sa'i and the shortening of the hair. Because it is not bound to particular days, it can be performed at any point in the year and as often as one wishes — which is why it is sometimes called the lesser pilgrimage, though nothing about its merit is lesser.
The Arabic root of umrah carries the sense of visiting a populated place. In Islamic law it means entering ihram, circling the Kaaba seven times, walking seven circuits between Safa and Marwah, and then shaving or shortening the hair.
"One Umrah to the next is an expiation for what lies between them," states a hadith in Bukhari and Muslim, "and an accepted Hajj has no reward but Paradise."
The Hanafi and Maliki schools classify Umrah as a strongly emphasised sunnah; the Shafi'i and Hanbali schools classify it as obligatory once in a lifetime for those able. In every school it is distinct from Hajj and does not discharge that obligation.
It may be performed on any day of the year. The one qualification is that the Hanafi school considers it disliked during the five days of Hajj for someone not performing Hajj. Umrah in Ramadan carries a particular merit: the Prophet (peace be upon him) described it as equal in reward to a Hajj performed with him — which is also why it is the most crowded period of the year.
Two practical notes. Kissing the Black Stone is a sunnah, never an obligation — do not push through a crowd for it; gesturing from a distance with the words "Allahu akbar" is sufficient. And the upper floors of the mosque are open for tawaf and sa'i when the ground floor is full; a circuit there simply takes longer.
| Umrah | Hajj | |
|---|---|---|
| Ruling | Sunnah (Hanafi); obligatory once per Shafi'i and Hanbali | Obligatory once in a lifetime for those able |
| Timing | Any time of year | Only 8-13 Dhul-Hijjah |
| Duration | A few hours | Five to six days of rites |
| Rites | Ihram, tawaf, sa'i, shortening the hair | The above plus Arafah, Muzdalifah, Mina, stoning, sacrifice |
| Pillars | Ihram and tawaf | Standing at Arafah and tawaf al-ifadah |
| Repetition | May be performed many times | Obligatory once; repeating is voluntary |
The clearest way to hold the difference: Umrah is contained within Hajj. Every rite of Umrah is also performed during Hajj — Hajj adds Arafah, Muzdalifah, Mina, the stoning and the sacrifice, and fixes them to particular days. The full account is on the Hajj page.
Umrah is the visit to the Kaaba to perform ihram, tawaf and sa'i, followed by shaving or shortening the hair. Unlike Hajj it is not tied to particular days and may be performed at any time of year. It is sometimes called 'the lesser pilgrimage', because its rites are a subset of those of Hajj.
The schools differ. The Hanafi and Maliki schools regard it as a strongly emphasised sunnah. The Shafi'i and Hanbali schools regard it as obligatory once in a lifetime for those able. All agree on its great merit, and on the fact that it does not discharge the obligation of Hajj.
The rites themselves take roughly two to four hours when the mosque is not overcrowded — the tawaf around an hour, the sa'i a little less. In peak seasons, above all Ramadan, it can take considerably longer. Travel packages usually run seven to fifteen days including Medina.
At any time of year. The Hanafi school considers it disliked to perform Umrah on the five days of Hajj — the Day of Arafah and the four days that follow — for someone not performing Hajj. Otherwise every day of the year is open, and Ramadan is the most sought-after period.
Ihram and tawaf are the pillars in the Hanafi school; without them there is no Umrah. Sa'i and shaving or shortening the hair are wajib — omitting one does not invalidate the Umrah but requires a compensatory sacrifice. The Shafi'i school counts sa'i and the shortening among the pillars as well.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said that an Umrah in Ramadan is equivalent in reward to a Hajj performed with him. This is why demand peaks in Ramadan, especially in its final ten days. It is worth being clear that the equivalence is in reward — an Umrah in Ramadan does not discharge the obligation of Hajj.
The miqat are the fixed boundary points around Mecca beyond which no one intending pilgrimage may pass without being in ihram. Pilgrims flying from Türkiye usually enter ihram before boarding or on the aircraft as it approaches the boundary; the cabin crew announce it. Crossing without ihram requires either returning or offering a compensatory sacrifice.
Yes — ihram is a pillar of Umrah, not a formality. For men it is two unstitched white cloths; for women it is ordinary modest clothing with the face left uncovered, since no special garment is prescribed for women. The essential element in both cases is the intention, which is what actually enters a person into the state.
Yes, on behalf of someone who has died or someone permanently unable to travel. The intention is made at the miqat on their behalf. As with Hajj al-badal, the person performing it should already have performed their own.
Marital relations invalidate the Umrah before the tawaf is complete and require it to be repeated with expiation. Lesser violations — using perfume, cutting hair or nails, wearing stitched clothing for men — do not invalidate it but require a fidyah: a sacrifice, a fast, or feeding the poor, depending on the violation.
No fixed supplication is required for each circuit; the booklets that assign a dua to every round record custom rather than obligation. Supplicate in your own words, recite Quran or make dhikr. The one place with an established wording is between the Yemeni corner and the Black Stone: 'Rabbana atina fid-dunya hasanatan wa fil-akhirati hasanatan wa qina adhab an-nar.'
Related reading: Hajj, finding the qibla, daily duas, and the Turkish version of this page.
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