How to Perform Umrah: Step-by-Step Guide for Pakistani Pilgrims

If you are wondering how to perform Umrah, the rites themselves are short and clear: you enter ihram with the intention, perform tawaf around the Kaaba, walk between Safa and Marwah, and then shave or trim your hair. What takes preparation is everything around them, from changing into ihram for the flight to finding your way through the crowds. Our Umrah visa guide covers the visa and documents; this article walks you through the worship itself.

This is a practical summary of mainstream practice. Scholars differ on some details, such as how much hair must be cut, so learn the rites from a trusted scholar or your group's guide and follow their advice where it differs. If you have not yet booked, VisaWala's Umrah and Hajj service can arrange the visa, flights and hotels around these steps.

How to perform Umrah: the steps at a glance

Umrah is the lesser pilgrimage to Makkah. Unlike Hajj, which has its own rites over set days in Dhul Hijjah (see our day-by-day Hajj guide), Umrah can be performed for most of the year, outside the Hajj period when Umrah visas are not issued; our Umrah visa hub explains how the season works. Hanafi scholars, whom many Pakistanis follow, regard it as a strongly recommended sunnah, while the Shafi'i and Hanbali schools hold it obligatory once in a lifetime for those able.

Here is Umrah step by step. Each step is explained in the numbered sections that follow.

1. Prepare before you leave Pakistan

A calm Umrah starts at home. In the weeks before you fly, work through these:

• Learn the rites and the main du'as, ideally in a class or with your group leader, so nothing feels new on the day
• Get your meningococcal and polio vaccinations and keep the certificates with your passport; our Umrah visa requirements checklist lists the rest
• Install the official Nusuk app, listed on the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah's Nusuk website, and register so you can book permits once you arrive
• Men: buy two sets of ihram sheets and an ihram belt. Women: pack loose, modest clothes to wear in ihram
• Settle debts where you can, seek forgiveness from family and friends, and leave your affairs in order

2. Enter ihram and make your intention before the miqat

Ihram is the sacred state you enter for Umrah, and also the name for the clothing men wear in it. The miqat is a boundary that a pilgrim heading for Makkah must not cross without being in ihram.

Ihram for men and women

Men wear two unstitched white sheets: the izar wrapped around the waist and the rida over the shoulders, with sandals rather than closed shoes. Women wear their ordinary modest clothing, in any colour, covering the hair and body, with the face left uncovered. Women have a few other differences too, explained in our guide to Umrah for women.

Before changing, it is sunnah to clip your nails, remove unwanted body hair and take a bath (ghusl). Men may apply perfume to the body, but not to the ihram cloth. Many scholars also recommend praying two rakat for ihram, if it is not a time when prayer is disliked.

Entering ihram when you fly from Pakistan

Flights from Pakistan to Jeddah cross the miqat line in the air before landing, so you cannot wait until Jeddah airport to enter ihram. Most pilgrims change into ihram at home or at the airport in Lahore, Karachi, Islamabad or wherever they fly from, and make the intention on the plane. The airline usually announces when you are approaching the miqat. If you might sleep through the announcement, you can make the intention earlier in the flight: entering ihram before the miqat is valid, and many scholars, including Hanafi scholars, advise it for air travellers.

If your package flies to Madinah first, you do not need ihram on the flight. You enter it later at Dhul Hulayfah, the miqat on the road from Madinah to Makkah, where the mosque has space and facilities for changing.

Making the intention and reciting the talbiyah

The niyyah is made in the heart, and many pilgrims also say it aloud: “Labbaik Allahumma Umrah” (O Allah, here I am for Umrah). From that moment you are in ihram, and the restrictions listed further down apply.

Then begin the talbiyah, repeating it often on the way to Makkah: “Labbaik Allahumma labbaik, labbaika la sharika laka labbaik, innal hamda wan-ni'mata laka wal-mulk, la sharika lak.” Men say it aloud; women say it softly. You stop the talbiyah when you begin tawaf.

3. Perform tawaf around the Kaaba

On reaching Makkah, check in, rest if you need to, and make wudu, which tawaf requires. Enter Masjid al-Haram with your right foot and the du'a for entering a mosque.

Tawaf is seven anticlockwise circuits around the Kaaba, starting and ending at the corner of the Black Stone (Hajar al-Aswad). Touching or kissing the stone is rarely possible in the crowds, so at the start of each circuit most pilgrims face it from a distance, raise a hand or both hands towards it as their guide shows them, and say “Bismillahi Allahu Akbar”.

• Men uncover the right shoulder (idtiba) for the whole tawaf of Umrah by passing the upper sheet under the right arm.
• Men walk briskly with short steps (ramal) in the first three circuits if the crowd allows; women walk normally throughout.
• Between the Yemeni Corner and the Black Stone, it is sunnah to recite “Rabbana atina fid-dunya hasanah, wa fil-akhirati hasanah, wa qina ‘adhaban-nar.”
• There are no fixed du'as for each circuit. Pray in any language, Urdu included, from the heart.
• If you lose count, go with the number you are sure of.

4. Pray two rakat and drink Zamzam

After the seventh circuit, men cover the right shoulder again. Pray two rakat behind Maqam Ibrahim if you can do so without blocking others, or anywhere in the mosque. Many recite Surah al-Kafirun in the first rakat and Surah al-Ikhlas in the second.

Then drink Zamzam water, which is available from coolers throughout the Haram, and make du'a for yourself, your family and anyone who asked you to remember them.

5. Walk seven times between Safa and Marwah (sa'i)

Sa'i recalls Hajar's search for water for her infant son Ismail. The route between the hills of Safa and Marwah now runs inside the mosque, on several air-conditioned floors.

1. Go to Safa. Face the Kaaba, raise your hands and make du'a; many recite “Innas-Safa wal-Marwata min sha'a'irillah” as they begin.
2. Walk to Marwah. That is one length. Marwah back to Safa is the second.
3. Men jog lightly between the two green lights; women walk at a normal pace.
4. Repeat until the seventh length, which ends at Marwah.

Most scholars regard wudu as recommended rather than required for sa'i, and you may rest during it if you are tired. Wheelchair users are usually directed to a marked lane or a particular level, so follow the signs and the staff on duty.

6. Shave or trim your hair (halq or taqsir)

The last act releases you from ihram. Men may shave the whole head (halq), which carries more reward, or trim it (taqsir). Scholars differ on how much must be trimmed: some require hair from all over the head, while Hanafi scholars require at least a quarter of it, shortened by about a fingertip's length. Follow your scholar's guidance, and use one of the many barbers near the Haram.

Women never shave. They gather the hair and cut about a fingertip's length from the ends, in privacy or with the help of a mahram or another woman.

Your Umrah is now complete, and the ihram restrictions are lifted. Many pilgrims spend the rest of their stay in extra tawaf, prayer and recitation of the Qur'an.

What is not allowed in ihram?

From the moment you make your intention until halq or taqsir, these ihram rules apply:

• No cutting or removing hair or nails
• No perfume or scented products, including scented soap, shampoo and creams
• Men may not cover the head or wear clothing tailored to the body, such as shirts, trousers or socks
• Women may not wear a niqab; many scholars allow a loose cloth, kept off the skin, to be lowered in front of the face when men are near. Most schools also rule out gloves, though the Hanafi school allows them
• No marital relations, kissing or other intimacy
• No hunting land animals
• No arguing, swearing or bad behaviour

You may shower with unscented soap, change into a fresh set of ihram sheets, wear a belt, a watch and glasses, and carry a bag. If you break a rule by mistake, or have to, for example because of an injury, an expiation (fidya or dam) may be due. Ask a scholar what applies rather than guessing.

Umrah packing list for Pakistani pilgrims

Pack light: you will walk a lot, and space in shared rooms is limited.

• Passport, CNIC, printed visa, tickets, hotel confirmations and vaccine certificates
• Men: two sets of ihram sheets, an ihram belt and comfortable sandals
• Women: loose, breathable abayas or shalwar kameez, scarves and comfortable flat shoes
• Unscented soap, shampoo, deodorant and lip balm for your time in ihram
• A small drawstring bag for your shoes inside the Haram
• A pocket prayer book, tasbeeh and a refillable water bottle
• Regular medicines in their original packaging, with a doctor's note
• Phone, charger, power bank and a plug adaptor

If you want cover for illness or lost luggage, our travel insurance page explains what to look for.

Visiting Madinah and the Rawdah

Visiting Madinah is not a rite of Umrah, but almost every Pakistani pilgrim goes, to pray at Masjid an-Nabawi and send salam to the Prophet, peace be upon him. No ihram is needed in Madinah, and many pilgrims also visit Masjid Quba and Mount Uhud on a ziyarat tour.

The Rawdah, the area between the Prophet's house and his minbar, is opened to visitors in time slots booked through the Nusuk app, with separate times for men and women. Book early in your stay, as slots go quickly; our Nusuk app guide explains the process.

Common mistakes first-time pilgrims make

• Landing in Jeddah without ihram after flying past the miqat. If it happens, ask a scholar straight away: going back to a miqat to enter ihram may be required, and otherwise a penalty (dam) may be due.
• Carrying on with tawaf after losing wudu, instead of renewing it and asking your guide whether to continue or restart
• Counting Safa to Marwah and back as one length of sa'i
• Trimming a few strands of hair instead of the minimum your school of thought requires
• Pushing to touch the Black Stone, which can hurt you and others
• Rushing elderly relatives into Umrah straight after a tiring journey when they need rest first

Prepare for your first Umrah with VisaWala

VisaWala arranges Umrah packages with the visa, flights, hotels in Makkah and Madinah and transport, and for first-time pilgrims we explain each stage before you travel. Compare your options in our guide to Umrah packages from Pakistan, then share your plans on our Hajj and Umrah page or through the contact form for a free first consultation.