The pillars of Umrah are the conditions and duties of Umrah that must be done for the performance of the Umrah to be correct and acceptable.
Pillars Of Umrah
The pillars of Umrah as agreed upon according to the four schools of thought are:
Ihram
The Ihram is done at the Miqat that the Prophet (pbuh) determined, and that is for those who pass by that Miqat or pass alongside it.
The Malikis, Shafi’is, and Hanbalis all agree that entering the ihram is a pillar of Umrah,
While the Hanafi school believes that:
the state of Ihram is one of the conditions for Umrah and not one of its pillars.
Circumambulation (Tawaf)
The circumambulation around the Kaaba is 7 complete circuits, starting from the Black Stone (Hajar Aswad) and ending with it in each circuit, and it is a pillar according to the agreement of the four schools of thought; Hanifa, Maliki, Al-Shafi’i, and Ahmad bin Hanbal,
According to the Hanafi school,
circumambulation is the only pillar of the Umrah, and whoever does not perform Tawaf, the Umrah will not be accepted.
Sa’i Between Safa and Marwa
The Sa’i between Al-Safa and Al-Marwa in 7 circuits, starting from Al-Safa and ending with Al-Marwah,
is a pillar according to all schools of thought except for the Hanafi school;
Whereas, the Hanafi school of thought considers Sa’i as one of the duties of Umrah and not a pillar of it.
Shaved or Shortened
The Shafi is the only of the four Islamic schools of thought to consider shaving or cutting hair as one
of the pillars of performing the Umrah.
ِAlthough that wearing the Ihram clothes, the Ihram, Tawaf, Sa’y, and shaving or cutting
are all among the conditions for performing Umrah for it to be acceptable,
but the difference between them is that in some schools they are considered duties and in others, they are pillars.
The Difference Between the Pillar and Obligation (Wajib)
Firstly, The Pillar:
is the thing worship is not valid without it, and it must be done, and it does not fall through forgetfulness.
Secondly, Obligation or Wajib:
is what must be done or said in worship, but worship is valid without it if it occurs due to forgetfulness or by mistake, and it can be compensated for by another action.
Umrah Desirable Acts
There are some actions and etiquette that are desirable when performing Umrah,
but they are not among the pillars or Obligations, for example:
- Pubic hair shaving and nail trimming before Ihram, to bring cleanliness, and drive away infections and diseases.
- Ghusl if you want to enter the ihram for Umrah from Miqat; to remove the traces of travel and road dust from your body.
- The reciting of the Talbiyah and raising the voice in it is for the men, not the women after entering Ihram state and going to Mecca:
” Here I am, you have no partner, here I am, Verily all praise and blessings are Yours, and all sovereignty, You have no partner”
- Intention and saying (At your service, O Allah, Umrah).
- Kiss Hajar Aswad (Black Stone) if possible, without crowding the pilgrims, and if you are not able to do so, point to it if you reach next to it.
- The man during the circumambulation shows his right shoulder and covers the left.
- A man walks quickly during the circumambulation in the first three rounds.
- Frequent Dua’a while circumambulating and Sa’i.
- Pray Two rak’ah after completing the circumambulation.
- Climbing Mount Safa, and saying: (We begin with what Allah began with).
- Jogging between the two flags in Sa’i; They are highlighted in green.
In conclusion, Umrah is one of the acts of worship that gives you great inner comfort and peace,
so do it with all its pillars, duties, and Sunnahs.
