What is Umrah? Rituals, History And Importance
What is Umrah? — In simplest words, it is a visit to the house of Allah in Mecca, considered a revered pilgrimage in Islam. Umrah is sometimes referred to as the lesser pilgrimage, however it is not an appropriate term to use with respect to a holy visit to the Kaaba. Umrah is an obligatory pilgrimage to the masjid Al haram, which is located in the heart of the holiest city of the world, Makkah. Umrah can be undertaken at any point of the year except for the months of Hajj.
There are primarily two types of Umrah journey. The type is related to whether the pilgrim is planning to perform Umrah in the Hajj period or not. The combined pilgrimage is believed to result in combined merit and multiplied blessings and reward. When done in a single visit to Makkah, the rituals of Umrah are always performed before the rituals of Hajj.
The two types of Umrah are : Umrah a-tamattu and Umrah Mufrada. Umrah Tamattu is a part of a longer journey that also consists of Hajj, while Mufrada is a single independent pilgrimage.
Rituals of Umrah — Important And Meaning
Pillars of Umrah are the four symbolic rituals that emphasize solidarity among Muslims of the world. The first step for Umrah is Ihram, which is common for Hajj as well.
1. Ihram: It is a sacred state that must be assumed by all Umrah pilgrims before starting the journey. Ihram is usually a 5 step ritual that involves declaring Niyyah — the intention to embark on a spiritual journey, performing ablution or the Islamic purification bath, then wearing the white Ihram attire (differs for men and women) and then reciting two rakats of prayer.
Importance & Meaning: Wearing Ihram is the first step of the pilgrimage as it is performed with the intention of cleansing the body and cleansing one’s heart and intentions. Also, a common attire for all symbolises that everyone is equal in the eyes of Allah. It is removal of pretense and worldly materials and being yourself.
Even though Ihram is an essential part of Umrah, there are three more acts that are distinct and unique to only this pilgrimage. They are as follows:
2. Tawaf: It is a ritual in which pilgrims circle around the Kaaba seven times. The revolutions are done in an anti-clockwise direction, facing the holy Kaaba. There are prayers and duas specified — that should be recited with each completed circle.
3. Sai: Also written as Saee and Saý, Sai is the act where pilgrims walk upto the Safa hill through the premises of Masjid Al-Haram. From a point where they can see the Kaaba, they start their journey towards Marwa and then back from Marwa to Safa. This complete round is counted as two of the seven laps that each pilgrim is expected to complete.
Importance & Meaning: The rituals Sai is an ode to Hagar, the wife of Prophet Muhammad and the struggles she faced. The Prophet, on Allah’s directions, left his wife and infant son in the dry, arid desert of Makkah. The supplies were limited and soon they were left hungry and thirsty. When young Ismael, son of Hagar, started crying of thirst, she frantically went around searching for water. While searching, she unknowingly went up and down the hills of Safa and Marwa. Remembering her struggle, pilgrims also perform the action of walking from Safa to Marwa seven times. The seven circles of Tawaf also signify the same.
4. Halq: This ritual marks the end of Umrah journey. It requires male pilgrims to shave off their head or just trim a part of their hair. Partial trimming is called taqsir, which is an Arabic word, just like Ihram, Tawaf, Sai and Halq. Women need to trim just a small length of their hair.
Importance & Meaning: Shaving off of the head stands for giving up vanity and keeping submission to God above everything else.
Another important part of Umrah pilgrimage, though not an essential, is drinking the holy Zamzam water. This is water from the well that was formed when baby Ismail kicked the floor while crying and water came out from the ground.
History Of Umrah
Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages have been prescribed in the Quran but are not a part of the ancient history of Islam. History of Umrah is known from the multiple traditional accounts from the time of Prophet Muhammad that state that Muslims did not have access to the holy land of Makkah. Later, it was the Prophet and his followers, who sought the right to perform Hajj and Umrah from Arab Pagans — the idol worshippers — who resided in and controlled Makkah at that time.
This led to tensions between Muslims of the world and the pagans. Islamic accounts narrate that when the Prophet started from Madinah in the direction of Makkah, the local Quraysh tribe blocked their path at Hudaibiya. The Prophet tried to have a dialogue with them, but the Quraysh disagreed with everything that the Prophet said. The Prophet did not resort to force in order to maintain peace and the sanctity of the holy land. As a result, the treaty of Hudaybiyyah was signed, which allowed Muslims to perform a three-days long pilgrimage to the Kaaba every year. However, the Prophet and his followers were not allowed to go ahead that year.
The First Umrah: Next year, that is in 629 CE, the first Umrah pilgrimage was performed by Prophet Muhammad and his 2000 followers. It was completed peacefully and lasted three days. It was after a long wait and struggle that Muslims could finally visit the house of Allah. This day is considered a landmark in the history of Islam.
As an act of respect to these efforts and sacrifices of the Prophet, his family, relatives, followers and successors, the pilgrimage of Umrah is a combination of various rituals that are reminiscent of historic incidents.