The Ihraam:
One of the top essentials of pilgrimage is the state of consecration, or ihraam. All pilgrims must enter into ihraam for the purpose of fulfilling their duties of pilgrimage and Umrah. Ihraam is a state that requires the application of certain restrictions that remain in force until the main part of the pilgrimage is fulfilled, when the restrictions are relaxed. Ihraam starts at a certain point in time and on reaching certain locations. Timewise, it may start at any time from the first day of the month of Shawwal until shortly before the break of dawn on the Day of Sacrifice, which is the tenth day of the month of Dhul-Hijjah of the same year. This is a period of two lunar months and 10 days. If one enters into ihraam before or after this period his or her pilgrimage is not valid. It is, however, acceptable for the Umrah, or mini-pilgrimage. The Umrah may be offered at any time during the year, while the pilgrimage can only be initiated in this period.
The locations at which ihraam starts differ according to the route pilgrims take. People from Syria, Egypt and the northwest start their ihraam at Al-Juhfah. This used to be a village but it is no longer inhabited and its location is unclear. Therefore, the place at which ihraam starts is the city of Rabigh, which is only a short distance from the original place. People from Madinah and areas beyond it start their ihraam at a place called Dhul-Hulayfah, which is more commonly known nowadays as Abyar Ali. This is only a few kilometers to the south of Madinah. People from Iraq and beyond enter into ihraam at Dhat Irq, to the northeast of Makkah, while the people of Najd and areas to the east and southeast start at Qarn Al-Manazil, which is close to a place known nowadays as Al-Sayl. People from the Yemen and southern areas begin their ihraam at Mount Yalamlam to the south of Makkah. These locations have been specified by the Prophet (peace be upon him) for the inhabitants of those countries and for anyone who passes through them, intending to offer the pilgrimage or the Umrah, regardless of their countries of origin. It is forbidden for a Muslim who undertakes the journey for pilgrimage or Umrah to pass these locations without entering into the state of consecration or ihraam, regardless of his means of travel.
If we connect these locations by an imaginary line, this line forms the borders of an area surrounding Makkah called by scholars as the Hil area. It must not be entered by anyone living outside it and intending to do the pilgrimage or the Umrah unless he or she is in the state of ihraam. If anyone who lives within this area wants to visit the mosque of the Prophet in Madinah before starting his pilgrimage or Umrah, that person must enter into ihraam at Abyar Ali, the entry point for the people of Madinah. Anyone who finds himself within the Hil area or in Makkah, whether he is resident there or not, enters into ihraam at the place in which he happens to be. If he is in Makkah and he resolves to do the pilgrimage or the Umrah, he enters into ihraam at his place of stay, before starting. If he is outside Makkah, he starts his ihraam at the place he is in.
Combining the Pilgrimage With the Umrah:
Since most pilgrims do both the pilgrimage and the Umrah on the same journey, we will explain how the combination may be made. The Umrah may be defined as a visit to the Sacred Mosque in a special manner, and includes specific duties. It may be done at any time of the year, although it is most emphatically discouraged on the days when the pilgrimage takes place; that is, the day of attendance at Arafat, the Day of Sacrifice, and the following three days, i.e. Dhul-Hijjah 9-13.
The same conditions of pilgrimage apply to Umrah. Ihraam for Umrah is done at the same places as for the pilgrimage with the exception that those who are in Makkah for any reason and want to do the Umrah must go out to the nearest point in the Hil area where they start their ihraam.
According to most schools of Fiqh, the Umrah includes three main duties: Entering into the state of ihraam, tawaf and sa’ie, or walking between the two hills of Al-Safa and Al-Marwah. The Shafie school of Fiqh adds that these duties must be ordered and considers shaving one’s head or shortening one’s hair as a fourth duty. It should be remembered that shaving one’s head applies to men only. Women cut only a small portion by about an inch or even less.
All this means that a person who wants to do the Umrah may proceed to do it as soon as he arrives in Makkah when he can immediately do his tawaf and sa’ie, before shaving his head or shortening his hair, at which time his Umrah is complete.
People who come for the pilgrimage from outside Makkah and the Hil area normally do both the pilgrimage and the Umrah on the same journey. The two can be combined in three different ways. The first is called tamattu’, which means “to enjoy something or to take advantage of it.” This is done by fulfilling the duties of the Umrah shortly after one’s arrival in Makkah. When the Umrah has been completed the pilgrim releases himself from ihraam. He may thus be relieved of all its restrictions. On Dhul-Hijjah 8, the person concerned enters into the state of ihraam again at the place where he is staying in Makkah and proceeds to do the pilgrimage duties. This concession may be better appreciated if we remember that pilgrims may arrive in Makkah at any time during a period of 68 days before the pilgrimage day. To observe the restrictions of ihraam over a long period may be very hard for some people.
The other method is known as qiran, which means that both the Umrah and the pilgrimage are combined together and offered at the same time. In this method, the pilgrim starts by doing the duties of Umrah, fulfilling the tawaf and sa’ie duties without shaving his head or shortening his hair. He remains in his ihraam garments and observes all the restrictions of ihraam until he finishes the duties of the pilgrimage. Thus, the duties of Umrah and pilgrimage are joined together.
Following either one of these two methods requires the pilgrim to make an offering of a sheep or an older goat as a duty. The sacrifice is made to show one’s gratitude to God for enabling him to do both the Umrah and the pilgrimage in the same season. He should, therefore, partake of the meat of the sacrifice and give the larger portion to the poor and the needy. Seven pilgrims may share together in sacrificing a camel whose age is at least five years or a cow with a minimum age of two years.
A pilgrim who cannot afford such a sacrifice should fast three days prior to the Day of Arafat and seven days more when he has returned home after completing his pilgrimage to make them ten days in all.
The third method is known as ifraad and the pilgrim who opts for this method is called a mufrid. Ifraad means, “to have something as a single unit or action.” In this method, the pilgrim starts his ihraam at the appointed place, making his intention to perform the pilgrimage on its own. When he arrives at Makkah, he does his tawaf of arrival, as a greeting to the Sacred Mosque, or the Kaabah. He may, if he chooses, do his sa’ie between the hills of Al-Safa and Al-Marwah. He must, however, remain in the state of consecration, or ihraam, observing all its restrictions until he finishes all the pilgrimage duties up to the stoning of the first Jamrah. He may slaughter his sacrifice after that, since the sacrifice is a Sunnah, i.e. recommended, in his case. He then shaves his head or shortens his hair in order to release himself from the restrictions of ihraam.
It should be pointed out here that the release from ihraam is made in two stages: The first is a limited release allowing the pilgrim to end all the restrictions of ihraam except sexual intercourse with his wife, which remains prohibited until the second release. It thus allows the pilgrim to wear his ordinary clothes, use perfume, etc. This first stage occurs when one has done two of the duties of the Day of Sacrifice, which falls on 10 Dhul-Hijjah. These duties are stoning at the Jamrah, shaving one’s head or shortening one’s hair, and the sacrifice of a sheep. The second and final release, ending all restrictions, occurs when the pilgrim has done the tawaf of ifaadah, which becomes due on the Day of Sacrifice and can be performed the same day or any subsequent day in the month of Dhul-Hijjah.
When a pilgrim goes into ihraam, he is not allowed to wear ordinary clothes. He puts on two garments, preferably white, which are not sewn, shaped or tailored. They are not more than two large pieces of cloth. He wears one of them round his waist and it should stretch down well below his knees. The other piece he throws over his shoulders and covers with it his back and chest. Apart from wearing slippers, or sandals, the pilgrim man does not wear anything else, not even any piece of underwear. He must not cover his head with any covering. He may, however, use any shade to protect himself from the sun, provided that he does not use any article that gives him that shade as a head cover.
Women pilgrims wear ordinary clothes that should cover their bodies completely. They also wear their normal head cover that must not leave any part of their hair visible. Women pilgrims, however, are not allowed to cover their faces or hands. They observe the same restrictions of ihraam as the men and they release themselves from it in the same way as the men, with the exception that they are not required to shave their heads. Shaving is only for men. A woman need only shorten a small portion of her hair by an inch.
