How to perform Umrah For Ladies

If you are a woman performing Umrah for the first time, you may be searching for a guide on how to perform Umrah for ladies specifically.

The good news is that you’ve come to the right place.

Women will have different concerns to men when performing Umrah, such as what to do when menstruating, if a woman can travel without a mahram to perform her Umrah, and even what to wear once when entering the state of ihram for Umrah. Even for Hajj, females should be aware of all of the steps they will do differently to men in order to ensure the rituals are performed correctly.

When it comes to the rituals of performing Umrah, there’s little that men and women actually do differently – but if you are looking for Umrah packages now, it’s vital that you make a note of the information in this article for your pilgrimage, particularly if you’re performing Umrah for the first time. We’ve put together a piece of cake ‘General Guide’ for women below to give you one less thing to stress over, summarising the key differences that women should be aware of.

Keep a notebook handy to jot down these points.

General guide for women while at Umrah:

• The Talbiyah (ٱلتَّلبِيَة) is an essential part of Umrah and Hajj repeated by men and women – but while male pilgrims invoke the Talbiyah loudly, for female pilgrims it is sufficient to recite the Talbiyah so that it is audible to themselves only.
• The Raml (رمل) is an emphasised sunnah for male pilgrims in the first three rounds of tawaf, which involves running with medium pace during Tawaf. Women do not need to engage in this ritual as it is specifically for men as a way of displaying stamina.
• Likewise, during Sa’ee, women will also not run between the two green posts between As-Safa and Al-Marwah.
• Women must have a mahram accompanying them to travel to perform Umrah.
• When the rituals of Umrah have been fulfilled, men can choose to have their heads shaved (halq), or trimmed (taqsir), whereas women will not do halq, but trim their hair the length of a fingertip from one-fourth of their head to exit the state of ihram.

Rules of Umrah for Women

If this is your first Umrah, don’t fret! Women can partake in all of the rituals such as Tawaf and Sa’ee, while expecting the same reward that men do – except that there are some rules specific to women performing Umrah. It is essential for female pilgrims to be equipped with the correct information without blindly following others, as an accepted Umrah is contingent on many factors (not the umrah packages and how many stars the hotel has!)

There aren’t many of them, but you’ll want to remember these key differences.

What duas to recite while at Umrah

Our beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught us the best duas to make during Umrah, which we have compiled together for you here.If you have booked an Umrah package, you may have a guide who informs you of these duas from the sunnah, but don’t miss out on the chance to follow in the footsteps of the Prophet ﷺ – make a note of these and prepare yourself now!

You will definitely also want to make a list of some of your treasured duas for Umrah, taking advantage of every moment to ask Allah for what your heart seeks. Make use of the blessed time you have during Tawaf and Sa’ee to call upon Allah with an open heart, and don’t limit yourself. Go big! Exert your best efforts!

Can a woman perform Umrah alone?

This is a popular question amongst women planning to perform Umrah and Hajj. To put it simply, women must travel with their mahram or husband to perform Umrah. Therefore a woman should not perform Umrah alone. So, you may be wondering: who is my mahram?

A mahram is a male relative who is forbidden for a woman to marry due to kinship, or being a foster brother through breastfeeding. A woman’s husband won’t fall under the category of mahram as she is able to marry him, therefore she can be accompanied by either a mahram or her husband.

In fact, the importance of a mahram has been stated by the Prophet ﷺ in a hadith narrated by Ibn ‘Abbas (ra):

((لَا يَخْلُوَنَّ رَجُلٌ بِاِمْرَأَةٍ إِلَّا وَمَعَهَا ذُو مَحْرَمٍ, وَلَا تُسَافِرُ اَلْمَرْأَةُ إِلَّا مَعَ ذِي مَحْرَمٍ))

“A man must never be alone with a woman unless there is a Mahram with her. A woman also may not travel with anyone except with a Mahram.” [1]

In the same hadith, a man asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ

((يَا رَسُولَ اَللَّهِ, إِنَّ اِمْرَأَتِي خَرَجَتْ حَاجَّةً, وَإِنِّي اِكْتُتِبْتُ فِي غَزْوَةِ كَذَا وَكَذَا))

“O Messenger of Allah! My wife has gone for Hajj while I am enlisted for such and such a battle, what should I do?”

The Prophet ﷺ instructed him to join his wife in Hajj.

In recent times, the Saudi Arabian authority has permitted women who are 45 years old or above to perform Hajj without a mahram as long as they are traveling with an organised group and submit a NOC (No Objection Certificate) from their mahram.

A woman should always seek a scholar’s advice regarding her personal circumstances.

Umrah dress code for women

Men and women are required to enter the state of ihram for Umrah. However, where men must wear the garment of ihram (consisting of two pieces, the izar and rida), there is no such requirement for women in ihram. Women may wear any clothing which meets the requirement of modesty. Women’s dress code should be simple, modest and not reveal her ‘awrah. Like men, women should not apply perfumes or fragrances, but for women this extends to jewellery and makeup too during Umrah.

It was also recorded that ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar narrated the Prophet ﷺ said:

((وَلاَ تَنْتَقِبِ الْمَرْأَةُ الْمُحْرِمَةُ وَلاَ تَلْبَسِ الْقُفَّازَيْنِ…))

“…The Muhrima (a woman in the state of ihram) should not cover her face, or wear gloves.” [2]

Can a woman perform Umrah while menstruating?

For many Muslims, Umrah may be a once in a lifetime pilgrimage which they may not have the chance to perform again. For women, menstruation is a huge factor to consider when planning for Umrah. Allah ﷻ ordained menstruation especially for the daughters of Adam, which affects some of their acts of worship. Umrah is no exception. Certain rituals of Umrah require for a woman to be free from menstruation such as the tawaf and salah of tawaf.

Therefore, it would be advisable to plan your Umrah ahead of time to avoid the days of menstruation is possible. However, if you find that you are tested with the onset of your menstruation during the time you booked, find solace in knowing that ‘A’isha radhiAllahu ‘anha, the Mother of the Believers, was tested in this way.

When ‘A’isha had set out with the Prophet ﷺ to perform Hajj, she got her menses. The Prophet ﷺ found our tearful mother and asked her:

((“‏ مَا لَكِ أَنُفِسْتِ ‏”)

“What is the matter with you? Have you got your menses?” [3]

When she responded yes, he informed her:

((‏”‏ إِنَّ هَذَا أَمْرٌ كَتَبَهُ اللَّهُ عَلَى بَنَاتِ آدَمَ، فَاقْضِي مَا يَقْضِي الْحَاجُّ، غَيْرَ أَنْ لاَ تَطُوفِي بِالْبَيْتِ ‏”‏‏))

“This is a thing which Allah has ordained for the daughters of Adam. So do what all the pilgrims do with the exception of the Tawaf around the Ka’ba.”

Plan your Umrah to the best of your ability to avoid any interruptions, and put your trust in Allah.

May Allah accept your Umrah!

Nominate a loved one to go to Umrah for Free

Do you know someone who needs Umrah to heal from hardship and trauma? Nominate them today and give them the gift of a lifetime.

[1] Bulugh al-Maram 718

[2] Sahih al-Bukhari 1838

[3] Sahih al-Bukhari 294

11

1

92% of readers found this article helpful. Did you?

Report an issue