Ihram in Hajj and Umrah - Important for Those Who Want to Hajj or Umrah
Ihram is part of the pilgrimage and umrah pilgrimage. So it
is very important to learn for anyone who wants to carry out the Hajj and Umrah
pilgrimage. It is equally important to learn about the Miqat (the mawaqeet)
The Ihram is the practical intention of beginning the
rituals of the Hajj or the Umrah. It
is also the name of the towels the pilgrim wraps around himself.
The Purpose of Ihram
Allah has made His Inviolable House sacred, and assigned
inviolable points of entry as sacred, that no one may cross them before
performing certain rituals and certain intention. It is the Sunnah to have a
shower before wearing the Ihram, to shave the armpits, clip the nails, wear
perfume, and wrap himself from below the chest with white fabric, and drape
another piece over the shoulders. The pilgrim must avoid wearing any sewn
garment, socks or shoes, and to perform thereafter, two Rak'aat making
intention in his mind of what he is about to perform Hajj or Umrah then to
recite in an audible voice:
{O Allah! Here I am responding to Your call to perform
(naming what he intends to do Hajj or Umrah) and to follow that by saying:
"If I am held back by an obstacle I may break my Ihram in the place in
which You hold me."} Thus, if anything happens to him such as sickness or
any reason that may prevent him from performing his rituals, he may break his
Ihram without having to expiate for it.
It is praiseworthy for the pilgrim to say upon commencing
the Hajj rites: "O Allah! Here I am responding to You in performing the
Hajj." If he wants to perform the Hajj or to say: "in performing the
Umrah" (depending on his intention). * It is the Sunnah to recite the
following Talbiyah after entering the state of Ihram:
{Here I am O Allah. Her I am! Here I am O Allah. Her I am! Surely all the praise is Yours, and the Dominion. There is no associate with You. Here I am!} A man recites the above in an audible voice, while a woman privately. * He who performs the Umrah stops Talbiyah once he commences the Tawaf or circumambulation while a person performing Hajj stops it upon throwing the stones at Jamrat al-Aqabah.
Conclusions About Ihram in Hajj and Umrah
That is the initial explanation of ihram in the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimage. We will continue in more detail in the next article.