I want to perform 'Umrah. What are the conditions of 'Umrah, and is it possible to dedicate it to the soul of my deceased father?

The questioner : I want to perform 'Umrah. What are the conditions of 'Umrah? And is it possible to dedicate it to the soul of my deceased father?

The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions.
'Umrah is among the rituals of Allah (Mighty and Majestic): It has obligatory acts and pillars, and its description is that when a person reaches the miqat, he takes a ghusl (full ritual bath) as he would for janabah (major ritual impurity), and wears an izar (lower garment) and a rida' (upper garment). It is better if they are white and clean. He applies perfume to his head and beard, but not to his izar or rida'. He says: "Labbaik Allahumma 'Umrah, Labbaik Allahumma Labbaik, Labbaik la sharika laka Labbaik, innal hamda wan ni'mata laka wal mulk, la sharika laka" (Here I am, O Allah, for 'Umrah. Here I am, O Allah, here I am. Here I am, You have no partner, here I am. Indeed, praise and blessing are Yours, and dominion, You have no partner). He continues to recite the talbiyah until he begins the tawaf. When he reaches al-Masjid al-Haram, he enters it with his right foot first, saying: "In the name of Allah, and may the prayer and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah. O Allah, forgive my sins and open for me the gates of Your mercy." Then he proceeds to the Black Stone, touches it with his right hand, i.e., wipes it and kisses it, if that is possible. If it is not possible, he points to it. Then he places the Ka'bah on his left and performs seven circuits, hurrying in the first three circuits. Hurrying means walking quickly with short steps without shaking the shoulders. He performs idhtiba' (exposing the right shoulder) in all of the tawaf, in every circuit. The description of idhtiba' is that he exposes his right shoulder and places the ends of the rida' on his left shoulder. This idhtiba' is not prescribed except in the tawaf only; it is not prescribed from the time of entering ihram, as the common people think. Rather, when you begin the tawaf, you perform idhtiba' until you finish it. In your tawaf, you supplicate as you wish and remember Allah (Mighty and Majestic), except that when you pass the Black Stone, you say takbir (Allahu Akbar) every time you pass it, and you say between it and the Yemeni Corner: .
It has become widespread among many people to have booklets containing specific supplications for each circuit. These specific supplications for each circuit are not from the Sunnah, but are a bid'ah (religious innovation), so we do not advise you to do so. Rather, supplicate to Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He) with your need that is in your heart, which you want and you know its meaning, and be humble to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) in its fulfillment. As for these written supplications, many people recite them as if they are just letters, not knowing their meaning at all. When you finish the tawaf, pray two rak'ahs behind the Maqam Ibrahim, close to it if possible, or far away if not. In the first rak'ah, you recite: after al-Fatihah, and in the second: after al-Fatihah. You make these two rak'ahs brief and do not sit after them, but you proceed to the Sa'y area. Know that there is no specific supplication at the Maqam Ibrahim, because it was not reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). When you finish the two rak'ahs, head to the Sa'y area. When you approach it from al-Safa, recite the saying of Allah the Exalted: "I begin with what Allah began with." Then climb to al-Safa, face the qiblah, raise your hands, say takbir, praise Allah, and say: "La ilaha illa Allah wahdahu la sharika lah, lahul mulku wa lahul hamd, wa huwa 'ala kulli shay'in qadir. La ilaha illa Allah wahdah, anjaza wa'dah, wa nasara 'abduh, wa hazamal ahzab wahdah" (There is no god but Allah alone, without partner. His is the dominion and His is the praise, and He is over all things competent. There is no god but Allah alone. He fulfilled His promise, and He helped His servant, and He defeated the confederates alone). Then supplicate to Allah the Exalted as you wish, while you remain standing on al-Safa. Then repeat the dhikr again, then repeat the supplication, then repeat the dhikr a third time. Then proceed to al-Marwah, walking normally, until you reach the green flag (the green pole). When you reach this green pole, perform sa'y, meaning run vigorously, on the condition that you do not harm anyone, until you reach the second green flag. Then walk normally to al-Marwah. When you reach al-Marwah, you say what you said on al-Safa. This is one circuit. When you return from al-Marwah to al-Safa, it is another circuit. When you complete seven circuits, the sa'y is completed. At that time, you shave your head or cut it short. The cutting must cover the entire head, not just a part of it or a few hairs. With this, the 'Umrah is completed and you exit from it. So wear your clothes. If you return to your country directly, there is no farewell tawaf required for you. If you delay in Makkah, do not leave Makkah until you perform the farewell tawaf without sa'y. You perform the farewell tawaf without sa'y, and you are in your clothes; you do not need the clothes of ihram in this case. You leave and make the farewell tawaf your last act.
This is the description of 'Umrah. The scholars said that its pillars are: ihram, tawaf, and sa'y. Its obligatory acts are that the ihram is from the miqat, and shaving or cutting the hair.
And the statementThe questioner : Is it permissible for me to dedicate the 'Umrah to the soul of my father? We say in answer to this: If you have already performed the 'Umrah for yourself, there is no blame on you to make the 'Umrah for your father. If you have not performed it for yourself, start with yourself first. However, we say: If the 'Umrah was not obligatory upon your father, it is better that you supplicate for your father and make the 'Umrah for yourself, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) guided his Ummah to supplication rather than donating the reward. He said (peace and blessings be upon him): And he did not say (peace and blessings be upon him): "Or a righteous son who performs 'Umrah for him, or Hajj for him, or fasts for him, or prays for him." If this had been better, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would have guided to it, because he (may the prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) does not leave any good he knows without guiding his Ummah to it, due to the perfection of his advice (may the prayers and peace of Allah be upon him) and his compassion for his Ummah. And you will need to do good deeds, indeed you are in need of good deeds even in this world, because in doing good deeds is the rectification of the heart, its illumination, and the increase of good. Allah the Exalted said: And Allah (Mighty and Majestic) said: So make the righteous deeds for yourself and for those you love. Make supplication for him; this is the best and the most excellent. Yes.

The questioner : May Allah bless you. We also move on to his second question, and he says in it.