Discussion of the manner of performing 'Umrah.

The Shaykh : As for how we perform Hajj? It is a matter of great importance, because acts of worship are not valid except with two things: sincerity to Allah, and conformity to the Shari'ah of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). Therefore, everyone who intends to perform Hajj must know how to perform it. And from where do we know how to perform Hajj? From the mouths of scholars, and from the books written on the subject by those whose knowledge and religion are trusted. And there are many books, praise be to Allah, written on the rites of pilgrimage, some very concise, some moderate, and some lengthy. But we will summarize this now in the following words. When you reach the miqat, take a ghusl as you would for major ritual impurity, then apply perfume, then put on the izār and the ridā', which are the garments of ihram. This is for the man. As for the woman, she wears whatever she wishes of clothing, except that she does not wear clothes of adornment that would make her display her beauty. Then pray two rak'ahs, the sunnah of wudu', or if the time for the obligatory prayer is present, pray the obligatory prayer. Then after that, get in your car and say: Labbaik Allahumma labbaik, labbaik la sharika laka labbaik, innal hamda wan ni'mata laka wal mulk, la sharika lak, labbaik 'umrah. So you respond with the talbiyah for 'Umrah, and you continue in the talbiyah. You increase in the talbiyah and raise your voice with it if you are a man. As for the woman, she says it quietly. And know that no tree, stone, or pebble hears your voice but it testifies for you on the Day of Resurrection. When you reach Makkah, hasten to perform the 'Umrah. Go to the Sacred Mosque, and enter the mosque, so advance your right foot and say: Bismillah, wa as-salamu 'ala rasulillah, Allahumma-ftah li abwāba rahmatik, as in the other mosques. Then proceed to the Ka'bah and begin the tawaf. You align yourself with the Black Stone, you face it, you turn toward it. If you are able to reach it easily without hardship for you or for the people, do so. Kiss it and wipe it with your hand. If you are not able, then pointing is sufficient. In this tawaf, two things are recommended for the man. The first thing is idtibā'. Idtibā' is that he places the ridā' under his right armpit and its two ends over his left shoulder throughout the tawaf. He does not perform idtibā' before the tawaf, and he does not perform idtibā' when he has finished the tawaf. As for the second recommended thing, it is ramal. But ramal is only recommended in the first three circuits. As for the remaining four, he walks in them as he usually walks. What does he say when touching the stone? He says the first time: Bismillah wa Allahu akbar, Allahumma imānan bika wa tawdīqan bi kitābik, wa wafā'an bi 'ahdika, wa ittibā'an li sunnati nabiyyika Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). Then when he goes around and aligns with the stone, he says Allahu akbar only. And what does he say when touching the Yemeni Corner? He says nothing, no takbir and no bismillah, because that was not reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). And what does he do with the Yemeni Corner? He touches it with his hand only, meaning he wipes it with his right hand only. There is no kissing of it, and no pointing to it if he is unable to touch it. Between the Yemeni Corner and the Black Stone, he says: . If the area around the Ka'bah is crowded and you finish this supplication before you align with the Black Stone, repeat it, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), when he supplicated, would supplicate three times, repeat three times, four times, five times, until you reach the Black Stone. When you have completed seven circuits, yes, before I say what do you say in the rest of the tawaf? What do you say? You say whatever you wish of dhikr, supplication, and recitation of the Qur'an, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: . As for the booklet that many pilgrims and 'Umrah performers have in their hands, which contains a supplication for each circuit, it is a bid'ah (religious innovation), and every bid'ah is misguidance, a bid'ah. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not assign a specific supplication to each circuit.