Umrah for women

Ihram for sisters

There are no special ihram clothes for women. Wear your ordinary modest clothing in any colour, with socks and shoes if you wish. Avoid perfume, including scented creams and deodorant. The face is not to be covered by anything that touches it, so if you wear a niqab, use a cap with a peak or a visor that holds the cloth away from the skin. The intention is the same as for brothers, and you recite the talbiyah quietly.

In tawaf and Sa'i

Sisters do not uncover the shoulder and do not walk with raml in tawaf, and they walk at an ordinary pace between the green lights in Sa'i. Kissing the Black Stone usually means pressing into crowds of men, so point to it from the line instead, which carries the reward of istilam without the harm. Pray the two rak'ahs of tawaf where there is space away from the men, even if that is further back from the Maqam.

Travelling with a mahram

In the Hanafi school a woman travels for Umrah with her husband or a mahram. Saudi rules now allow women to travel in groups without one, but that does not change the ruling of the school, so speak to a scholar about your own situation before you book.

If your period begins

You may enter ihram while on your period. Bathe for cleanliness, make the intention and recite the talbiyah, but leave the two rak'ahs. You then stay in ihram and keep its rules, and you may make dhikr, dua and salawat, but you do not enter the masjid or make tawaf until you are pure and have taken a ghusl. Then make your tawaf, Sa'i and cut your hair as usual.

If the period begins after you have finished tawaf, you may still complete Sa'i, since purity is not required for it. If your flight home is due before you expect to be pure, speak to a scholar before you travel, as there are answers for this situation and they depend on the details. Do not simply leave Makkah with the tawaf undone, because you would remain in ihram and could not be with your husband until it is completed.

Irregular bleeding outside the days of your period (istihadah) does not stop you. Make wudu for each salah time and carry on with every rite, tawaf included.

Questions sisters ask

This guide follows the Hanafi method and is based on Shaykh Mufti Wajid Iqbal's Umrah book, Essential Islam. For your own situation, ask a qualified scholar.