Ihram guide

The way of putting on Iḥrām for Hajj and ‘Umraĥ is the same. However, there is a slight difference in intention and its wording.

The details of intention are described in the next pages. First note the method of putting on Iḥrām.

1. 1. Trim nails.
2. 2. Remove armpits’ hair and pubic hair including the hair of the rear private part.
3. 3. Use Miswāk.
4. 4. Make Wuḍū.
5. 5. Perform Ghusl thoroughly.
6. 6. Apply fragrance to the body and Iḥrām shawls as it is a Sunnaĥ but don’t use any perfume that stains clothing like dry ambergris (umber).
7. 7. Removing sewn clothes, Islamic brothers should put on a piece of new or washed shawl to cover the upper body and use a similar cloth as Taĥband1 (i.e. a piece of cloth used to cover the lower part of the body).
8. 8. A belt with a pocket may also be worn to keep the passport or money etc. in it. Use a nylon or leather belt with a pocket on the front as it is strong and durable. A low-quality belt may tear, causing trouble.

Iḥrām of Islamic sisters

Islamic sisters are to wear their sewn clothes as usual. They may wear socks and gloves as well. They should keep their heads covered but should not wear such a veil that touches their face. However, they may use a book or a handheld fan in order to conceal their face from non-Maḥram men, when necessary. It is Ḥarām for women to hide the face in the state of Iḥrām with such a thing that is in contact with the face.

1 Taĥband must be thick enough to prevent the skin colour to be noticed and the other cloth could be of towelling.

Nafl Ṣalāĥ of Iḥrām

If it is not a Makrūĥ time, offer two Rak’āt Nafl Ṣalāĥ with the intention of Iḥrām (men should also keep their heads covered whilst offering this Ṣalāĥ). It is better to recite Sūraĥ al-Kāfirūn and Sūraĥ al-Ikhlāṣ after Sūraĥ al-Fātiḥaĥ in the first and the second Rak’at respectively.

Intention for ‘Umraĥ

Now the Islamic brothers with their heads uncovered and the Islamic sisters with their heads covered should make the following intention of ‘Umraĥ.

Translation: Yā Allah, I make the intention of ‘Umraĥ, make it easy for me and accept it from me. Help me in performing it and make it blessed for me. I have made intention for ‘Umraĥ and put on its Iḥrām for the sake of Allah.

After making the intention, it is essential to recite Labbayk at least once; reciting it thrice is preferable. Labbayk is as follows:

I am in attendance. Yā AllahI am in attendance. I am in attendance (and) You have no partners. I am in attendance. No doubt, all glorification and bounties are for You and also the sovereignty (is Yours), You have no partners.

O pilgrims to Madīnaĥ! You are now in the state of Iḥrām. This Labbayk is the most important invocation for you. Recite it abundantly while sitting, standing and walking.

Important ruling regarding intention

Remember! The intention of heart (willingness in heart) is in fact a valid intention. Whether one makes intention for Ṣalāĥ, fast, Iḥrām or for any other deed, if the intention is not present in his heart, mere verbal utterance of the words of the intention is not sufficient, and such an intention is not valid.

Keep also in mind that uttering the words of intention in Arabic is not necessary; one can also utter it in his mother tongue. Similarly, uttering the words of intention in any language is not necessary either; just the presence of intention in the heart is sufficient. However, uttering it verbally is better and uttering it in Arabic is even more preferable as Arabic is the sweet and elegant language of the Noble Prophet. Whenever one makes intention in Arabic, it is necessary to understand its meaning.

The literal meaning of Iḥrām is to declare a thing Ḥarām because even some Ḥalāl (lawful) acts become Ḥarām (unlawful) for the person who is in the state of Iḥrām. The Islamic brother who is in the state of Iḥrām is called Muḥrim whereas the Islamic sister is called Muḥrimaĥ.

Ḥarām acts in Iḥrām

The following acts are Ḥarām in the state of Iḥrām.

1. 1. For men to wear sewn clothes.
2. 2. To wear a cap or to tie a turban or handkerchief on the head.
3. 3. For men to place a bundle of clothes onto the head (Islamic sisters should keep their heads covered with shawls; they are not prohibited to place bundle of clothes onto the head).
4. 4. For men to wear gloves (no prohibition for women).
5. 5. For men to wear such socks or shoes that hide the instep (i.e. the raised middle part of the foot).
6. 6. To apply perfume to the body, clothes or hair
7. 7. To eat pure fragrance, e.g. cardamom, clove, cinnamon, saffron etc. or tie these into clothes. However, if these items are cooked with other food, there is no harm in eating them even if fragrance is emanating from them.
8. 8. To have intercourse, kiss, touch or hug the wife with lust, and see her vagina with lust.
9. 9. Every indecent act and all types of sins were already Ḥarām and have been more severely Ḥarām in the state of Iḥrām.
10. 10. Worldly conflicts and quarrels
11. 11. Hunting in the forest or even assisting in hunting in any way.

Eating, buying and selling meat, egg etc. of the hunted animal are also Ḥarām.

1. 12. Trimming one’s nails or having the nails trimmed by somebody else or trimming the nails of someone else.
2. 13. Cutting the hair of the head or the beard, removing armpits hair or under navel hair including pubic hair; removing even a single hair from any part of the body from head to foot.
3. 14. Dyeing (hair) with henna (Meĥndī)
4. 15. To apply olive or sesame oil to hair or the body even if the oil has no fragrance.
5. 16. Shaving someone’s head whether he is in Iḥrām or not.

(However, if the time of getting out of the restrictions of Iḥrām has arrived, one can shave one’s own head as well as that of anyone else.)

1. 17. Killing or throwing away a louse or signalling someone to kill it.

Washing clothes or placing them in sunlight with the intention of killing the louse. Applying anti-lice medicine etc. to hair. In other words, causing the louse to be killed in any way. [All of these acts are Ḥarām in the state of Iḥrām.]

(Baĥār-e-Sharī’at, vol. 1, pp. 1078-1079)

Makrūĥ acts in Iḥrām

1. 1. To remove dirt from the body.
2. 2. To wash hair or body with soap etc.
3. 3. To comb hair.
4. 4. To scratch (the body) in such a manner that hair may fall out or louse may fall from the head.
5. 5. To place a shirt or a coat etc. on the shoulder like wearing it.
6. 6. To smell a perfume deliberately.
7. 7. To smell fragrant fruits or leaves like lemon, orange, mint, etc.

(There is no harm in eating such things.)

1. 8. To sit in a perfume shop with the intention of smelling fragrance.
2. 9. To touch the emanating fragrance by the hand such that it does not come into contact with the hand; otherwise it would be Ḥarām.
3. 10. To eat or drink such a thing in which uncooked fragrance has been added. However, if the fragrance has neutralized, there is no harm in eating/drinking it.
4. 11. To get underneath the cover of the Holy Ka’baĥ such that it touches the head or the face.
5. 12. To cover the nose or any part of the face by a piece of cloth.
6. 13. To wear such unsewn cloth that is darned or patched.
7. 14. To lie on the stomach with the face on the pillow. (To sleep whilst lying on the stomach is forbidden at all times as it is a posture of the Hell-dwellers as mentioned in a Ḥadīš.)
8. 15. It is Makrūĥ to tie a Ta’wīż even if wrapped in unsewn cloth.

However, if a Ta’wīż wrapped in unsewn cloth is worn around the neck instead of being tied on the arm etc. there is no harm in it.

1. 16. To wrap a bandage around the head or the face.
2. 17. To wrap a bandage around any part of the body without a valid reason.
3. 18. To wear make-up (cosmetics).
4. 19. To tie knots at the ends of a shawl having worn it around shoulders with the head uncovered. To cover the head with it is Ḥarām.
5. 20. To tie a knot at both the ends of Taĥband (i.e. a piece of cloth used to cover the lower part of the body).
6. 21. It is permissible to wear a pocket-belt with the intention of keeping money etc. into it. However, it is Makrūĥ to wear such a belt or string with the intention of tightening the Taĥband.

Permissible acts in Iḥrām

1. 1. Using Miswāk
2. 2. Wearing a ring1
3. 3. To apply odourless kohl into eyes. However, it is Makrūĥ Tanzīĥī for the Muḥrim to use kohl unnecessarily. (If the Muḥrim applied fragrant kohl into the eyes once or twice, he would have to give a Ṣadaqaĥ. If he applied it three times or more, he would have to give a Dam.)
4. 4. To bathe without removing dirt from the body.
5. 5. Washing clothes (but it is Ḥarām to do so with the intention of killing lice).
6. 6. Scratching at the body or the head such that hair does not fall out.

1 Once a companion, wearing a brass ring, came to the court of the Beloved Prophet . He said, ‘Why is the smell of idol coming from you!’ Hearing this, the companion removed that brass-ring and threw it away. He then came again with an iron ring in his finger. Seeing this, the Noble Prophet said, ‘Why are you wearing ornaments of the Hell-dwellers!’ The companion threw that iron ring away and asked, ‘Yā Rasūlallāĥ , what sort of ring should I get made?’ The Holy Prophet replied, ‘Have a silver ring made and do not let it weigh up to one Mišqāl’ (Abū Dāwūd, vol. 4, pp. 122, Ḥadīš 4223) In other words, its weight must be less than 4.5 Māshaĥ.

Islamic brothers are allowed to wear only one silver ring which weighs less than 4.5 Māshaĥ (i.e., 4 grams and 374mg). There must be only one gem in the ring; they shouldn’t wear the ring without a gem either; there is no limit for the weight of the gem. A stoneless ring of silver or any other metal (even if it was made in Madīna-tul-Munawwaraĥ) cannot be worn. Similarly, a ring made of any other metal (e.g. gold, copper, brass, steel, etc.) except that of silver with weight limitation described above cannot also be worn. For men to wear a chain made of gold, silver or any metal around the neck is a sin. Islamic sisters may wear rings and chains made of gold and silver. There is no limitation of weight or gem for them. (For detailed information regarding the rulings of ring, study from page 408 to 412 of the book ‘Faizān-e-Sunnat, volume-2, chapter ‘Naykī kī Dawat’ part-1)

1. 7. To use an umbrella or to sit under shade.
2. 8. To tuck the ends of the upper shawl in Taĥband.
3. 9. To extract teeth.
4. 10. To detach a broken nail.
5. 11. To rupture a pimple.
6. 12. To remove hair from the eye.
7. 13. To perform circumcision.
8. 14. To have cupping (provided no hair is removed).
9. 15. To kill pest and harmful creatures such as the rat, the lizard, the snake, the scorpion, the mosquito, the fly etc. To kill them in Ḥaram is also allowed.
10. 16. To wrap a bandage around any part of the body except for the head and the face1.
11. 17. To place a pillow under one’s head or cheek.
12. 18. To cover ears with a cloth.
13. 19. To place one’s own hand or someone else’s hand onto the nose or the head. (Cloth or handkerchief cannot be placed.)
14. 20. To cover the chin below the beard with a cloth.
15. 21. For a Muḥrim to place a sack of cereals on the head is permissible but it is Ḥarām for him to place a bundle of clothes onto his head. However, a Muḥrimaĥ is allowed to place both the things onto her head.

1 Although a Muḥrim can wrap a bandage around the head or the face in case of compulsion he will have to pay expiation for it. See its ruling on page 119.

1. 22. To eat the food in which clove, cinnamon, etc. have been cooked.

It does not matter even if fragrance is still emanating from it.

Similarly, it is permissible to eat the food or drink the beverage in which uncooked fragrance has been added and the fragrance does not emanate from it.

1. 23. To apply ghee or fat or bitter oil or the oil of almond, coconut or lettuce to the body or hair provided these things have no fragrance.
2. 24. It is permissible to wear such shoes that do not hide the instep (i.e. the raised middle part of the foot). [Hence the Muḥrim is advised to wear flip-flops, i.e. an open sandal with a thong between the big and the second toe.]
3. 25. To wear a Ta’wīż around the neck, wrapped in an unsewn piece of cloth.
4. 26. To slaughter domesticated animals such as the camel, the goat, the hen, the cow etc. It is also allowed to sell, purchase, cut and eat their meat. (Baĥār-e-Sharī’at, vol. 1, pp. 1081-1082)

Difference in Iḥrām of man and woman

The abovementioned rulings of Iḥrām apply equally to men and women both. However, there are some other permissible acts for women. These days, sewn scarves are sold in markets in the name of Iḥrām. Due to lack of knowledge, Islamic sisters consider those scarves to be a part of their Iḥrām, which is wrong. They should wear sewn cloths as usual. However, if they wear such scarves without deeming them necessary by Shar’ī, there is no harm in it.

1. 1. To conceal the head. It is Farḍ (for a woman) to conceal the head during Ṣalāĥ as well as in the presence of non-Maḥram males (including her maternal and paternal cousins, especially her sister’s husband).

It is Ḥarām for a woman to appear before non-Maḥram males whilst her head is not concealed or whilst she is wearing such a thin shawl that the blackness of her hair is visible. For a woman to come before non-Maḥram males with her head uncovered is Ḥarām and it is more strictly Ḥarām in the state of Iḥrām.

1. 2. Since Muḥrimaĥ is allowed to conceal her head, she may also carry bundle of clothes onto her head.
2. 3. To tie a sewn Ta’wīż on the arm or the neck.
3. 4. To get underneath the cover of the Holy Ka’baĥ such that it remains on her head without coming into contact with her face as it is Ḥarām even for a woman to cover her face with a piece of cloth. (These days, people apply a lot of fragrance to the cover of the Holy Ka’baĥ, therefore, women should also be careful in the state of Iḥrām.)
4. 5. To wear gloves, socks and sewn clothes.
5. 6. Since it is Ḥarām for the Muḥrimaĥ to cover her face with a veil in the state of Iḥrām such that it touches her face, she should keep some cardboard or handheld fan near her face (without it touching the face) for veiling from non-Maḥram males. (Baĥār-e- Sharī’at, vol. 1, pp. 1083)
6. 7. Islamic sisters can wear such caps that have veils attached to the brims, making sure that the veil does not touch the face.

However, there is the risk of the veil coming into contact with the face when strong wind is blowing. Moreover, there is also the chance that they might wipe sweat from the face with the same veil. Therefore, they must take great care.

1. 1. When buying Iḥrām, unfold and check it whether it fits you. If you bought the Iḥrām without checking, and it turned out to be unfit at the time of your departure, you might face a painful ordeal.
2. 2. Practice how to put on Iḥrām at home before your departure.
3. 3. You will be at ease in Ṣalāĥ etc. if you use a cotton shawl for covering the lower part of the body and a towel shawl for the upper part of the body.
4. 4. Practice walking at home after you have put on Iḥrām and belt etc. One who has put on Iḥrām for the first time might face difficulty because the Iḥrām may be fastened very tightly or be unfastened.
5. 5. The cotton shawl of Iḥrām should be thick and of good quality.

Thin cloth might stick to the body because of sweat, making the colour of thighs etc. visible. Some types of cloth are so thin that the colour of thighs etc is visible even when the body is not sweating.

It is stated on page 194 of the 496 pages-containing book‘Laws of Ṣalāĥ’published by Maktaba-tul-Madīnaĥ, the publishing department of Dawat-e-Islami: ‘If someone wears such thin clothing that exposes such a part of the body which is Farḍ to be concealed in Ṣalāĥ, or that exposes the colour of skin (of that part), the Ṣalāĥ will not be valid. (Baĥār-e-Sharī’at, vol. 1, pp. 480)

(Fatāwā ‘Ālamgīrī, vol. 1, pp. 58) Nowadays, the trend of wearing thin clothing is growing. Wearing such thin clothes that expose any part of thigh or Satr is Ḥarām even when not offering Ṣalāĥ.

(Baĥār-e-Sharī’at, vol. 1, pp. 480)

1. 6. It is a Sunnaĥ to apply fragrance to Iḥrām before you have made the intention. Do apply fragrance to Iḥrām but do not put the bottle of fragrance into the pocket of the belt you are wearing, because fragrance may come into contact with your hand if you put the hand into the pocket after you have made the intention.

If so much amount of fragrance has come into contact with the hand that others consider it to be ‘more’Damwill be Wājib. If they consider it less, Ṣadaqaĥ will be due. If the liquid of the fragrance has not come into contact, but rather it has only caused the hand to have fragrance, there will be no expiation in this case. If you want to put the bottle of fragrance into your bag etc. wrap it in some polythene bag and then put it at such a place where it will not come into contact with your hand etc.

1. 7. If the upper shawl has slipped down from shoulders and the Muḥrim is going to draw it up, he should take care that it neither touches his own head or face nor that of any other Muḥrim. I1 have personally seen that the upper shawls of some Muḥrim when being drawn up had caught on the bald heads of other Muḥrims.
2. 8. Many Muḥrims tie Taĥband2 of Iḥrām from beneath their navel.

Sometimes the upper shawl falls from their shoulders due to carelessness, exposing some part of the body beneath the navel.

Such Muḥrims do not usually care about it at all. Similarly sometimes thighs etc. become exposed to others when some Muḥrims walk or sit carelessly3.

1 The author, Amīr-e-Aĥl-e-Sunnat

2 i.e. a piece of cloth used to cover the lower part of the body.

3 See the method of observing veil within veil in the glossary given at the end of the book.

Please remember this important ruling that the body of man from below the navel up to and including the knees is his ‘Satr’ (i.e. the body parts which must be kept covered), and exposing even a small portion of it to others without Shar’ī permission is Ḥarām.

Note: These rulings regarding veiling of man’s ‘Satr’ are not confined to Iḥrām. Even when not in Iḥrām, it is Ḥarām to expose one’s Satr to others or to look at the Satr of others.

1. 9. Some Muḥrims tie Taĥband of Iḥrām from beneath their navel, carelessly exposing some portion of their under navel belly in the presence of others. It is stated inBaĥār-e-Sharī’at:If one fourth (1/4) portion of the under navel belly remains uncovered, Ṣalāĥ will not be valid. Some people are so careless in this matter that their knees and thighs are uncovered in the presence of others. This is Ḥarām (even when not in the state of Iḥrām or not offering Ṣalāĥ). If someone is habitual of doing this, he is a transgressor. (Baĥār-e-Sharī’at, vol. 1, pp. 481)

An important caution

If the acts impermissible in the state of Iḥrām occur due to some compulsion or by mistake, though there will be no sin, the penalty imposed by Sharī’aĥ in this regard must be paid even if these acts take place during sleep or under coercion. (Baĥār-e-Sharī’at, vol. 1, pp. 1083)

May I put on Iḥrām and perform Hajj and ‘Umraĥ

May I enjoy performing Sa’ī of Ṣafā and Marwaĥ