How To Perform Hajj – A Step By Step Guide with Pictures and Video

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↓3 – Be Ready To Enter The Religion

Once you enter the sacred state of Ihram, you must forbid smoking, swearing, shaving, cutting one’s nails, and sexual intercourse. You should avoid indecent clothing, makeup and perfume etc.

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↓4 – Perform The Rituals Of Umrah

The first and foremost rite of Hajj or Umrah is entering the state of purity; the Ihram. Before entering Ihram, you must clean yourself, remove unwanted hair and avoid putting any cologne or perfume. For men, Ihram is a plain white sheet which they must wrap around their waist and wear the other over their upper body. They should avoid covering their head and  use simple flip flops for their feet. As for women, there is no specific piece of clothing, they should just be clean and modest and avoid makeup and perfume.

After entering the state of Ihram, pilgrims must recite Niyyah at Miqat with the intention of completing Umrah and then they should recite Talbiyah, which is prayer repeated frequently during the pilgrimage.

↓5 – Move Towrads Ka’bah To Perform Tawaf And Sa’ey

When you first put your eyes on Ka’bah, you must recite holy verses, pray to Allah (SWT) and blessings for the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). Then, start Tawaf – You are supoosed to walk clockwise so that the Ka’bah stays at your left. You must complete seven circles of the Ka’bah praying what so ever. There are no specific prayers to be recited during Tawaf, so you can pray from your heart or any prayer that you usually use in your daily lives.

After performing Tawaf, Muslims are required to perform Sa’ey. In Islam, it means to walk or run between the mountains of Safa and Marwa. Once you are done walking between Safa and Marwa seven times, men are supposed to cut their hair short or either completely shaved. However, if a man does not want to shave his head completely during Umrah then he should do it after he has performed the rites of Hajj. Whereas women can just trim their hair a little.

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↓6 – Performing The Rites Of Hajj – First Day

The first thing after the break from Umrah is to get back in the form of purity again; the Ihram. Muslims who perform Tamattu type of Hajj get this break between their Umrah and Hajj. After Ihram, Muslims say another Niyyah and head towards Mina, a small town near Makkah city, where the saudia government provides thousands of air conditioned tents for pilgrims where women and men stay in seprate tents.

↓7 – Arafat – Second Day

There are no specific rituals on the first day, however on the second day Muslims are required to reach Arafat, a mountain nearby before afternoon so they can perform ‘Wuquf’. Prophet Muhammad (SAW) gave his last sermon on this mount hence this is known as the Mount Mercy. After the tiring journey of  14.4 km journey from Mina to Arafat, pilgrims spend the day here in respectful prayers.

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↓8 – Muzdalifah

After the sundown, pilgrims move back but now towards Muzalifah, a place between Mina and Arafat. Here they collect pebbles for the ritual of Rami which they have to perform later and then spend the night under the sky.

↓9 – Stoning The Devil – Third Day

Before dawn Muslims head back to Mina and perform the ritual of ‘Rami’ which is symbolized as stoning the devil. The pilgrims are required to throw seven pebbles at the largest of the three monuments known as Jamrat ul Aqabah. This can be a very tense and emotional ceremony because of the crowd and the historical importance it holds.

After the pilgrims are done performing Rami, they are required to perform sacrifice. Earlier each pilgrim used to do it by themselves however, it has been made a lot easier now. The pilgrims are supposed to buy a sacrifice voucher and then a qualified expert will perform the sacrifice in your name. Sacrifice can be performed on the 10th,11th or 12th of Dhul hijjah however it is important that it is being done after one has performed Rami. Lastly, after the sacrifice men are required to shave their heads and women are required to cut a little part of their hair.

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↓10 – Tawaf And Sa’ey

After the sacrifice and hair cutting ceremony, Muslims move towards Makkah to perform tawaf and sa’ey just like they performed during Umrah. Once this is done, Muslims can remove their Ihram and then they are supposed to head back to Mina for the night.

↓11 – Fourth And Fifth Day Of Hajj

Now that the Muslims are back in Mina, they must participate in the Rami ceremony again on the fourth and fifth day of Hajj after the sundown. However this time they should also throw pebbles at the other two monuments i.e. Jamrat Oolah and Jamrat Wustah.

↓12 – Farewell Tawaf

Once every ritual has been performed Muslims should wait till the very last of their stay at Makkah and then perform a farewell Tawaf just to thank Allah (SWT) for choosing them for this life-changing journey.