What is disliked and what is allowed in the pilgrim's state (ihram)
Acts that are merely disliked in the pilgrim's state (ihram), with no expiation attached, and the long list of everyday things that remain fully permitted.
Besides the things that are fully forbidden in ihram, there are some things that are just better avoided: these are called disliked, or makruh. Doing them is not a sin that needs paying for, but it is best not to do them. There are also many everyday things that stay completely fine to do.
Better to avoid, but no payment needed
- Wiping dirt off your body, or combing or untangling your hair or beard, if it might pull hair out.
- Scratching your head, beard or body hard enough that hair might fall out.
- Tying cloth around your neck, or covering your head or face so the cloth touches it.
- Wearing an outer coat or cape over your shoulders.
- Sewing or tying the ends of your ihram cloth or belt together with a needle or string.
- Wearing a black, yellow, or blue cloth that has no fragrance on it.
- Smelling or touching something fragrant, as long as it does not actually touch your hand, or smelling fragrant flowers, fruit, or plants.
- Sitting close to a perfume-seller's shop just to smell the perfumes.
- Bandaging part of your body other than your head or face, without being ill.
- Covering your nose or chest with cloth, though covering it with your hand is fine.
- Eating or drinking food whose natural ingredients have a strong smell, even though it is not perfume.
- Sleeping face-down with your forehead on a pillow.
The acts in this list are disliked in ihram: things like combing or scratching hard enough to pull hair out, covering the head or face so the cloth touches it, wearing a coat over the shoulders, sewing the ihram cloth, wearing a coloured cloth, or sitting by a perfume shop to smell it. Doing them is not a sin that needs paying for, but it is better to avoid them, as Umar told Talhah when he saw him in a dyed garment.
12On the other side, plenty of ordinary things stay allowed. For example: taking a bath, washing your clothes, wearing a ring, resting in the shade, using a miswak, looking in a mirror, having a tooth pulled, treating a wound or broken bone, eating fish, and gently scratching an itch without pulling hair out.
Beyond the acts that carry a penalty, ihram has a further set of acts that are simply disliked (makrūh), better avoided, but not requiring expiation. Alongside these sits a long list of everyday actions that remain fully permitted.
Disliked, without any expiation: removing dirt from the body; untangling or combing the hair of the head or beard, or scratching it or the body hard enough to dislodge hair or kill lice; tying cloth around the neck; covering the head or face so the cloth touches it; wearing an outer coat or cape; sewing, cutting, or tying the ends of the ihram cloth or a belt with a needle or thread; wearing a non-fragrant black, yellow, or blue cloth; smelling or touching a fragrant substance as long as it does not touch the hand, or smelling fragrant flowers, fruit, or herbs; sitting by a perfumer's shop to smell the scent; bandaging any part of the body other than the head or face without illness; covering the nose or chest with cloth (the hand is not included); eating or drinking food whose raw ingredients carry an overpowering, though non-added, fragrance; and sleeping with the forehead pressed into a pillow, face down.
The acts listed here are disliked (makruh) in ihram but carry no expiation: removing dirt, combing or scratching so as to dislodge hair, tying cloth round the neck, covering the head or face so the cloth touches it, wearing an outer coat, sewing or tying the ihram cloth, wearing an unscented coloured cloth, smelling fragrance without touching it, bandaging without illness, and covering the nose or chest with cloth. Umar's reproof of Talhah for a dyed garment in ihram shows the point: better avoided, especially by one whom others follow, though no penalty follows. Shade held above the pilgrim, as Bilal held the Prophet's ﷺ garment over him, is not covering the head.
12| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Cleanliness | Bathing for purification, cooling off, or washing clothes; a mirror; a miswak; kohl without fragrance |
| Dress and carrying items | A ring; a sword or belt on a strap, even sewn or silk; resting the head in shade; draping a shirt as a shawl; wrapping a turban round the waist untied; carrying a basin, tray, or box on the head briefly |
| Medical care | Pulling a tooth; cupping or stitching a wound without removing hair; circumcision; removing a dead organ; setting a broken limb; a bandage; applying oil to a wound |
| Food | Fish; meat hunted by someone not in ihram; cooked food whose added fragrance has faded; ghee, fat, or oil if unscented |
| Plants and animals | Cutting grass or trees outside the Haram; killing a genuinely threatening animal: a snake, scorpion, or biting insect other than lice |
| Other | Reading proper poetry; arranging or contracting a marriage; slaughtering a domestic animal; gently scratching without pulling hair out or bruising; disciplining a servant lightly; sitting near a perfumer without intending to smell the scent |
Lice may not be killed deliberately, since removing them counts as cleaning the body of dirt, which ihram does not permit; one that falls off naturally may be killed.
Separate from the jināyāt that carry kaffārah, ihram carries a tier of acts that are makrūh without expiation, and a long roster of acts that remain permitted outright.
Makrūh, no kaffārah: removing dirt from the body; combing or untangling the hair of the head or beard, or scratching the beard, head, or body hard enough to dislodge hair or kill lice; tying cloth around the neck; covering the head or face so that the cloth touches it; wearing outer garments such as coats or capes; sewing, cutting, or tying the ends of a cloak or belt with a needle or thread, or sewing the two ends of the cloth together; wearing a non-fragrant black, yellow, or blue cloth; smelling or touching fragrant substances provided the substance itself does not touch the hand; smelling fragrant flowers, fruits, or herbs; sitting by a perfumer's shop to smell the fragrance; bandaging any part of the body other than the head or face absent illness; covering the nose or chest with cloth (covering with the hand is excluded); eating or drinking food in which the raw material's own fragrance has become overpowering, though not added deliberately; and sleeping with the forehead against a pillow, face down.
The acts in this roster are makruh for the muhrim without kaffarah: removing dirt, combing or scratching so as to dislodge hair or kill lice, tying cloth round the neck, covering the head or face so that the cloth touches it, wearing coats or capes, sewing or tying the ends of the izar or rida, wearing an unscented dyed cloth, smelling fragrance that does not touch the hand, sitting by a perfumer to smell it, bandaging absent illness, and covering the nose or chest with cloth. Umar's reproof of Talhah for a dyed garment in ihram, on the ground that people follow their leaders, is the model of karahah without penalty; and the shading of the Prophet ﷺ by a garment held above him until he stoned Jamrat al-Aqabah marks the line between shade, which is permitted, and cloth touching the head, which is disliked.
12| No. | Permitted act |
|---|---|
| 1 | Ghusl for purification |
| 2 | Bathing to cool off, or immersion in water |
| 3 | Washing clothes |
| 4 | Wearing a ring |
| 5 | A sword hung on a strap, even sewn leather or silk |
| 6 | Carrying weapons and fighting the enemies of Islam |
| 7 | A belt, even if sewn |
| 8 | Resting the head or face in the shade of a wall, mountain, building, or tent |
| 9 | Unscented kohl (fragrant kohl: sadaqah once or twice, damm beyond that) |
| 10 | Looking in a mirror |
| 11 | Using a miswāk |
| 12 | Extracting a tooth |
| 13 | Cutting broken nails |
| 14 | Cupping without removing hair |
| 15 | Stitching a wound without removing hair |
| 16 | Circumcision |
| 17 | Removing a dead organ |
| 18 | Setting broken limbs |
| 19 | Applying a bandage |
| 20 | Draping a shirt over the shoulders, or tying its ends |
| 21 | Wrapping a turban round the waist without tying a knot |
| 22 | Resting the ends of a shawl across the chest |
| 23 | A cloak or robe over the shoulders without inserting the arms |
| 24 | Resting the head or face on a pillow |
| 25 | Covering the head or face with one's own or another's hand |
| 26 | Shoes, cut socks, or sandals, ankles left visible |
| 27 | Covering the beard from under the chin, the ears, neck, or body other than the head and face |
| 28 | Carrying a basin, tray, box, cot, or similar on the head briefly (a full day/night: sadaqah; large bundles: not permitted) |
| 29 | Eating meat hunted and slaughtered by someone not in ihram |
| 30 | Hunting outside the Haram without a partner in ihram |
| 31 | Eating fish |
| 32 | Cooked food whose added fragrance has faded |
| 33 | Raw food whose added fragrance is imperceptible |
| 34 | Ghee, fat, oil, or tallow, if unscented |
| 35 | Applying oil to a wound or boil |
| 36 | Cutting grass or trees outside the Haram |
| 37 | Reading poetry free of anything inappropriate |
| 38 | Contracting a marriage, for oneself or another |
| 39 | Slaughtering domestic animals: camels, cows, goats, chickens |
| 40 | Gently scratching without nails, provided no hair falls or bruising results |
| 41 | Sitting near a perfumer without intending to smell the fragrance |
| 42 | Disciplining an ill-mannered servant with a light beating |
| 43 | Killing predatory or harmful animals: crows, eagles, snakes, scorpions, rats, harmful insects, excluding lice |
| 44 | Lice may not be killed deliberately, as their removal resembles cleaning bodily filth, which ihram does not permit |
This is the English translation of Nisab Ahle Khidmaat Sharia, exactly as the book has it, for the passages this page was written from. About 749 words. Switch back to Guide for the rewritten version.
Disliked Actions during the State of Ihram
The actions that are disliked in the state of Ihram and do not require expiation are mentioned here. Removing dirt from the body, untangling the hair, combing the hair of the head or beard, scratching the beard, head, or body forcibly, which might cause the hair to fall or the lice to die, tying the cloth around the neck, covering the head or face in such a manner that it touches the head or face, wearing outer garments like coats, capes, etc., tying the cloth around the shoulders without both sleeves or one sleeve, sewing, cutting, or tying the cloth at the ends of a cloak or a belt, using a needle or string, sewing the two ends of the cloth together, wearing a non-fragrant black, yellow, or blue cloth, smelling or touching fragrant substances, as long as the substance itself does not touch the hand, smelling fragrant flowers, fruits, and herbs, sitting in front of a perfumer's shop to smell perfumes, bandaging any part of the body other than the head or face without illness, covering the nose or chest with a cloth—all of these actions are disliked. However, covering with the hand is not disliked. Eating or drinking food in which the raw material's fragrance has become overpowering, even though it has a scent, and sleeping with the forehead on a pillow facing down is also disliked.
Permissible Actions in the State of Ihram
The following actions are permissible during the state of Ihram:
- Taking a bath for purification.
- Bathing to remove dust and heat or immersing oneself in water.
- Washing clothes for cleanliness.
- Wearing a ring.
- Hanging a sword with a strap, even if the strap is made of silk or sewn leather.
- Carrying weapons and fighting the enemies of Islam.
- Wearing a belt, even if it is sewn.
- Resting the head or face in the shade of a house, wall, mountain, building, canopy, or tent.
- Applying kohl without fragrance. [If fragrant kohl is applied once or twice, giving charity (Sadaqah) is required; if applied more than that, a penalty (Damm) becomes necessary.]
- Looking in a mirror.
- Using a tooth stick (miswak).
- Extracting a tooth.
- Cutting broken nails.
- Drawing blood through cupping without removing hair.
- Stitching a wound without removing any hair.
- Performing circumcision.
- Removing a dead organ.
- Setting broken limbs.
- Applying a bandage.
- Draping a shirt over the shoulders as a shawl or tying its ends.
- Wrapping a turban around the waist without tying a knot.
- Resting the ends of a shawl across the chest.
- Using a cloak, tunic, or long robe over the shoulders without inserting arms.
- Resting the head or face on a pillow.
- Covering the head or face with one’s hand or another person’s hand.
- Wearing shoes, cut socks, or sandals, as long as the ankles remain visible.
- Covering the beard from the underside of the chin, ears, neck, or body other than the head and face.
- Carrying items such as a basin, trough, pot, tray, dish, bag, sack, basket, plank, box, cot, or cradle on the head is permissible during Ihram. However, this should be for a short period. [Carrying such items on the head for an entire day or night requires giving charity (Sadaqah).] Large items such as bundles of clothes or blankets should not be carried.
- Eating the meat of desert game hunted and slaughtered by someone not in Ihram.
- Hunting in areas outside the Haram without a partner who is in Ihram.
- Eating fish.
- Eating cooked food with added fragrance, as long as the fragrance dissipates and isn’t detectable.
- Consuming raw food in which fragrance, if added, isn’t perceivable.
- Eating clarified butter (ghee), fat, oil, or tallow as long as they are fragrance-free.
- Applying oil to wounds or boils.
- Plucking or cutting grass and trees outside the Haram, whether dry or green.
- Reading poetry as long as it doesn’t contain anything inappropriate.
- Performing or contracting a marriage on behalf of someone else or for oneself.
- Slaughtering domestic animals like camels, cows, goats, chickens, etc.
- Gently scratching the beard or any body part with fingers without nails, ensuring no hair falls off. Scratching hard enough to create bumps or slight bleeding is also allowed.
- Sitting near a perfume seller without intending to smell fragrance.
- Disciplining an ill-mannered servant by beating him lightly.
- Killing predatory animals that threaten or attack, such as crows, eagles, snakes, scorpions, rats, and harmful insects, excluding lice.
- Lice must not be killed as they are naturally produced by the body and their removal resembles cleaning oneself from bodily filth, which isn’t allowed.
Related
- What is forbidden in the pilgrim's state (ihram), and the penalty for each The acts forbidden once the pilgrim's state (ihram) is entered (intimacy, perfume, cutting hair or nails, covering the head, hunting) and the sacrifice or charity each requires.
- How a woman's pilgrim's state (ihram) differs from a man's The points where a woman's pilgrim's state (ihram), circling (tawaf), walk between Safa and Marwah (saʿy), and hair-cutting differ from a man's, and what menstruation or post-natal bleeding change.
- Disliked and permissible acts while fasting Things that are better avoided while fasting even though they do not break the fast, and things that are fully permitted and safe to do.
- The disliked (makruh) acts in prayer The two grades of disliked act in prayer (makruh tahrimi, close to forbidden, and makruh tanzihi, merely better avoided), what falls under each, and the rules on reciting the suras out of order.