How to enter Ihram, step by step
The full method of entering Ihram for Hajj or Umrah: the garments, the preparation, the intention, and the Talbiyah.
Ihram is made up of two plain, unsewn sheets of cloth: an izar that wraps the lower body, and a rida that covers the shoulders. One sheet alone is also allowed if that is all a person has. New, white cloth is best, but clean, washed cloth is fine too.
How to enter Ihram
- Take off all sewn clothing, socks and anything else you are wearing.Books differ on whether to also shave the head at this point, or to wait until Hajj or Umrah is finished; either is allowed.
- Wash thoroughly: trim the mustache, cut the nails, remove hair from the armpits and below the navel, and bathe, making the intention of Ihram in this bath.
- Apply a pleasant fragrance to the body (not to the clothes you will wear in Ihram).
- Comb and oil the hair.
- Tie the izar around the waist and drape the rida over the shoulders.
- Pray two rak'ahs, reciting Surah al-Kafirun in the first and Surah al-Ikhlas in the second.
- Make the intention for Hajj, Umrah, or both, out loud.
- Say the Talbiyah.
اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّي أُرِيدُ الْحَجَّ فَيَسِّرُهُ لِی وَ تَقَبَّلُهُ مِنّى
Allāhumma innī urīdu'l-ḥajja fa-yassirhu lī wa taqabbalhu minnī
O Allah! I intend to perform Hajj, so make it easy for me and accept it from me.
اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّي أُرِيدُ الْعُمْرَةَ فَيَسِّرُهَا لِي وَ تَقَبَّلۡهَا مِنِّي
Allāhumma innī urīdu'l-ʿumrata fa-yassirhā lī wa taqabbalhā minnī
O Allah! I intend to perform Umrah, so make it easy for me and accept it from me.
لَبَّیۡکَ اَللّٰهُمَّ لَبَّيْكَ لَبَّيْكَ لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ لَبَّيْكَ إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ وَ النِّعْمَةَ لَكَ وَالْمُلْكَ لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ
Labbayka'llāhumma labbayk, labbayka lā sharīka laka labbayk, inna'l-ḥamda wa'n-niʿmata laka wa'l-mulk, lā sharīka lak
O Allah! I am at Your service, I am at Your service, I am at Your service. You have no partner. I am at Your service. Verily, all praise, blessings, and sovereignty belong to You, and You have no partner.
Ihram consists of two garments: the izar (Tahmad), which covers the lower body, and a rida (chadar), which covers the upper body. For an average person, the izar is generally about five hands long and wide enough to cover from the navel to below the knees, and the rida about six hands long, wide enough from the shoulders down to where the izar is tied, adjusted for a thinner, fatter, smaller or larger person. If only one garment is available, wearing that alone is also permissible. New white cloth is preferred, but washed cloth suffices.
Preparing for Ihram
- Remove all sewn clothing, socks and other such items from the body.
- Most books of fiqh and Hajj guides state that the hair of the head should then be shaved.Mulla 'Ali al-Qari holds it preferable to keep the hair and shave it only on completing Hajj or Umrah, so that the shaving itself becomes part of the rites; the Prophet ﷺ and most of his Companions did not shave beforehand, though Hazrat 'Ali did. Where shaving beforehand is someone's habit for the sake of cleanliness, there is no harm in it either.
- Bathe, using a cleansing agent such as gulkhair and ishnan (or soap); trim the mustache, cut the nails, and remove the hair of the armpits and below the navel.
- Apply a pleasant, lasting fragrance to the body, such as musk mixed with rose.Fragrance should not be applied to the clothing to be worn in Ihram, since the garment may later separate from the body and, if worn again, would then carry the fragrance while in Ihram.
- Comb and oil the hair as part of grooming, recommended even for a menstruating woman, a new mother, or a child.Make the intention of Ihram during this bath; if a bath is not needed, wudu alone is sufficient.
- Tie the izar and drape the rida over the shoulders.Most fiqh books and Hajj guides recommend wearing it with idhtiba': pulling the lower end of the cloth from under the right armpit and draping it over the left shoulder. Mulla 'Ali al-Qari and al-Bahr ar-Ra'iq restrict idhtiba' to tawaf alone, since baring a shoulder in prayer is disliked; this is the practice followed by the people of Makkah.
- At a time that is not disliked for voluntary prayer, pray two rak'ahs with the intention of Ihram, reciting Surat al-Kafirun in the first and Surat al-Ikhlas in the second.The disliked times are sunrise, sunset, and zawal (midday).
- Sit facing the qiblah, or stand, and make the intention for Hajj, Umrah, or both, both in the heart and aloud.
- Recite the Talbiyah.
رَبَّنَا لَا تُزِغْ قُلُوْبَنَا بَعْدَ اِذْ هَدَيْتَنَا وَهَبْ لَنَا مِنْ لَّدُنْكَ رَحْمَةًۚ اِنَّكَ اَنْتَ الْوَهَّابُ ٨
Rabbanā lā tuzigh qulūbanā baʿda idh hadaytanā wa hab lanā min ladunka raḥmatan innaka anta'l-wahhāb
'O our Lord! Let not our hearts become perverse after this that You guided us and bestow on us mercy from Yourself; no doubt, You are the big Bestower
Qurʼan 3:8, Aal-E-Imran, from Zujajah.org
اِذْ اَوَي الْفِتْيَةُ اِلَي الْكَهْفِ فَقَالُوْا رَبَّنَا͏ٓ اٰتِنَا مِنْ لَّدُنْكَ رَحْمَةً وَّهَيِّي͏ٔ͏ْ لَنَا مِنْ اَمْرِنَا رَشَدًا ١٠
Rabbanā ātinā min ladunka raḥmatan wa hayyiʾ lanā min amrinā rashadā
When those youths took refuge in the cave and said, 'O our Lord, 'grant to us mercy from yourself and provide for us guidance in our affair.
Qurʼan 18:10, Al-Kahf, from Zujajah.org
اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّي أُرِيدُ الْحَجَّ فَيَسِّرُهُ لِی وَ تَقَبَّلُهُ مِنّى وَ أَعِنِّي عَلَيْهِ وَ بَارِكْ لِي فِيْهِ نَوَيْتُ الْحَجَّ وَأَحْرَمُتُ بِهٖ لِلَّهِ تَعَالٰى
Allāhumma innī urīdu'l-ḥajja fa-yassirhu lī wa taqabbalhu minnī wa aʿinnī ʿalayhi wa bārik lī fīhi, nawaytu'l-ḥajja wa aḥramtu bihī lillāhi taʿālā
O Allah! I intend to perform Hajj, so make it easy for me and accept it from me, and assist me in it and bless me in it. I have intended to perform Hajj and have entered into Ihram for Allah, the Almighty.
اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّي أُرِيدُ الْعُمْرَةَ فَيَسِّرُهَا لِي وَ تَقَبَّلۡهَا مِنِّي وَ أَعِنِّي عَلَيْهَا وَبَارِكْ لِي فِيهَا نَوَيْتُ الْعُمْرَةَ وَ أَحْرَمۡتُ بِهَا لِلَّهِ تَعَالٰى
Allāhumma innī urīdu'l-ʿumrata fa-yassirhā lī wa taqabbalhā minnī wa aʿinnī ʿalayhā wa bārik lī fīhā, nawaytu'l-ʿumrata wa aḥramtu bihā lillāhi taʿālā
O Allah! I intend to perform Umrah, so make it easy for me and accept it from me, and assist me in it and bless me in it. I have intended to perform Umrah and have entered into Ihram for Allah, the Almighty.
اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّي أُرِيدُ الْعُمْرَةَ وَ الْحَجَّ فَيَسِّرُهُمَا لِـي وَ تَقَبَّلۡهُمَا مِنِّى وَ أَعِنِّى عَلَيْهِمَا وَبَارِكْ لِي فِيهِمَا نَوَيْتُ الْعُمْرَةَ وَالْحَجَّ وَأَحْرَمۡتُ بِهِمَا لِلَّهِ تَعَالٰى
Allāhumma innī urīdu'l-ʿumrata wa'l-ḥajja fa-yassirhumā lī wa taqabbalhumā minnī wa aʿinnī ʿalayhimā wa bārik lī fīhimā, nawaytu'l-ʿumrata wa'l-ḥajja wa aḥramtu bihimā lillāhi taʿālā
O Allah! I intend to perform Umrah and Hajj, so make both of them easy for me and accept them from me, and assist me in both of them and bless me in them. I have intended to perform Umrah and Hajj and have entered into Ihram for both of them for Allah, the Almighty.
لَبَّیۡکَ اَللّٰهُمَّ لَبَّيْكَ لَبَّيْكَ لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ لَبَّيْكَ إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ وَ النِّعْمَةَ لَكَ وَالْمُلْكَ لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ
Labbayka'llāhumma labbayk, labbayka lā sharīka laka labbayk, inna'l-ḥamda wa'n-niʿmata laka wa'l-mulk, lā sharīka lak
O Allah! I am at Your service, I am at Your service, I am at Your service. You have no partner. I am at Your service. Verily, all praise, blessings, and sovereignty belong to You, and You have no partner.
لَبَّيْكَ إِلٰهَ الْخَلْقِ لَبَّيْكَ غَـــفَّــارَ الذُّنُوبِ لَبَّيْكَ وَ سَعْدَيْكَ وَ الْخَيْرُ كُـلُّهٗ بِيَدَيْكَ وَ الرَّغْبَآءُ إِلَيْكَ
Labbayka ilāha'l-khalqi labbayk, labbayka ghaffāra'dh-dhunūbi labbayk, wa saʿdayk, wa'l-khayru kulluhū bi-yadayk, wa'r-raghbāʾu ilayk
O God of creation! I am at Your service, I am at Your service. O Forgiver of sins! I am at Your service, and I am at Your service again. All good things are in Your control, and all desires are directed towards You.
Afterwards, blessings (salawat) are sent upon the Prophet ﷺ quietly, followed by the supplication after at-Tahiyyat and any other supplication one wishes; among the recommended ones are:
اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ رِضَاكَ وَ الْجَنَّةَ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ غَضَبِكَ وَ مِنَ النَّارِ
Allāhumma innī asʾaluka riḍāka wa'l-jannata wa aʿūdhu bika min ghaḍabika wa mina'n-nār
O Allah! I ask You for Your pleasure and Paradise, and I seek refuge in You from Your anger and the Hellfire.
اَللّٰهُمَّ أُحَرِّمُ لَک شَعْرِي وَ بَشَرِى وَ لَحْمِي وَ دَمِـي مِنَ النِّسَاءِ وَالطَّيِّبِ وَ كُلَّ شَـيْءٍ حَرَّمْتَهٗ عَلَى الْمُحْرِمِ اَبْتَغِي بِذٰلِكَ وَجۡهَكَ الْكَرِيمَ
Allāhumma uḥarrimu laka shaʿrī wa basharī wa laḥmī wa damī mina'n-nisāʾi wa'ṭ-ṭayyibi wa kulla shayʾin ḥarramtahū ʿala'l-muḥrimi abtaghī bi-dhālika wajhaka'l-karīm
O Allah! I make my hair, skin, flesh, and blood, as well as women, fragrances, and everything You have made forbidden for the muhrim, forbidden for me, seeking thereby Your noble Face.
Reciting the Talbiyah is what places a person into the state of Ihram; reciting tasbih, tahlil, takbir, tahmid, or any other clear remembrance of Allah's greatness has the same effect. Sending a sacrificial animal along with the intention of Ihram also places a person into Ihram, even without saying the Talbiyah or the like. Without one of these two actions, a person does not enter the state of Ihram.
While in Ihram, the Talbiyah should be said after every prayer, sitting or standing, ascending or descending, morning and evening, on waking, when the road turns, when the stars rise, set, or appear, and on meeting people, at every change of state, though not loudly enough to strain the voice, and not loudly at all inside a mosque. Each time, it is said three times, though once suffices for what is obligatory.
For Umrah, the Talbiyah is recited until the start of tawaf. For Hajj, it is recited until the first Ramy (stoning) begins.
Ihram consists of two garments: the izar (Tahmad), which covers the lower body, and a rida (chadar), which covers the upper body. For an average person, the izar is generally about five hands long and wide enough to cover from the navel to below the knees, and the rida about six hands long, wide enough from the shoulders down to where the izar is tied, adjusted for a thinner, fatter, smaller or larger person. If only one garment is available, wearing that alone is also permissible. New white cloth is preferred, but washed cloth suffices.
Preparing for Ihram
- Remove all sewn clothing, socks and other such items from the body.
- Most books of fiqh and Hajj guides state that the hair of the head should then be shaved.Mulla 'Ali al-Qari holds it preferable to keep the hair and shave it only on completing Hajj or Umrah, so that the shaving itself becomes part of the rites; the Prophet ﷺ and most of his Companions did not shave beforehand, though Hazrat 'Ali did. Where shaving beforehand is someone's habit for the sake of cleanliness, there is no harm in it either.
- Bathe, using a cleansing agent such as gulkhair and ishnan (or soap); trim the mustache, cut the nails, and remove the hair of the armpits and below the navel.
- Apply a pleasant, lasting fragrance to the body, such as musk mixed with rose.Fragrance should not be applied to the clothing to be worn in Ihram, since the garment may later separate from the body and, if worn again, would then carry the fragrance while in Ihram.
- Comb and oil the hair as part of grooming, recommended even for a menstruating woman, a new mother, or a child.Make the intention of Ihram during this bath; if a bath is not needed, wudu alone is sufficient.
- Tie the izar and drape the rida over the shoulders.Most fiqh books and Hajj guides recommend wearing it with idhtiba': pulling the lower end of the cloth from under the right armpit and draping it over the left shoulder. Mulla 'Ali al-Qari and al-Bahr ar-Ra'iq restrict idhtiba' to tawaf alone, since baring a shoulder in prayer is disliked; this is the practice followed by the people of Makkah.
- At a time that is not disliked for voluntary prayer, pray two rak'ahs with the intention of Ihram, reciting Surat al-Kafirun in the first and Surat al-Ikhlas in the second.The disliked times are sunrise, sunset, and zawal (midday).
- Sit facing the qiblah, or stand, and make the intention for Hajj, Umrah, or both, both in the heart and aloud.
- Recite the Talbiyah.
رَبَّنَا لَا تُزِغْ قُلُوْبَنَا بَعْدَ اِذْ هَدَيْتَنَا وَهَبْ لَنَا مِنْ لَّدُنْكَ رَحْمَةًۚ اِنَّكَ اَنْتَ الْوَهَّابُ ٨
Rabbanā lā tuzigh qulūbanā baʿda idh hadaytanā wa hab lanā min ladunka raḥmatan innaka anta'l-wahhāb
'O our Lord! Let not our hearts become perverse after this that You guided us and bestow on us mercy from Yourself; no doubt, You are the big Bestower
Qurʼan 3:8, Aal-E-Imran, from Zujajah.org
اِذْ اَوَي الْفِتْيَةُ اِلَي الْكَهْفِ فَقَالُوْا رَبَّنَا͏ٓ اٰتِنَا مِنْ لَّدُنْكَ رَحْمَةً وَّهَيِّي͏ٔ͏ْ لَنَا مِنْ اَمْرِنَا رَشَدًا ١٠
Rabbanā ātinā min ladunka raḥmatan wa hayyiʾ lanā min amrinā rashadā
When those youths took refuge in the cave and said, 'O our Lord, 'grant to us mercy from yourself and provide for us guidance in our affair.
Qurʼan 18:10, Al-Kahf, from Zujajah.org
اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّي أُرِيدُ الْحَجَّ فَيَسِّرُهُ لِی وَ تَقَبَّلُهُ مِنّى وَ أَعِنِّي عَلَيْهِ وَ بَارِكْ لِي فِيْهِ نَوَيْتُ الْحَجَّ وَأَحْرَمُتُ بِهٖ لِلَّهِ تَعَالٰى
Allāhumma innī urīdu'l-ḥajja fa-yassirhu lī wa taqabbalhu minnī wa aʿinnī ʿalayhi wa bārik lī fīhi, nawaytu'l-ḥajja wa aḥramtu bihī lillāhi taʿālā
O Allah! I intend to perform Hajj, so make it easy for me and accept it from me, and assist me in it and bless me in it. I have intended to perform Hajj and have entered into Ihram for Allah, the Almighty.
اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّي أُرِيدُ الْعُمْرَةَ فَيَسِّرُهَا لِي وَ تَقَبَّلۡهَا مِنِّي وَ أَعِنِّي عَلَيْهَا وَبَارِكْ لِي فِيهَا نَوَيْتُ الْعُمْرَةَ وَ أَحْرَمۡتُ بِهَا لِلَّهِ تَعَالٰى
Allāhumma innī urīdu'l-ʿumrata fa-yassirhā lī wa taqabbalhā minnī wa aʿinnī ʿalayhā wa bārik lī fīhā, nawaytu'l-ʿumrata wa aḥramtu bihā lillāhi taʿālā
O Allah! I intend to perform Umrah, so make it easy for me and accept it from me, and assist me in it and bless me in it. I have intended to perform Umrah and have entered into Ihram for Allah, the Almighty.
اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّي أُرِيدُ الْعُمْرَةَ وَ الْحَجَّ فَيَسِّرُهُمَا لِـي وَ تَقَبَّلۡهُمَا مِنِّى وَ أَعِنِّى عَلَيْهِمَا وَبَارِكْ لِي فِيهِمَا نَوَيْتُ الْعُمْرَةَ وَالْحَجَّ وَأَحْرَمۡتُ بِهِمَا لِلَّهِ تَعَالٰى
Allāhumma innī urīdu'l-ʿumrata wa'l-ḥajja fa-yassirhumā lī wa taqabbalhumā minnī wa aʿinnī ʿalayhimā wa bārik lī fīhimā, nawaytu'l-ʿumrata wa'l-ḥajja wa aḥramtu bihimā lillāhi taʿālā
O Allah! I intend to perform Umrah and Hajj, so make both of them easy for me and accept them from me, and assist me in both of them and bless me in them. I have intended to perform Umrah and Hajj and have entered into Ihram for both of them for Allah, the Almighty.
لَبَّیۡکَ اَللّٰهُمَّ لَبَّيْكَ لَبَّيْكَ لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ لَبَّيْكَ إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ وَ النِّعْمَةَ لَكَ وَالْمُلْكَ لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ
Labbayka'llāhumma labbayk, labbayka lā sharīka laka labbayk, inna'l-ḥamda wa'n-niʿmata laka wa'l-mulk, lā sharīka lak
O Allah! I am at Your service, I am at Your service, I am at Your service. You have no partner. I am at Your service. Verily, all praise, blessings, and sovereignty belong to You, and You have no partner.
لَبَّيْكَ إِلٰهَ الْخَلْقِ لَبَّيْكَ غَـــفَّــارَ الذُّنُوبِ لَبَّيْكَ وَ سَعْدَيْكَ وَ الْخَيْرُ كُـلُّهٗ بِيَدَيْكَ وَ الرَّغْبَآءُ إِلَيْكَ
Labbayka ilāha'l-khalqi labbayk, labbayka ghaffāra'dh-dhunūbi labbayk, wa saʿdayk, wa'l-khayru kulluhū bi-yadayk, wa'r-raghbāʾu ilayk
O God of creation! I am at Your service, I am at Your service. O Forgiver of sins! I am at Your service, and I am at Your service again. All good things are in Your control, and all desires are directed towards You.
Afterwards, blessings (salawat) are sent upon the Prophet ﷺ quietly, followed by the supplication after at-Tahiyyat and any other supplication one wishes; among the recommended ones are:
اَللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ رِضَاكَ وَ الْجَنَّةَ وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ غَضَبِكَ وَ مِنَ النَّارِ
Allāhumma innī asʾaluka riḍāka wa'l-jannata wa aʿūdhu bika min ghaḍabika wa mina'n-nār
O Allah! I ask You for Your pleasure and Paradise, and I seek refuge in You from Your anger and the Hellfire.
اَللّٰهُمَّ أُحَرِّمُ لَک شَعْرِي وَ بَشَرِى وَ لَحْمِي وَ دَمِـي مِنَ النِّسَاءِ وَالطَّيِّبِ وَ كُلَّ شَـيْءٍ حَرَّمْتَهٗ عَلَى الْمُحْرِمِ اَبْتَغِي بِذٰلِكَ وَجۡهَكَ الْكَرِيمَ
Allāhumma uḥarrimu laka shaʿrī wa basharī wa laḥmī wa damī mina'n-nisāʾi wa'ṭ-ṭayyibi wa kulla shayʾin ḥarramtahū ʿala'l-muḥrimi abtaghī bi-dhālika wajhaka'l-karīm
O Allah! I make my hair, skin, flesh, and blood, as well as women, fragrances, and everything You have made forbidden for the muhrim, forbidden for me, seeking thereby Your noble Face.
Reciting the Talbiyah is what places a person into the state of Ihram; reciting tasbih, tahlil, takbir, tahmid, or any other clear remembrance of Allah's greatness has the same effect. Sending a sacrificial animal along with the intention of Ihram also places a person into Ihram, even without saying the Talbiyah or the like. Without one of these two actions, a person does not enter the state of Ihram.
While in Ihram, the Talbiyah should be said after every prayer, sitting or standing, ascending or descending, morning and evening, on waking, when the road turns, when the stars rise, set, or appear, and on meeting people, at every change of state, though not loudly enough to strain the voice, and not loudly at all inside a mosque. Each time, it is said three times, though once suffices for what is obligatory.
For Umrah, the Talbiyah is recited until the start of tawaf. For Hajj, it is recited until the first Ramy (stoning) begins.
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- Saʿy between Safa and Marwah, and completing Umrah Walking the seven lengths between Safa and Marwah after tawaf, and finishing Umrah by cutting the hair and removing ihram.
- How to perform tawaf, step by step The full method of circling the Kaʿbah seven times, from the intention at the Black Stone to the two rakats at Maqam Ibrahim and drinking Zamzam.
- Hajj, Umrah, and the three ways of combining them How Hajj and Umrah differ, and the three recognised ways of performing them together: Ifrad, Tamattu' and Qiran.
- What is forbidden in ihram, and the penalty for each The acts forbidden once ihram is tied (intimacy, perfume, cutting hair or nails, covering the head, hunting) and the sacrifice or charity each requires.