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.
A woman in ihram follows almost all the same rules as a man, but in a few places the rule is different for her.
How it is different for a woman
- She may wear stitched clothes (a normal dress, gloves, and so on), but not clothes dyed with scented dye like saffron.
- She may wear shoes or socks that cover her ankles.
- She may cover her head, as long as the cloth does not touch her face. If she needs to hide her face from men who are not close family, she can hold a covering out from her face with something like a stiff brim so it does not touch her skin.
- She should say the words of Talbiyah quietly, not out loud.
- She does not do Ramal (the brisk walk) or Idtiba (baring one shoulder) during tawaf.
- She does not touch or kiss the Black Stone or the Yemeni Corner if there is a crowd of men there.
- She does not say the tawaf dua out loud near the Station of Ibrahim if men are crowded nearby.
- She does not run between Safa and Marwah during saʿy.
- She does not climb up onto Safa or Marwah if there is a crowd of men.
- She does not shave her head at the end. Instead, she gathers her hair together and trims off a length about the width of a fingertip.
- If she is on her monthly period or bleeding after childbirth, she may delay the Tawaf of Ziyarah until the 12th of Dhul-Hijjah without owing anything for the delay; a man who delays it owes a sacrifice.
- If she is on her period or bleeding after childbirth when it is time to leave Makkah, she does not have to do the Farewell Tawaf at all; a man must always do it.
A woman on her period or bleeding after childbirth must not enter the mosque to do tawaf, because tawaf takes place inside the mosque.
A woman's ihram follows the same rulings as a man's in almost every respect. The following points, however, are specific to her.
| Matter | For a woman | For a man |
|---|---|---|
| Stitched clothing | Permitted: a robe, kurta, pajama, gloves; not clothing dyed with a scented dye such as saffron | Forbidden |
| Footwear | Shoes or socks covering the ankle are permitted | The ankle must stay visible |
| Covering the head | Permitted, provided the cloth does not touch the face; a veil may be held clear of the face with a stiffener to preserve purdah from non-mahram men | The head must not be covered |
| Reciting Talbiyah | Softly | Aloud |
| Ramal and Idtibaʿ in tawaf | Neither is done | Both are sunnah |
| Touching the Black Stone / Yemeni Corner | Skipped when non-mahram men are crowded there | Done regardless |
| The tawaf duʿā near Maqam Ibrahim | Said quietly if men are crowded nearby | Said normally |
| Running in saʿy | Not done | Sunnah, between the two green markers |
| Climbing Safa and Marwah | Not done if men are crowded there | Done |
| Ending ihram | Hair is gathered and a fingertip's length is trimmed, never the whole head shaved | The head may be shaved, or a quarter of the hair trimmed |
| Delaying Tawaf al-Ziyarah to the 12th for menstruation or post-natal bleeding | No penalty | A penalty (damm) is owed for delaying |
| Tawaf al-Wadaʿ (the Farewell Tawaf) | Waived entirely if menstruating or in post-natal bleeding; she leaves the Haram without it | Obligatory in every case |
A woman who is menstruating or in post-natal bleeding is permitted to carry out every act of Hajj and Umrah except the Tawaf of the Kaʿbah, since tawaf is performed inside the mosque, which she may not enter while impure.
A woman in ihram may wear silk, gold, and silver, none of which is forbidden to her, unlike a man in ihram, for whom silk and gold remain forbidden as they are outside ihram too.
The distinctions given for a woman's iḥrām, tawaf, saʿy, and taḥallul are exceptions carved out of the general rulings covered elsewhere in this manual; where a point is not listed here, the ruling given for the man applies equally to her.
| Matter | Ruling for a woman |
|---|---|
| Stitched clothing (kurtah, pyjama, gloves) | Permitted; clothing dyed with a scented dye such as saffron remains forbidden to her as to him |
| Footwear covering the ankle | Permitted outright; the exposed-ankle condition applies only to men |
| Covering the head | Permitted provided the cloth does not touch the face; a muḥajjabah may fashion a screen held clear of the face, netting stiffened so it does not rest on the skin is a common present-day device, to preserve satr from ajānib without the covering itself becoming ḥarām |
| Talbiyah | Recited quietly (sirran), not raising the voice as a man does |
| Ramal and iḍṭibāʿ in tawaf | Neither applies to her |
| Istilām of the Black Stone / Yemeni Corner | Omitted when a crowd of non-maḥram men makes it unavoidable to press through them |
| The tawaf supplication near Maqām Ibrāhīm | Recited without raising the voice when men are crowded there |
| Harwalah (running) in saʿy between the two green markers | Not performed by her at all |
| Ascending Ṣafā and Marwah | Omitted where a crowd of men occupies the elevation |
| Ending iḥrām by taḥallul | The head is never shaved; hair is gathered together (or, per the majority of it) and cut to the length of a fingertip, as against a man's obligatory quarter, or preferable full ḥalq |
| Delay of Tawaf al-Ziyārah to the 12th of Dhū al-Ḥijjah for ḥayḍ or nifās | No damm attaches to the delay; for a man, delay past the permitted window makes damm necessary |
| Tawaf al-Wadāʿ | Dropped altogether if she is in ḥayḍ or nifās when departing; she leaves via the gate of the Ḥaram without performing it, unlike a man, an Afāqī of any iḥrām type, for whom it remains obligatory in every circumstance |
Entry into the mosque in a state of ḥayḍ or nifās is forbidden, and Tawaf being performed within the mosque, a menstruating or post-natally bleeding woman is barred from every act of Ḥajj and ʿUmrah save the Tawaf of the Kaʿbah alone; every other rite remains open to her.
12Silk and gold, forbidden to a man both within and outside iḥrām, are not forbidden to a woman at all; she may wear silk, gold, and silver while in iḥrām exactly as she may outside it.
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 511 words. Switch back to Guide for the rewritten version.
Permissible Actions in the State of Ihram
For a woman, there are specific things after tying the Ihram, in comparison to a man:
1. Wearing stitched clothes such as a robe, kurta, pajama, gloves, etc. However, it is not permissible to wear clothes dyed with scented items like saffron or other dyes.
2. Wearing shoes or socks that cover the ankles.
3. Covering the head, provided that the cloth does not touch the face. If she is a woman who observes purdah, she can make a cover (like a veil) and tie it to cover her face from others, placing an outer cloth over it to shield the face from strangers. [In this time, many women use netted fans which they cut and fit into their veils to prevent the cloth from touching their faces, allowing the purdah to remain intact.]
4. Saying "Labbaik" softly.
5. Not performing Raml (walking briskly) or Izdibā‘ (exposing the right shoulder) during Tawaf.
6. Not touching the Black Stone (Hajar al-Aswad) or the Yamani corner during times when there is a crowd of non-mahram men.
7. Not performing the Tawaf Dua near the Maqam Ibrahim when there is a crowd of men present.
8. Not running between Safa and Marwah.
9. Not climbing the Safa and Marwah hills when there is a crowd of men present.
10. Not shaving the head when exiting Ihram.
11. Cutting the hair to the length of one finger, but not more, as opposed to men, for whom it is obligatory to cut one-quarter of the hair.
12. Determining which hair to cut, in contrast to men, for whom it is also permissible to shave the head.
13. Delaying the Tawaf of Ziyarah until the 12th of Dhul-Hijjah for a woman due to menstruation or post-natal bleeding, whereas men incur a penalty if the delay happens.
15. The abolition of the farewell Tawaf due to menstruation or post-natal bleeding, while it remains obligatory for men.
A woman experiencing menstruation or post-natal bleeding is permitted to perform all the actions of Hajj and Umrah, except for the Tawaf of the Ka'bah. This is because Tawaf is performed in the mosque, and it is prohibited for someone in an impure state to enter the mosque. However, if she performs Tawaf in this state despite the prohibition, her obligation will be fulfilled. Therefore, if a woman begins menstruating before performing Tawaf al-Ziyarah and her companions are unable to stay, her Hajj will still be valid if she performs the Tawaf in this condition.
[However, a scholar should not issue a fatwa allowing the woman to perform Tawaf, though it can be said that while it is not permissible, if she performs Tawaf, her Hajj will still be considered complete, and she will incur a sin for it. There is no harm in such a statement.] She will be sinful, and thus, she should offer a sacrifice of a sheep or a cow and seek repentance. A woman who experiences difficulty in this regard is treated similarly.
It is permissible for a woman in Ihram to wear silk, gold, and silver.
Related
- The farewell circling of the Kaaba (Tawaf al-Wada) The last rite before leaving Makkah: who must perform it, how it differs from other circlings (tawafs), and the parting at the Multazam.
- 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.
- The obligatory (fard), necessary (wajib) and sunnah acts of Hajj and Umrah, at a glance The five acts Hajj cannot be valid without, the thirty-one necessary (wajib) acts, the emphasised sunnahs, and what invalidates Hajj or Umrah outright.
- Penalties for mistakes in the circling (tawaf), the walk (sa'y) and the stoning (rami) What is owed if the circling (tawaf) was made without ablution (wudu), the walk (saʿy) was left incomplete, or the stoning of the pillars (Jamarat) was missed.