Umrah Guide

Rukun (pillars) of Umrah in the Syafi'i school: ihram with niat, tawaf, sa'i, tahallul (shaving or cutting hair) and doing them in order (tertib). Wajib: entering ihram from the miqat and avoiding the prohibitions of ihram.

• 1. Ihram at the miqat: wear ihram clothing, make niat (Labbayk Allāhumma ʿumratan) and keep reciting the Talbiyah until you begin tawaf.
• 2. Enter Masjid al-Haram with your right foot and the du'a for entering the masjid.
• 3. Tawaf: 7 laps anti-clockwise starting from the Black Stone line. Men uncover the right shoulder (idtiba') and walk briskly in laps 1–3 (ramal).
• 4. Pray 2 rakaat behind Maqam Ibrahim (or anywhere in the masjid), then drink Zamzam.
• 5. Sa'i: 7 laps starting at Safa and ending at Marwah. Safa → Marwah counts as one lap.
• 6. Tahallul: men shave (best) or shorten the hair; women cut a fingertip's length. Your Umrah is complete.

• Only book with a travel agent holding an official Kemenag PPIU licence, and check the licence and package through Kemenag's official channels before paying.
• Your PPIU normally arranges the Umrah visa. Make sure your passport is valid for at least 6 months after your return date.
• Get the meningitis vaccine and your ICV (buku kuning). Check the latest Saudi and Kemenkes health requirements, as they change.
• Install the Nusuk app and create an account — a Nusuk permit is required to pray in the Rawdah in Masjid Nabawi.
• Attend your group's manasik sessions and practise walking: tawaf and sa'i together cover roughly 7–8 km.
• Bring some Saudi Riyal in cash. Cards are widely accepted, but small shops and taxis may prefer cash.

• Flying directly to Jeddah, the plane passes the miqat (Yalamlam / Qarnul Manazil) before landing. Crew usually announce it 30–60 minutes ahead — be in ihram clothing before then and make niat when announced.
• The MUI fatwa permits Indonesian jamaah arriving by air to take King Abdulaziz Airport (Jeddah) as their miqat; other scholars hold niat must be made in the air before the miqat. Follow your mutawwif's guidance.
• If you fly to Madinah first, you take ihram at Bir Ali (Dzulhulaifah) on the way to Makkah.
• Sunnah before ihram: bathe (ghusl), trim nails and hair, men apply perfume to the body (not the ihram cloth), then pray 2 rakaat or make niat after a fardhu prayer.

• Men: no stitched/fitted clothing and no covering of the head.
• Women: do not cover the face (niqab) or wear gloves; normal modest clothing is fine.
• Everyone: no perfume or scented products after niat — use unscented soap and sunscreen.
• No cutting hair or nails, no hunting, no marriage contracts, no marital relations.
• Avoid arguing, harsh words and sins (rafats, fusuq, jidal).

• As a musafir you may shorten (qasar) 4-rakaat prayers to 2 and combine (jamak) Zuhur with Asar and Maghrib with Isya.
• In the Syafi'i school, intending to stay 4 days or more in one city generally makes you a resident (muqim) there — ask your mutawwif how your group applies this.
• While travelling the Prophet ﷺ kept Qabliyah Subuh and Witir; other rawatib were often left. Nafl prayers are always allowed.
• Praying in congregation at Masjid al-Haram or Masjid Nabawi: a prayer there is worth 100,000 / 1,000 prayers elsewhere.

• Visiting Masjid Nabawi is not part of Umrah but is a great sunnah. Give salam to the Prophet ﷺ, Abu Bakr (RA) and Umar (RA) at their resting place.
• The Rawdah requires a Nusuk permit; book early as slots fill quickly.
• Pray 2 rakaat at Masjid Quba — rewarded like an Umrah (Sunan Ibn Majah). Saturdays were the Prophet's custom.
• Ziyarah: Jannat al-Baqi', Uhud & the martyrs' cemetery, Masjid Qiblatain, the Seven Mosques.

• Emergency in Makkah and Madinah: call 911.
• Save your hotel as a place in this app, keep your group ID & hotel card on you, and agree on a meeting point (e.g. a numbered gate of the Haram).
• Drink water often — Zamzam is free throughout both mosques — and rest in the hottest hours.
• Keep sandals in a bag; gates are far apart and shoes left outside are easily lost.
• Do not push to reach the Black Stone. Pointing towards it from the line is enough.