What are the Common Mistakes to Avoid During Umrah?

Umrah is a sacred religious journey in Islam. Every Muslim has a dream to perform it. As it is a religious journey, it is associated with spiritual values and the chances of its acceptance. A religious journey is meant to be a worship and it must be performed in its actual way, for getting more chances of acceptance and a better reward for it. A lot of Muslims make some intense mistakes they don’t know about. These mistakes may lead to failure in the acceptance of this pilgrimage from Allah. In this blog, you’ll learn about those mistakes and you must avoid them during Umrah.

Mistakes in Preparation

Umrah isn’t just about the journey; you may make mistakes in the preparation. Here’s what you may miss before the Umrah journey:

Weak Pronunciation

Before getting started, as a Muslim, do you know to pronounce the Arabic Supplications correctly? A wrong pronunciation may change the actual meaning of the respective supplications during the different rituals of Umrah. So if you are preparing for Umrah, learn the Arabic pronunciation (Tajweed) from an Arabic or a Quran teacher. This step will not only improve your Umrah but also Tajweed is necessary in other prayers and supplications.

Lack of Knowledge

People go for Umrah without knowing what to do and when to do. This can be considered as the biggest mistake in this situation. When you are going on a journey and know nothing about it. Before getting into the preparation, ask a certified Islamic scholar to teach and train you for every ritual of Umrah. In UK, Umrah and its rituals are taught by Islamic scholars in the Mosque. They also conduct Q&A sessions for people to answer their questions.

Lack of Confidence

Is it your first time? Aren’t you confident? You can have a travel guide who will perform Umrah with you and guide you as well.

Wrong Intention

Are you about to show others that you are a practicing Muslim by performing Umrah? Change your intentions or it may lead to punishment instead of rewards. Allah does not like people who are doing good deeds and worship just for a show-off. It is necessary to perform Umrah just for the sake of God or you’ll lose the chance of its acceptance.

Mistakes related to Ihram

Ihram is a state of purity, obligatory in Islam during Umrah and Hajj. There are several restrictions in the Ihram and particular dress too. Men wear an unstitched dress when they declare themselves into the state of Ihram while women wear a modest dress that covers their whole body, except their hands, face and feet. Ihram starts from the boundary of Miqat. Here’s what you may miss or violate:

Missing the Ihram

If someone hasn’t wear the Ihram before crossing the Miqat with the intention of Hajj or Umrah, “Dam” will be applied on Him. To avoid this mistake, you must have knowledge of the boundaries of Miqat. It is informed in some flights that Miqat is next to be crossed and you can wear the Ihram before crossing it, but the smart move is to wear the Ihram before exiting your home for the pilgrimage.

Violating the Ihram

It is forbidden to cut your hair or nails, apply any kind of perfume or scent, hunt, fight or have sex during the Ihram. Remove unwanted hair and cut your nails before ghusl of Ihram. Avoid other restrictions or the Dam will be applied to you.

Menstruation during Ihram

As Ihram is a state of purity, menstruation will immediately break it but Dam will not be applied. Another facility is that, after menstruation is stopped, a woman can go to Masjid-e-Ayesha to re-enter the state of Ihram to perform Umrah again.

What is Miqat?

As Miqat is mentioned above, it is necessary to learn about this boundary. The Miqat boundary has five different starting lines outside Makkah city. Here is the detail:

Dhul-Hulyfah: This Miqat is for the pilgrims from Madina and the north.

Al-Juhfa: This Miqat is for the pilgrims from Syria, Egypt, Morocco and the West.

Qarn al-Manazil: This boundary is for the pilgrims from Najd, the Gulf and the East.

Yalamlam: This Miqat is for pilgrims from Yemen, India and Southeast Asia.

Dhat Irq: This one is for the pilgrims from Iran, Iraq and the Northwest.

Dam

Dam is a sacred fine obligatory for those who violate any restriction of the Ihram. When someone violates any of the restrictions he/she will have to slaughter an animal or donate an equivalent amount.

Mistakes during Tawaf

Wrong Movement

If you are not starting from Hajr-e-Aswad, you are not ending on it, you are circulating clockwise or you forgot the number of circuits, your Tawaf isn’t valid. Take your first step of Tawaf while facing Hajar-e-Aswad, circulate counterclockwise (Kaaba will be on your left during the circulation) and remember the number of completed and remaining circuits.

Messing with Others

Some people get into a war of words or push each other physically. It is forbidden in the state of Ihram and violating the restriction leads to exit from Ihram and application of Dam. Avoid messing with people, especially in crowded areas or you may lose the state of Ihram.

Being Quiet

Don’t know to speak Arabic? Not a problem; Allah knows every language. There’s not a particular supplication to be said during the Tawaf but you can ask Allah for everything you want from Him in your own language. You can also recite the Quran but do not stay quiet. It is the time to seek rewards and forgiveness.

Mistakes in Sa’i

Wrong Movement

Forgetting the starting or ending point, a wrong number of rounds leads to invalid Sa’i. Start your round from the peak of Safa while facing the Holy Kaaba and your round will be completed upon reaching the peak of Marwa. And when you return to Safa, another round is completed. Count and complete seven rounds in the same way.

Confusion

Pilgrims often get confused with the two pillars of Ramal and run between them, thinking it as Sa’i. The actual two points are the peaks of Safa and Marwa. You may ask someone to guide you.

Conclusion

Umrah is not a usual journey; it is associated with spiritual and religious values. Before planning for Umrah, it is important to know its rituals and possible mistakes. Umrah is not a show-off; it is a worship and it’s done purely for the sake of Allah, so you should do it in its actual way to get better chances of its acceptance. Learn its rituals from a trustworthy source. May Allah bless you and accept all your worship. Ameen!