Umrah

What it is

Umrah is a journey of worship to Mecca, the city Muslims hold holiest, in the Hejazi region of Saudi Arabia. Its Arabic name carries the sense of visiting a settled place. A pilgrim carries out a set of rites inside the Great Mosque. Muslims often speak of it as the lesser pilgrimage, because it is less binding than the Hajj and can be finished within a few hours rather than spread over days. It is never treated as a replacement for the Hajj. Both, in Muslim understanding, express the unity of the faithful and their surrender to God.

Rites and rituals

Before entering the sacred area, a pilgrim takes on ihram, a state of purity. This means washing, putting on the clothing set aside for pilgrims, and giving up certain ordinary actions. Ihram begins at a miqat, one of the boundary stations on the routes into the city, such as Dhu 'l-Hulaifah, Juhfah, Qarnu 'l-Manazil, Yalamlam, Zat-i-'Irq, Ibrahim Mursiyah, or a point in Al-Hill. Those arriving by air take on ihram once they cross a set limit near the city. At the Kaaba the pilgrim walks around it seven times, then walks between Safa and Marwah. The visit closes with halq, the cutting of hair.

Origins and history

Muslim traditional accounts say access to Mecca was not always open to the early community. In 628 CE, according to these accounts, Muhammad told his companions of a dream in which he was carrying out the rites of Umrah, and they set out from Medina. At Hudaibiya the Quraysh, his own tribe, stopped them. He said they meant only to worship and then leave. Talks followed, as he would not force his way in out of respect for the Kaaba. The treaty signed that year gave Muslims three days of access each year for ten years. In 629 CE about two thousand of them returned and completed what is remembered as the first Umrah, lasting three days. Muhammad pardoned former enemies, naming ten who were spared.

Obligation and opinion

Muslim legal schools differ over how binding Umrah is. In the Hanbali and Shafi'i schools it is held to be obligatory, while other schools treat it as strongly recommended rather than required. Most pilgrims finish the rites within a few hours, whereas the Hajj stretches over several days. Because it is not compulsory in every school, the name lesser pilgrimage has stuck. Saudi authorities limit it during the Hajj season: in Dhu al-Hijjah only those performing the Hajj are permitted to do it, a rule meant to keep crowds manageable and keep people safe.

Today and change

The pandemic interrupted the pilgrimage. On 26 February 2020 Saudi Arabia stopped travel into the country for Umrah because of COVID-19. After the kingdom recorded its first case on 4 March 2020, the authorities in Riyadh barred the pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina for citizens, visitors and residents alike. Foreign pilgrims were welcomed back from 10 August 2021. Since then much of the paperwork has moved online. The Ministry of Hajj and Umrah brought in Nusuk in 2022 in place of the Eatmarna app, covering permits, visas and bookings for the Prophet's Mosque, and Nusuk Umrah in 2025 lets pilgrims abroad apply for a visa and arrange services themselves, with accredited local agents still available.

How Umrah is kept

A pilgrim first enters ihram at one of the boundary stations on the way to Mecca, or, for those flying, at a set line near the city. Ihram means washing, wearing the pilgrim clothing and avoiding certain acts. Inside the Great Mosque the pilgrim performs tawaf, circling the Kaaba seven times. Then comes sa'i, the walk back and forth between the hills of Safa and Marwah, recalling Hagar's search for water for Ishmael and God's answer to her. The rites close with halq, shortening or shaving the hair.

When and where

Umrah can be performed across most of the year, since it is not fixed to particular dates in the Islamic lunar calendar the way the Hajj is. The exception is the Hajj season in Dhu al-Hijjah, when Saudi regulations reserve the rites for those on the Hajj itself, so that crowds stay safe.

The pilgrimage belongs to Mecca in the Hejazi region of Saudi Arabia, and its rites take place in the Great Mosque around the Kaaba and between Safa and Marwah. Mecca is where the rites happen, and Medina is closely linked, through visits to the Prophet's Mosque and through the 2020 suspension, which covered both cities.

What Umrah means

For Muslims, Umrah is an act of worship and a turning toward God. Its rites repeat the story of Hagar, who ran between two hills looking for water for her son Ishmael and was answered with mercy. Walking around the Kaaba gathers pilgrims of every background into one circuit. Along with the Hajj, it expresses the unity of the Muslim community and its submission to Allah. Many pilgrims treat it as a moment of renewal, since it is open to them far more often than the Hajj.

Days Umrah is marked

Questions people ask about Umrah

See also

IhramA sacred state and simple dress that Muslims enter for Hajj and UmrahEid al-FitrThe feast that ends Ramadan, opened with morning prayers, sweets and visits homePassoverA Jewish spring festival celebrating freedom from slavery with ritual mealsSukkotA seven-day autumn Jewish festival of temporary booths, harvest prayers and hospitality

Good reading and sources

• Encyclopaedia BritannicaArticle
• Trump puts Pence in charge of US virus response – as it happened | CoronavirusThe Guardian, Article
• Trump puts Pence in charge of US virus response – as it happened | CoronavirusThe Guardian, Article

• Umrah on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-05.