Description of Hajj

Description of Hajj

Hajj is one of the best acts of worship. It is one of the pillars of
Islam with which Allaah sent Muhammad and without which a person’s
religious commitment is incomplete.

Worship cannot bring a person closer to Allaah and cannot be accepted unless it meets two conditions:

1 – Sincerity towards Allaah alone, i.e., it is done to seek the
Countenance of Allaah and the Hereafter, and is not done to show off, to
enhance one’s reputation or for worldly gain.

2 – Following the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in
word and deed. Following the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) can only be achieving by knowing his Sunnah.

Hence the one who wants to worship Allaah by doing any act of worship –
Hajj or anything else – has to learn the teachings of the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) concerning it, so that his actions
will be in accordance with the Sunnah.

We will sum up in these few lines the description of Hajj as narrated in the Sunnah.

Types of Hajj

There are three types of Hajj: Tamattu’, Ifraad and Qiraan.

Tamattu’ means entering ihraam for ‘Umrah only during the months of Hajj
(the months of Hajj are Shawwaal, Dhu’l-Qi’dah and Dhu’l-Hijjah; see
al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 7/62). When the pilgrim reaches Makkah he performs
tawaaf and saa’i for ‘Umrah, and shaves his head or cuts his hair, and
exits ihraam. Then when the day of al-Tarwiyah, which is the 8th of
Dhu’l-Hijjah, comes, he enters ihraam for Hajj only, and does all the
actions of Hajj. So Tamattu’ involves a complete ‘Umrah and a complete
Hajj.

Ifraad means entering ihraam for Hajj only. When the pilgrim reaches
Makkah he performs tawaaf al-qudoom (tawaaf of arrival) and saa’i for
Hajj, but he does not shave or cut his hair and does not exit ihraam,
rather he remains in ihraam until he exits ihraam after stoning Jamarat
al-‘Aqabah on the day of Eid. If he delays the saa’i of Hajj until
after the tawaaf of Hajj, there is nothing wrong with that.

Qiraan means entering ihraam for ‘Umrah and Hajj both together. Or
entering ihraam for ‘Umrah first then including Hajj in that before
starting the tawaaf of Hajj. That is done by intending that his tawaaf
and saa’i will be for both Hajj and ‘Umrah.

The actions done in Qiraan are the same as those done in Ifraad, except
that the pilgrim doing Qiraan has to offer a hadiy (sacrifice) whereas
the pilgrim doing Ifraad does not.

The best of these three types of Hajj is Tamattu’. This is what the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) enjoined upon his
companions and urged them to do. Even if a person enters ihraam for
Qiraan or Ifraad, then it is strongly recommended for him to change his
intention to ‘Umrah, then complete ‘Umrah and exit ihraam, so that he
will then be doing Tamattu’. He may do that after doing tawaaf al-qudoom
and saa’i – because when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) did tawaaf and saa’i during his Farewell Pilgrimage, and his
companions were with him, he told everyone who did not have a
sacrificial animal (hadiy) to change his intention and make his ihraam
for ‘Umrah and to cut his hair and exit ihraam, and he said, “Were it
not that I have brought the hadiy with me, I would do what I have
commanded you to do.”

Ihraam

The pilgrim should observe the Sunnahs of ihraam which are mentioned in
the question referred to above, namely doing ghusl, applying perfume and
praying. Then he should enter ihraam after he finishes the prayer or
after boarding his means of transportation.

Then if he is doing Tamattu’, he should say, “Labbayk Allaahumma bi ‘Umrah (Here I am, O Allaah, for ‘Umrah).”

If he is doing Qiraam, he should say, “Labbayk Allaahumma bi Hijjah wa ‘Umrah (Here I am, O Allaah, for Hajj and ‘Umrah).”

If he is doing Ifraad, he should say, “Labbayk Allaahumma Hajjan (Here I am, O Allaah, for Hajj).”

Then he should say, “Allaahumma haadhihi hijjah laa riyaa’a fiha wa la
sum’ah (O Allaah, this is a pilgrimage in which there is no showing off
or seeking reputation).”

Then he should recite the Talbiyah as the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) did: “Labbayka Allaahumma labbayk, labbayka laa
shareeka laka labbayk. Inna al-hamd wa’l-ni’mata laka wa’l-mulk, laa
shareeka lak (Here I am, O Allaah, here I am. Here I am, You have no
partner, here I am. Verily all praise and blessings are Yours, and all
sovereignty, You have no partner).”

The Talbiyah of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
also included the words, “Labbayka ilaah al-haqq (Here I am, O God of
Truth).”

Ibn ‘Umar used to add to the Talbiyah the words, “Labbaayk wa sa’dayka,
wa’l-khayr bi yadayka, wa’l-raghba’ ilayka wa’l-‘aml (Here I am and
blessed by You, and all good is in Your hands, and desire and action are
directed towards You).”

Men should raise their voices when saying this, but a woman should
recite in such a manner that those who are beside her can hear it,
unless there is a man beside her who is not one of her mahrams, in which
case she should recite it silently.

If the person who is entering ihraam fears some obstacle that may
prevent him from completing his pilgrimage (such as sickness, an enemy,
being stopped from proceeding any further, etc), then he should
stipulate a condition when entering ihraam by saying, “If I am prevented
then my exiting ihraam is where I am prevented” – i.e., if something
prevents me from completing my pilgrimage such as sickness or delay etc,
then I will exit my ihraam. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) commanded Dubaa’ah bint al-Zubayr, when she wanted to enter
ihraam but she was sick, to stipulate such a condition, and he said,
“Your condition is valid with your Lord.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (5089)
and Muslim (1207).

If he stipulates this condition and something happens to prevent him
from completing his pilgrimage, then he exits his ihraam and does not
have to do anything (i.e., offer a sacrifice in compensation).

But the one who does not fear that some obstacle may prevent him from
completing his pilgrimage does not have to stipulate any conditions,
because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not
stipulate conditions nor did he command everyone to do so. Rather he
told Dubaa’ah bint al-Zubayr to do that because she was sick.

The muhrim (person who has entered ihraam) should recite the Talbiyah a
great deal, especially when circumstances and times change, such as when
going up to a high place or going down to a low place, or when night or
day begin. After that he should ask Allaah for His good pleasure and
for Paradise, and seek refuge in His Mercy from the Fire.

The Talbiyah is prescribed in ‘Umrah from the moment one enters ihraam
until one starts Tawaaf. In Hajj it is prescribed from the moment one
enters ihraam until one stones Jamarat al-‘Aqabah on the day of Eid.

Ghusl when entering Makkah

When the pilgrim approaches Makkah, he should do ghusl before entering,
if possible, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) did ghusl before entering Makkah. Narrated by Muslim, 1259.

Then when he enters al-Masjid al-Haraam he should do so with his right
foot first, and say, “Bismillaah wa’l-salaatu wa’l-salaam ‘ala
Rasool-Allaah. Allaahumma ighfir li dhunoobi waftah li abwaab rahmatika.
A’oodhu Billaah il-‘Azeem wa bi wajhih il-kareem wa bi sultaanih
il-‘qadeem min al-Shaytaan il-rajeem (In the name of Allaah, and
blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allaah. O Allaah, forgive
me my sins and open to me the gates of Your mercy. I seek refuge with
Allaah the Almighty and in His noble Countenance and His eternal power
from the accursed Satan).” Then he should go to the Black Stone in order
to start tawaaf…

The description of Tawaaf

Then when he enters al-Masjid al-Haraam he should do so with his right
foot first, and say, “Bismillaah wa’l-salaatu wa’l-salaam ‘ala
Rasool-Allaah. Allaahumma ighfir li dhunoobi waftah li abwaab rahmatika.
A’oodhu Billaah il-‘Azeem wa bi wajhih il-kareem wa bi sultaanih
il-‘qadeem min al-Shaytaan il-rajeem (In the name of Allaah, and
blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allaah. O Allaah, forgive
me my sins and open to me the gates of Your mercy. I seek refuge with
Allaah the Almighty and in His noble Countenance and His eternal power
from the accursed Satan).” Then he should go to the Black Stone in order
to start tawaaf. He should touch the Stone with his right hand and kiss
it; if he cannot kiss it then he should touch it with his hand and kiss
his hand. If he cannot touch it with his hand then he should face the
Stone and point to it with his hand and say “Allaahu akbar”, but he
should not kiss his hand.

There is a great deal of virtue in touching the Black Stone, because the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah will
raise up the Black Stone on the Day of Resurrection and it will have two
eyes with which it will see and a tongue with which it will speak, and
it will bear witness for those who touched it in sincerity.” Classed as
saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb wa’l-Tarheeb, 1144.

It is better not to crowd around and cause annoyance to people or be
annoyed by them, because of the hadeeth in which the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) said to ‘Umar: “O ‘Umar, you are a
strong man, do not crowd around the Stone and disturb the weak. If you
find space, then touch it, otherwise just face it and say ‘Allaahu
akbar.’” Narrated by Ahmad, 191; classed as qawiy by al-Albaani in
Risaalat Manaasik al-Hajj wa’l-‘Umrah, p. 21.

Then he should move towards the right, with the Ka’bah on his left, and
when he reaches the Yemeni Corner (al-Rukn al-Yamaani, which is the
third corner after the Black Stone) he should touch it, without kissing
his hand or saying “Allaahu akbar”. If he cannot touch it then he should
move on, and not crowd around it. Between the Yemeni Corner and the
Black Stone he should say, “Rabbanaa aatina fi’l-dunya hasanah wa
fi’l-aakhirah hasanah wa qinna ‘adhaab al-Naar (Our Lord! Give us in
this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good,
and save us from the torment of the Fire).” Narrated by Abu Dawood and
classed as hasan by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood, 1666.

Every time he passes the Black Stone he should face it and say ‘Allaahu
akbar’, and in the rest of his tawaaf he should recite whatever he likes
of dhikr, du’aa’ and Qur’aan, because tawaaf around the Ka’bah has been
established for the remembrance of Allaah.

In Tawaaf men should do two things:

1 – Uncovering the right shoulder (idtibaa’) from the beginning of
tawaaf until the end. This is done by placing the middle of the rida’
(upper garment) beneath the right armpit and the ends of the rida’ over
the left shoulder. When the pilgrim finishes tawaaf, he should put his
rida’ back as it was before tawaaf, because the time for wearing it with
one shoulder uncovered is only in tawaaf.

2 – Raml in the first three circuits only. Raml means walking quickly
with short steps. In the last four circuits there is no raml, rather the
pilgrim should walk normally.

When the pilgrim has completed seven circuits of tawaaf, he should cover
his right shoulder and then go to the Station of Ibraaheem (Maqaam
Ibraaheem) and recite the words (interpretation of the meaning):

“And take you (people) the Maqaam (place) of Ibraaheem (Abraham) [or
the stone on which Ibraaheem (Abraham) stood while he was building the
Ka‘bah] as a place of prayer (for some of your prayers, e.g. two Rak‘at
after the Tawaaf of the Ka‘bah at Makkah),”

[al-Baqarah 2:125]

Then he should pray two rak’ahs behind the Station; in the first rak’ah
after reciting al-Faatihah he should recite Yaa ayyaha’l-kaafiroon
(Soorat al-Kaafiroon 109) and in the second Qul Huwa Allaahu ahad
(Soorat al-Ikhlaas 112). Then when he has finished this prayer he should
go to the Black Stone and touch it if he can. It is prescribed at this
point to touch it only; if he cannot do that then he should go away and
not point to it.





Then after he has done tawaaf and prayed two rak’ahs, he should go to
the Mas’a (place for doing saa’i) and perform saa’i between al-Safa and
al-Marwah.

The description of saa’i

Then he should go out to the Mas’aa (place for saa’i) and when he comes
near to al-Safa’ he should recite (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, As-Safa and Al-Marwah (two mountains in Makkah) are of the Symbols of Allaah”

[al-Baqarah 2:158]

And he should say: “Nabda’u bima bada’a Allaah bihi (We start with that with which Allaah started).”

Then he should climb al-Safa until he can see the Ka’bah, then he should
face it and raise his hands and praise Allaah, and make du’aa’ as he
wishes. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to
say: “Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahu’l-mulk, wa
lahu’l-hamd, wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer. Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah
wahdah, anjaza wa’dah, wa nasara ‘abdah, wa hazamaa al-ahzaaba wahdah
(There is no god but Allaah alone, with no partner or associate; His is
the Dominion, all praise is due to Him, and He is able to do all things.
There is no god but Allaah alone; he fulfilled His promise, granted
victory to His slave, and defeated the confederates alone).” Narrated by
Muslim, 1218.

He should repeat that three times, and make du’aa’ in between. He should
recite this dhikr then make du’aa’, then recite it again and make
du’aa’, and recite it a third time, then come down to al-Marwah, and not
make du’aa’ after the third time.

When he reaches the green marker he should run as quickly as he can
without disturbing anyone, because it was proven that the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did saa’i between al-Safa and
al-Marwah, and he said, “The river bed is not crossed except with
vigour.” Narrated by Ibn Maajah and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in
Saheeh Ibn Maajah, 2419. The river bed [it was a dried river bed in the
time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)] is the
area between the two green markers that stand there now.

When he reaches the second green marker, he should walk normally until
he reaches al-Marwah. He should climb up it and turn to face the qiblah,
and raise his hands and say what he said at al-Safa. Then he should
come down from al-Marwah and head for al-Safa, walking in the place of
walking and running in the place of running. When he reaches al-Safa he
should do what he did the first time, and the same when he goes back to
al-Marwah, until he has completed seven circuits; going from al-Safa’ to
al-Marwah is one circuit, and coming back from al-Marwah to al-Safa is
another circuit. During his saa’i he can say whatever he likes or dhikr
and du’aa’, and recite Qur’aan.

Note:

The verse (interpretation of the meaning):

“Verily, As-Safa and Al-Marwah (two mountains in Makkah) are of the Symbols of Allaah”

[al-Baqarah 2:158]

should be recited by the pilgrim who wants to perform saa’i when he
approaches al-Safa at the beginning of saa’i only. It is not mustahabb
to repeat it every time he approaches al-Safa and al-Marwah, as some
people do


The pilgrim who is doing Tamattu’ should do saa’i for ‘Umrah; those who
are doing Ifraad and Qiraan should do saa’i for Hajj, and they may delay
it until after Tawaaf al-Ifaadah.

Shaving the head or cutting the hair

When the pilgrim who is doing Tamattu’ has completed seven circuits of
saa’i, he should shave his head if he is a man, or cut his hair. If he
shaves his head he must shave his entire head, and if he cuts his hair
he must cut from all over his head. Shaving is better than cutting
because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) made
du’aa’ three times for those who shaved their heads and once for those
who cut their hair. Narrated by Muslim, 1303.

But if the time of Hajj is so close that there will be no time for the
hair to grow back, then it is better to cut one’s hair at this point, so
that there will be some hair left to shave during Hajj. The evidence
for that is the fact that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) commanded his companions, during the Farewell Pilgrimage, to
cut their hair during ‘Umrah, because they arrived on the morning of the
4th of Dhu’l-Hijjah.

Women should cut the length of a fingertip from their hair.

With these actions, the ‘Umrah of the one who is doing Tamattu’ is
concluded, after which he should exit ihraam completely and do
everything that those who are not in ihraam do, such as wearing regular
clothes, wearing perfume, having intercourse with their wives, etc.

Those who are doing Ifraad or Qiraan should not shave their heads or cut
their hair, or exit ihraam, rather they should remain in ihraam until
they exit ihraam on the day of Eid, after stoning Jamarat al-‘Aqabah and
shaving their heads or cutting their hair.

Then when the day of al-Tarwiyah comes, which is the 8th day of
Dhu’l-Hijjah, the one who is doing Tamattu’ should enter ihraam for Hajj
in the morning from the place where he is in Makkah. It is mustahabb
for him to do the same when entering ihraam for Hajj as he did when
entering ihraam for ‘Umrah, namely doing ghusl, putting on perfume and
praying. He should form the intention of entering ihraam for Hajj and
recite the Talbiyah, and say, “Labbayk Allaahumma Hajjan (Here I am, O
Allaah, for Hajj).”

If he fears some obstacle that may prevent him from completing his Hajj,
he should stipulate a condition by saying, “If I am prevented then my
exiting ihraam is where I am prevented.” If he does not fear any such
obstacle then he should not make any such condition. It is mustahabb to
recite the Talbiyah out loud until he starts to stone Jamarat al-‘Aqabah
on the day of Eid.

Going to Mina

Then the pilgrim should go out to Mina and pray Zuhr, ‘Asr, Maghrib,
‘Isha’ and Fajr there, shortening the prayers but not joining them,
because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to
shorten his prayers in Mina but he did not join them. Shortening the
prayers means making the four-rak’ah prayers two raka’ahs. The people of
Makkah and others should shorten their prayers in Mina, ‘Arafah and
Muzdalifah because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) used to lead the people in prayer during the Farewell Pilgrimage
and there were people from Makkah with him, but he did not tell them to
offer their prayers in full. If it had been obligatory for them to do
so, he would have told them to do so as he did on the day of the
Conquest of Makkah. But since the city has spread and incorporated Mina
so that it is like one of the quarters of Makkah, then the people of
Makkah should not shorten their prayers there.


When the sun rises on the day of ‘Arafah, the pilgrim travels from Mina
to ‘Arafah and stops in Namirah until the time of Zuhr (Namirah is a
place just before ‘Arafah), if he can do so. If he cannot do it, it does
not matter because staying in Namirah is Sunnah but it is not
obligatory. When the sun passes its zenith (i.e., when the time for Zuhr
prayer begins), he should pray Zuhr and ‘Asr, two rak’ahs each, and
join them together at the time of Zuhr, as the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him) did, so as to leave a lot of time for
standing and making du’aa’.

Then after the prayer he should devote his time to making dhikr and
du’aa’ and beseeching Allaah, and praying as he likes, raising his hands
and facing the qiblah even if the mountain of ‘Arafah is behind him,
because the Sunnah is to face the qiblah, not the mountain. The Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stood by the mountain and
said, “I am standing here, but all of ‘Arafah is the place of standing.”


Most of the Prophet’s du’aa’ in that great place of standing was: “Laa
ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahu’l-mulk, wa lahu’l-hamd,
wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer (There is no god but Allaah alone,
with no partner or associate; His is the Dominion, all praise is due to
Him, and He is able to do all things).”

If the pilgrim gets tired and wants to have a break by talking to his
companions about useful things or by reading from some useful books,
especially things that have to do with the generosity and great bounty
of Allaah, in order to increase his hopes on that day, this is good.
Then he can go back to beseeching Allaah and praying to Him. He should
strive to make the most of the end of the day by making du’aa’. The best
of du’aa’ is du’aa’ made on the day of ‘Arafah.

Going to Muzdalifah

When the sun sets, the pilgrim should go to Muzdalifah. When he reaches
there, he should pray Maghrib and ‘Isha’ with one adhaan and two
iqaamahs. If he fears that he will not reach Muzdalifah before midnight,
he should pray on the way, because it is not permissible to delay
‘Isha’ prayer until after midnight.

He should stay overnight in Muzdalifah, then when dawn comes he should
pray Fajr early, with the adhaan and iqaamah, and then head for
al-Mash’ar al-Haraam (which is the site of the mosque in Muzdalifah) and
proclaim the oneness and greatness of Allaah (by saying Laa ilaaha
ill-Allaah and Allaahu akbar), and making du’aa’ as he likes, until it
has become very light (i.e., when the light of day appears before the
sun has actually risen). If it is not easy for him to go to al-Mash’ar
al-Haraam, he should make du’aa’ where he is, because the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stood there and all of Muzdalifah
is the place of standing. When he is reciting dhikr and making du’aa’ he
should face the qiblah and raise his hands.

Going to Mina

When it has become very light, before the sun rises, he should go to
Mina and hasten through Wadi Mahsar (which is a valley between
Muzdalifah and Mina). When he reaches Mina he should stone Jamarat
al-‘Aqabah, which is the last one that is closest to Makkah, throwing
seven pebbles one after another, each of which should be approximately
the size of a fava bean, saying “Allaahu akbar” with each throw. (The
Sunnah when stoning Jamarat al-‘Aqabah is to face the Jamarah with
Makkah to one's left and Mina to one one’s right). When he has finished
this stoning, he should slaughter his sacrificial animal, then shave his
head or cut his hair if he is male; women should cut the length of a
fingertip from their hair. This is the first stage of exiting ihraam, in
which it becomes permissible to do everything except have intercourse
with one's wife. Then the pilgrim should go back to Makkah and do tawaaf
and saa’i for Hajj. Then comes the second stage of exiting ihraam,
after which everything becomes permissible which was forbidden whilst in
ihraam.

The Sunnah is to put on perfume when one wants to go to Makkah to do
tawaaf after stoning the jamarat and shaving one’s head, because
‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) said: “I used to apply
perfume to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
before he entered ihraam and when he exited ihraam, before he
circumambulated the House.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1539; Muslim, 1189.


Then after tawaaf and saa’i, he should go back to Mina and stay there
for two night, the 11th and 12th of Dhu’l-Hijjah, and stone the three
jamarats during those two days, when the sun has passed its zenith. It
is better for him to go to the jamarats walking, but if he rides that is
acceptable. He should stone the first jamarah, which is the one that is
furthest away from Makkah and next to Masjid al-Kheef, with seven
pebbles, one after another, and say “Allaahu akbar” after each throw.
Then he should go forward a little and say a lengthy du’aa’, saying
whatever he likes. If it is too difficult for him to stand for a long
time and make du’aa’, he should say whatever is easy for him, even if it
is only a little, so that he will have done the Sunnah.

Then he should stone the middle jamarah with seven pebbles, one after
another, saying “Allaahu akbar” with every throw. Then he should move to
his left and stand facing the qiblah, raising his hands, and offer a
lengthy du’aa’ if he can. Otherwise he should stand for as long as he
can. He should not omit to stand and make du’aa’ because it is Sunnah.
Many people neglect that because of ignorance or because they take the
matter lightly. The more the Sunnah is neglected the more important it
becomes to do it and spread it among the people, lest it be abandoned
and die out.

Then he should stone Jamarat al-‘Aqabah with seven pebbles, one after
another, saying “Allaahu akbar” with each throw, then he should go away
and not offer a du’aa’ after that.

When he has completed the stoning of the Jamaraat on the 12th day of
Dhu’l-Hijjah, if he wants he may hasten and leave Mina, and if he wants
he may delay his departure and stay there for another night, the night
of the 13th, and stone the three Jamaraat after noon as he did before.
It is better to delay, but it is not obligatory unless the sun has set
on the 12th and he is still in Mina, in which case it is obligatory to
stay until one has stoned the three Jamaraat after noon on the following
day. But if the sun sets on the 12th and he is still in Mina but not by
choice, such as if he had already started out and boarded his means of
transportation, but got delayed because of crowded conditions and
traffic jams etc., then he is not obliged to stay there, because the
delay until sunset was not by his choice.

When the pilgrim wants to leave Makkah and go back to his country, he
should not leave until he has performed the farewell tawaaf (tawaaf
al-wadaa’), because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: “No one should leave until the last thing that he does is
(tawaaf) around the House.” Narrated by Muslim, 1327). According to
another version, he told the people that the last thing they should do
was (tawaaf) around the house, but he made an exception for women who
were menstruating. Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1755; Muslim, 1328.

Women who are menstruating or bleeding following childbirth do not have
to do the farewell tawaaf; neither should they stand by the door of
al-Masjid al-Haraam to bid farewell, because that was not narrated from
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).

The last thing the pilgrim should do when he wants to leave is to
circumambulate the House. If after the farewell tawaaf he stays and
waits for his companions or to load his luggage or to buy something he
needs on the way, there is nothing wrong with that, and he does not have
to repeat the tawaaf, unless he intends to delay his journey, such as
if he intended to travel at the beginning of the day and he did the
farewell tawaaf, then he delays his travelling until the end of the day,
for example; in this case he has to repeat the tawaaf so that it will
be the last thing he does in Makkah.

Note:

The pilgrim who enters ihraam for Hajj or ‘Umrah has to do the following:

1- He has to adhere to that which Allaah has enjoined of religious laws, such as praying on time in congregation.

2- He has to avoid all that Allaah has forbidden of obscene and
immoral speech and sin, because Allaah says (interpretation of the
meaning):

“So whosoever intends to perform Hajj therein (by assuming Ihraam), then
he should not have sexual relations (with his wife), nor commit sin,
nor dispute unjustly during the Hajj”

[al-Baqarah 2:197]

3- He should avoid annoying the Muslims with his words or actions, at the holy sites and elsewhere.

4- He should avoid all things that are forbidden when in ihraam:

a. So he should not cut anything from his hair or nails, but
removing thorns and the like is fine, even if that results in some
bleeding.

b. He should not apply perfume after entering ihraam, either to his
body, his clothes, his food or his drink. He should not wash with
perfumed soap either. But if any traces of perfume remain from that
which he put on before entering ihraam, that does not matter.

c. He should not hunt.

d. He should not have intercourse with his wife.

e. He should not touch her with desire or kiss her etc.

f. He should not enter into a marriage contract for himself or
arrange a marriage for anyone else, or propose marriage to a woman for
himself or on behalf of another.

g. He should not wear gloves, but wrapping one’s hands with a piece of cloth does not matter.

These seven prohibitions apply equally to men and women.

The following apply only to men:

- Men should not cover their heads with something that stays on
the head. Shading their heads with umbrellas, car roofs and tents, and
carrying mats etc. (on one’s head, when moving them from one place to
another), is acceptable.

- They should not wear shirts, turbans, burnouses, pants or
leather slippers, unless someone cannot find an izar (waist wrapper), in
which case he may wear pants; and if he cannot find sandals he may wear
shoes.

- They should not wear anything that is akin to the above, such as abayas, cloaks, hats, t-shirts and the like.

- It is permissible for men to wear sandals, rings, eyeglasses
and hearing aids, and to wear wristwatches, or to put watches on strings
around their necks, and to wear money belts.

- It is permissible for them to wash with unperfumed soaps, and
to scratch their heads and bodies, and if any hairs fall unintentionally
as a result, there is no sin on them.

Women should not wear niqaab, which is what they use to cover their
faces, with holes cut for the eyes. They should not wear the burqa’
either.

The Sunnah is for them to uncover their faces unless non-mahram men can
see them, in which case they should cover their faces whilst in ihraam
and at other times.

See Manaasik al-Hajj wa’l-‘Umrah by al-Albaani [available in English as
The Rites of Hajj and ‘Umrah, published by International Islamic
Publishing House, Riyadh]; Sifat al-Hajj wa’l-‘Umrah and al-Manhaj li
Mureed al-‘Umrah wa’l-Hajj by Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on
them all).