Umrah And Hajj Difference

Umrah and Hajj are the two significant acts of worship in Islam which a person can perform at least once in their lifetime. Hajj is a Wajib act whereas Umrah is a voluntary act but both involve the journey towards the Holy land of Makkah and Medina. Both the journey of Hajj and Umrah are different but are considered to be the most pious and dutiful journey in the life of a Muslim. There is a huge difference between Umrah and Hajj but the main difference between Hajj and Umrah are in terms of duration, the month in which it can be performed, and most importantly the cost. Hajj and Umrah are the pious journeys in Islam but Umrah and Hajj are not the same at all.

Umrah

Umrah is a voluntary act and can be performed only by the private Umrah Tour Operators throughout the world. Umrah is a voluntary act of worship so it can be performed in any month except those of the Hajj days. Since the Umrah journey is sacred and holy, it has great spiritual importance as it purifies the soul of a believer, removes poverty and forgives the sins committed. It also refreshes the faith of a believer as well. Usually, Umrah is performed from the month of August till Hajj with the different Umrah Duration. Umrah can be done in 2 Hours and in the remaining days, pilgrims can visit the Various Ziyarats of Makkah and Medina and even perform a number of Umrah’s as well. Umrah can be performed by any Muslim from a kid to an elderly man/woman. For performing Umrah you need to book your Umrah at any Umrah Tour Agency. As Khidmati Safar is a Hajj and Umrah company we provide a number of Umrah Packages among which you can choose your Umrah Package based on your need, wish, and will. Different Umrah Packages have different Umrah Rates. Umrah Package rates are basically guided by the facilities provided and the quality of travel services to be provided. Umrah Package Rates also depend on the season in which Umrah is likely to be performed.

Various steps for performing Umrah
Here are the various steps to complete the pious and sacred journey of Umrah.
1. Entering the state of Ihram: In order to perform Umrah the first and the foremost step is to attain the Ihram. Male Pilgrims need to wear a specific dress for Ihram that includes two pieces of white cloth whereas for women their dress is their Ihram. Pilgrims have to wear it from the Miqat and need to do the intention of performing Umrah. After doing the intention of Umrah pilgrims have to say Talbiyah.

2. Recitation: Pilgrims need to say Talbiyah soon after they make the intention of Umrah and need to say it till they enter the Masjid Al Haram. Recitation of Talbiyah is regarded as Wajib for the pilgrims. Pilgrims are required to recite Talbiyah as per Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (saw). Male pilgrims are needed to say Talbiyah loudly whereas Female pilgrims have to say Talbiyah in a low voice. Talbiyah is a sacred recitation to mark the advent and acknowledge the oneness of Allah (SWT) by praising and thanking Him. (Labbaik Allahumma labbaik-Labbaik la sharika laka labbaik- Innal-hamda wa-nimata laka wal-mulk, la sharika laka).

3. Tawaf: After Talbiyah, the next step is to undertake Tawaf. Tawaf means circling the Kaaba seven times in an anti-clockwise direction. Pilgrims are required to circle the Kabba seven times being indulged in a state of prayer in depth.
Tawaf usually starts from the point where the black stone known as Hajar ul Aswad is located. It is positioned in the eastern corner of Kaaba. It has a great significance as per Islam. Tawaf depicts the faith/ belief/ Iman of a believer in oneness of Allah (Swt) and demonstrates unity among pilgrims.

4. Pray: After completing Tawaf, pilgrims are required to pray two Rakat of prayer at Maqam e Ibrahim (AS). It is the place where Ibrahim (AS) rested His foot and laid the foundation of the Holy Kaaba. After offering prayer, pilgrims need to drink the Holy water known as ZUM ZUM. There are ZumZum taps everywhere and a pilgrim can drink from anywhere by standing and facing towards Holy Kaaba.

5. SA’II: Saii is the practice of walking back and forth, seven times between the two mountains known as Safa and Marwa. These Two Mountains are located a few miles away from the Holy Kaaba. Saii is practised to commemorate and respect the story of the wife and son of Prophet Ibrahim (As). It is believed that by the command of Allah (SWT), Prophet Ibrahim (As) left his wife, Hajira (As) and his Son, Ismail (As) in the wilderness in the deserts of Arabia. While wandering in wilderness, Hajira (As) ran between the two mountains of Safa and Marwa in search of Water to quench the thirst of his months old son, Ismail (As). At that point of time, by the command of Almighty Allah, Angel Jibreel (As) struck the ground, which resulted in the formation of a well of Zum Zum and thus the thirst of Ismail (AS) was quenched by the sacred water of Zamzam.

6. Halaq: Halaq is the last step of Umrah which marks the end of the sacred rituals of Umrah and the entire Umrah Pilgrimage. At this step, male pilgrims have to shave their head or they can trim their hair as well, which symbolises the end of their Umrah journey whereas Female pilgrims are required to cut a small hair equal to finger tip in order to make their Umrah journey to end. It is the point where pilgrims are completely free from the rules and regulations of Ihram, as this point marks the end of Umrah journey.
So after performing all these steps your Umrah gets completed and in the remaining days you can visit various Ziyarats of Makah and Medina. However, you can also perform Umrah during your stay in Makkah but you have to wear the Ihram from Miqat and need to do all the steps in the same manner in order to perform the pious journey of Umrah. Moreover, you can do Nafl Tawaf on a daily basis for which you don’t need to go anywhere nor you need to spend money on that simply you can do Nafl Tawaf anytime even after or before Namaz as well.

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