Frequently asked questions about Umrah and Hajj

Yes, once in a lifetime, for every Muslim who has reached puberty, is of sound mind and is able to. “And [due] to Allāh from the people is a pilgrimage to the House - for whoever is able to find thereto a way” (Quran 3:97). The Prophet ﷺ made it clear that this duty is not annual (Muslim 1337).

Being Muslim, having reached puberty, being of sound mind, free, and able: the health to travel, the money for the journey there and back over and above what one’s dependants need, and a safe route. For women, the Hanafis and Hanbalis add the presence of a mahram.

The Shafiʿis and Hanbalis consider it obligatory once in a lifetime, like Hajj; the Hanafis and Malikis consider it a strongly recommended sunnah. It can be performed at any time of the year.

Umrah consists of ihram, tawaf, saʿi and cutting the hair; it can be performed all year round and takes a few hours. Hajj is performed only from 8 to 13 Dhul-Hijjah and adds Mina, Arafat, Muzdalifah, the stoning and the sacrifice; it is one of the five pillars of Islam.

All three are valid: the Companions performed all three with the Prophet ﷺ (al-Bukhari 1562, Muslim 1211). Tamattuʿ, an Umrah then Hajj with a sacrifice, is the type most performed by those coming from afar; qiran combines the two under a single ihram, with a sacrifice; ifrad is Hajj alone, without a sacrifice.

The rites themselves take two to four hours depending on the crowd: the tawaf (seven circuits), the two units of prayer, the saʿi (seven laps of about 450 metres) and cutting the hair. Most Umrah trips last ten to fifteen days, including Madinah.

The rites last five to six days, from 8 to 12 or 13 Dhul-Hijjah. With arrival before Hajj and the visit to Madinah, a Hajj trip usually lasts two to four weeks.

Yes, on behalf of someone who has died or who cannot travel because of old age or a lasting illness: a woman asked the Prophet ﷺ whether she could perform Hajj for her elderly father, and he said yes (al-Bukhari 1513, Muslim 1334). According to the Shafiʿis and Hanbalis, the person doing so must already have performed their own Hajj (Abu Dawud 1811); the Hanafis and Malikis consider it valid but disliked.

Hajj is obligatory only for those who can afford it: you are not required to go into debt. Borrowing without interest, when you have the means to repay, is permitted according to many scholars; interest-bearing loans are forbidden. The budget calculator helps you save in advance.

A Hajj performed sincerely, according to the sunnah, with lawful money and without sin. “Hajj mabrur has no reward but Paradise” (al-Bukhari 1773, Muslim 1349). Scholars cite as its signs good conduct during Hajj and improvement afterwards.

“Whoever performs Hajj for Allah and commits no intimate relations and no wrongdoing returns like the day his mother gave birth to him” (al-Bukhari 1521, Muslim 1350). Scholars specify that the rights of others (debts, wrongs done to them) must still be restored.

ʿA’ishah performed an Umrah from al-Tanʿim after Hajj, on the instruction of the Prophet ﷺ (al-Bukhari 1784). Many scholars allow Umrah to be repeated; others prefer that those already in Makkah perform more tawafs instead. Each Umrah requires leaving the sacred territory to enter ihram.

“Labbayka Allahumma labbayk, labbayka la sharika laka labbayk, innal-hamda wan-niʿmata laka wal-mulk, la sharika lak”: here I am, O Allah, here I am; here I am, You have no partner, here I am; praise, blessings and sovereignty belong to You; You have no partner (al-Bukhari 1549, Muslim 1184).

Yes, according to the majority of scholars, who liken tawaf to prayer (al-Tirmidhi 960). The Hanafis consider it obligatory without being a condition of validity. The saʿi, on the other hand, can be performed without wudu.

Yes, but only to say good things: “Tawaf around the House is like prayer, except that you speak during it; so whoever speaks during it, let him speak only good” (al-Tirmidhi 960). You invoke Allah during it in your own language and recite the Quran.

Go by the lowest number you are sure of and complete the rest. The counter in this site’s interactive guide lets you count each circuit with one tap, even with the screen locked.

She can enter ihram during her period, at the miqat, after a ghusl for cleanliness. However, she waits until she is pure to perform the tawaf, then she performs the saʿi and cuts her hair. If her departure leaves her no time to wait, she should ask a scholar before leaving.

The pilgrim continues all the rites: Arafat, Muzdalifah, stoning, sacrifice, cutting the hair. Only the tawaf al-ifadah waits until her period ends. The farewell tawaf, for its part, is not required of her if she has her period at the time of departure.

Her usual clothes, loose, modest and unperfumed, in any colour she likes. She wears neither niqab nor gloves during ihram, but may draw her veil down over her face in the presence of non-mahram men.

Saudi regulations allow it for adult women. From a religious point of view, the majority of scholars require a mahram for a voluntary Umrah; for the obligatory Hajj (and, for the Shafiʿis, the obligatory Umrah), the Malikis and Shafiʿis allow it with a safe group, while the Hanafis and Hanbalis require a mahram.

No. A woman does not shave: she cuts the ends of her hair, about a fingertip’s length, after the saʿi of Umrah, and on 10 Dhul-Hijjah during Hajj.

Many scholars allow it if the medication does not harm health. Speak to your doctor well before departure, as it does not always work perfectly.

Yes, her Umrah is valid, but she must take into account the fatigue, the heat and airline rules late in pregnancy. For Hajj, several countries refuse women in the third trimester or with a high-risk pregnancy: seek medical advice.

Go back to the miqat and enter ihram there if this is possible before starting the rites: you then have nothing to make up. Otherwise, enter ihram where you are and offer a dam (a sheep sacrificed in Makkah), according to the majority of scholars.

It is the compensation for an ihram prohibition committed out of necessity (or without necessity, according to the schools): a choice between fasting three days, feeding six poor people or sacrificing a sheep (Quran 2:196; al-Bukhari 1814).

Fidya makes up for a prohibition committed (hair, nails, perfume, clothing…) and leaves a choice between three options. Dam makes up for omitting an obligatory act of Hajj (miqat, Muzdalifah, Mina, stoning, farewell tawaf): it is a sacrifice, replaced by ten days of fasting for those who cannot sacrifice, according to the majority.

Wash off the perfume as soon as you realise. According to the Shafiʿis and many Hanbalis, there is nothing to make up; the Hanafis and Malikis require compensation.

Yes, provided it is unscented. You may wash, shower and change your ihram sheets; avoid rubbing your hair hard so as not to pull any out.

A missed stoning can be made up until sunset on 13 Dhul-Hijjah, in the order of the days, according to the majority. After that, a dam is due.

No. Saudi Arabia forbids and penalises it, and the country’s scholars have reiterated the obligation to respect this rule, which protects pilgrims’ safety.

On the plane, when it passes level with the miqat (usually al-Juhfah, near Rabigh), usually announced by the crew. You can put on the ihram sheets before departure and make the intention a little before the miqat as a precaution.

Not if you are flying in from Europe, North Africa or Asia: the airport is after the miqat, according to the vast majority of scholars. Only the residents of Jeddah, and those who decide on their Umrah there without having planned it beforehand, enter ihram in Jeddah.

No. You enter ihram at Dhul-Hulayfah (Abyar ʿAli) when leaving Madinah for Makkah, before the train or coach departs.

Dhul-Hulayfah, now called Abyar ʿAli, about 9 km south-west of the Prophet’s Mosque; a large mosque there welcomes pilgrims to get ready.

You must leave the sacred territory to enter ihram: the nearest point is al-Tanʿim, at ʿA’ishah Mosque, from where ʿA’ishah performed her Umrah on the instruction of the Prophet ﷺ.

Go back to the miqat and enter ihram there if this is possible before starting the rites. Otherwise, enter ihram where you are and offer a dam, according to the majority of scholars.

About 18 km as the crow flies, more by road. Mina is about 7 km and Muzdalifah about 12 km from the Sacred Mosque; pilgrims travel between them by coach, by the Holy Sites train or on foot.

No. The Prophet ﷺ stood at the foot of the mount and said that all of Arafat is a place of standing. What matters is to be within the boundaries of Arafat on 9 Dhul-Hijjah, between midday and sunset.

No. It is not a rite of either Umrah or Hajj, but it is a recommended visit: you travel to pray in the Prophet’s Mosque ﷺ, then greet him and visit Quba, al-Baqiʿ and Uhud.

You need to book a time slot in the Nusuk app; the times are separate for men and for women. Go a little before your time, with the permit displayed on your phone.

Yes, the climb up a stone staircase takes about an hour. It is not a rite of the pilgrimage: set off early, with water and good shoes.

Whoever purifies himself at home and then goes to pray at Quba Mosque has the reward of an Umrah, according to a hadith reported by Ibn Majah and al-Tirmidhi.

From 8 to 13 Dhul-Hijjah 1448, that is, from May 14, 2027 to May 19, 2027 according to the official Saudi calendar, give or take a day depending on the sighting of the crescent. The Day of Arafah falls on Saturday, May 15, 2027.

Eid al-Adha, on 10 Dhul-Hijjah, is expected on Sunday, May 16, 2027 according to the official Saudi calendar. In countries that follow their own moon sighting, it may differ by one day.

Hajj follows the Hijri calendar, which is lunar and about eleven days shorter than the solar year. It therefore moves about eleven days earlier each year in the Gregorian calendar and goes round all the seasons in about thirty-three years.

All year round. Umrah visas are issued during a season that opens after Hajj and closes about two months before the following Hajj; while it is closed, Umrah is reserved for residents and holders of certain visas, with a permit.

It is recommended for those who are not on Hajj: fasting on this day expiates the sins of two years, according to the hadith reported by Muslim. The pilgrim does not fast at Arafat, following the example of the Prophet ﷺ.

Documents (passport, visa, bookings, vaccination record), ihram clothing, light clothes, unscented toiletries, a small first-aid kit, comfortable shoes already worn in and a small bag for days at the mosque.

Two sets for a man, so that he can change and wash the other. Women have no special garment: loose, modest, unscented clothes.

Anything scented: perfumes and scented soaps, shampoos, deodorants, creams and wipes. Take unscented versions.

No: they are collected on site, at Muzdalifah or Mina. Just take a small bag for 49 pebbles (two days of Tashriq) or 70 (three days).

The ACWY meningitis vaccine is mandatory for everyone, at least 10 days before arrival. Depending on the country of departure, polio or yellow fever vaccination may also be required. Proof of COVID-19 vaccination is required of people over 65, pregnant women and the chronically ill; the flu vaccine is recommended.

Five years for a conjugate vaccine, three years for a polysaccharide vaccine. If the certificate does not specify the type of vaccine, it is valid for only three years. The injection must have been given at least 10 days before arrival.

Yes, from the age of one, for Umrah as well as for Hajj. The vaccination centre will choose a vaccine suited to the child’s age and bring their routine vaccinations up to date.

Yes: each country must certify its pilgrims’ fitness with a certificate signed by a doctor. Dialysis, advanced heart failure, a need for oxygen, dementia, cancer under treatment or a third-trimester pregnancy rule out Hajj. Ask your country’s Hajj body.

The regulations do not forbid it, but they require proof of COVID-19 vaccination, and the Saudi authorities advise postponing the trip. Hajj is ruled out in the third trimester and in the case of a high-risk pregnancy. Ask your doctor for advice.

Hajj 1448 will fall around 15 May 2027. In May, the average is 42 °C in the afternoon in Makkah and 40 °C in Madinah, and peaks above 45 °C are possible. An umbrella and water are essential.

Yes, in their original packaging, with the prescription, in sufficient quantity for the stay. Medicines containing narcotics or psychotropic substances require prior online authorisation and are limited to 30 days of treatment.

911 for emergencies in Makkah and Madinah, 997 for a Red Crescent ambulance and 937 for medical advice, 24 hours a day. During Hajj, healthcare is free for pilgrims.

About 300 riyals in fees for a person coming from abroad, plus compulsory health insurance of about 100 to 180 riyals, so 400 to 480 riyals. On top of that come the hotel and transport, which are compulsory to obtain the visa.

The single-entry visa must be used within 30 days of issue, and then allows a stay of 90 days, with no extension. The multiple-entry visa, launched in July 2026, is valid for 365 days with 90 days’ stay in total.

Yes, outside the Hajj period, with an Umrah permit booked in Nusuk. This visa does not allow you to perform Hajj, or to stay in Makkah during the Hajj period.

Choose the Rawdah in the app, then a date and a time slot, and confirm between 48 hours and 2 hours beforehand. You are entitled to one booking a year; to go back, the immediate path offers slots every 20 minutes near the mosque.

Administratively, yes: Saudi regulations allow it for adult women, the minimum age generally given being 18. From a religious point of view, scholars’ opinions differ; the page of this section dedicated to women sets out their positions.

Yes. Saudia or flynas passengers can obtain a free 96-hour transit visa and book an Umrah permit in Nusuk. This visa does not allow Hajj.

For the 1447 season: a fine of up to 20,000 riyals and, for residents and people staying illegally, deportation with a 10-year entry ban. Housing visit-visa holders in Makkah costs up to 100,000 riyals per person; transporting pilgrims without a permit exposes you to prison, confiscation of the vehicle and heavy fines.

Nusuk Hajj is for countries without an official mission, including France, Belgium, Switzerland and Canada: you create an account, have your file verified, then book an approved package. On 12 October 2026, the 1448 dates had not been announced. Elsewhere, registration goes through the national Hajj body.