Understand the sequence before you arrive, so you can approach your worship with greater calm and confidence.
Reviewed 12 November 2026 · Based on official Nusuk and Haramain guidance.
Umrah follows a clear sequence: enter Ihram with the intention for Umrah, perform Tawaf around the Kaaba, complete Sa‘i between Safa and Marwah, then shave or shorten the hair to leave Ihram. The two units of prayer after Tawaf sit within this journey.
Learn the order and the meaning of these words before departure. Agree where your group will meet, how to reach your guide and what assistance anyone needs. Prepare your clothing before reaching the relevant Miqat, the boundary for entering Ihram on your route.
This is a practical introduction to the usual rites. Questions involving illness, menstruation, disability, a missed Miqat or a particular school of Islamic law deserve individual guidance from a qualified religious guide.
Check the travel preparations
Follow the sequence at a considerate pace. Worship should never become a reason to push or harm another person.
Prepare your clothing before the Miqat, the boundary on your route. Make the intention to begin Umrah at or before crossing it, and recite the Talbiyah. Ihram is entered through this intention, rather than by putting on the clothing alone.
Men wear the two Ihram cloths; women wear suitable modest clothing, without a prescribed Ihram colour. Learn the applicable clothing and covering rules with your guide. If flying to perform Umrah, establish in advance when your flight approaches the Miqat. Keep the restrictions of Ihram in mind, including fragrance, hair or nail removal and marital intimacy.
Arrive at Al-Masjid al-Haram prepared for Tawaf, including Wudu. Identify the alignment of the Black Stone with your guide or the official signs. Begin from that alignment, keeping the Kaaba on your left, and move counterclockwise with the flow of pilgrims. Keep each circuit outside the semicircular Hijr area beside the Kaaba.
You do not need to reach or kiss the Black Stone to perform Tawaf. When it is crowded, acknowledge its alignment as taught by your guide and continue without forcing your way through.
One complete return to the Black Stone alignment counts as one circuit. Complete seven, keeping a reliable count. Use the time for remembrance of Allah and personal supplication; the rites do not require an invented script for every lap.
For men, the recommended brisk steps in the first three circuits and uncovering of the right shoulder belong to the appropriate arrival/Umrah Tawaf, where practicable. They are not instructions for women or a reason to rush into others. Ask your guide to demonstrate these details before starting.
After seven circuits, men cover the right shoulder again. Pray two units of prayer, preferably behind Maqam Ibrahim when this can be done safely. If that area is busy, use another suitable place in the mosque rather than blocking the moving Tawaf crowd.
Take a moment to orient yourself, then follow the official signs towards Safa and the Sa‘i area. Keep moving with the designated pedestrian flow, particularly when leaving the Tawaf area with a group.
Start at Safa and walk to Marwah: that is the first length. Return from Marwah to Safa for the second. Continue for seven lengths in total, finishing at Marwah. A return journey is two lengths, not one; keeping this distinction clear avoids accidentally doubling the rite.
Make remembrance and supplication along the way. Men who are able move briskly between the designated green markers; women walk normally. Respect the movement of other pilgrims and use the access or assistance arrangements agreed with your guide.
After Sa‘i, men shave the head or shorten its hair; women shorten the ends of their hair. Learn the appropriate way to do this before the final stage, and use a suitable private setting for women and an appropriate barber or arrangement for men.
With the required hair-cutting completed, the Umrah is completed and you leave Ihram. Changing clothes alone does not complete this final rite. If you have a personal circumstance affecting it, ask for guidance before assuming that the restrictions have ended.
Sequence and counting: Nusuk Umrah Journey. Further detail: Haramain’s description of Umrah and official Haramain Umrah guide (PDF).
Agree a meeting place outside the moving crowd, save the group contact details and let companions know before separating. If you lose your group, use the agreed contact plan and official staff assistance rather than moving against the flow.
Discuss general mobility, rest and assistance needs before departure. Confirm current accessible routes and services through the official arrangements for your visit. A realistic plan is more useful than assuming everyone in a family or group can move at the same speed.
Flight times, entry permissions, hotel stays and visits to Madinah are travel arrangements to plan alongside the rites. Check their current requirements separately. Mabrook’s published programme pages explain the advertised services for each departure.
No. Reaching them is not a condition for completing your seven Tawaf circuits. Do not push, stop the flow or put yourself or another pilgrim at risk. Learn the appropriate acknowledgement of the Black Stone with your guide.
There is no compulsory seven-circuit script. You may make remembrance and supplication with understanding. A qualified guide can teach the established supplications and their places without turning a printed checklist into an additional ritual requirement.
Ask your religious guide promptly. The answer depends on what happened and the guidance you follow; do not add or omit a rite merely to keep up with the group. Agree how to reach the guide before beginning.
Seek individual religious guidance early, alongside medical advice where relevant. These circumstances can affect the timing of Tawaf and other arrangements. Avoid relying on a general travel page to decide a personal ruling or using medication without clinical advice.
No. Entry permissions, booking requirements and health regulations can change. Check the official Nusuk Umrah platform, relevant authorities and your travel arrangements for the actual dates of your visit.
Explore the published Umrah programmes, then talk to us about your dates, companions and the guidance arrangements for your departure.
Explore Umrah programmes