Introduction to Umrat-ul-Mufradah
Rule 137: It is mustahabb to perform Umrat-ul-Mufradah in every month of the year.
Mandatory Steps to Perform Umrat-ul-Mufradah
Umrat-ul-Mufradah is essentially completing the following activities in order.
- Meqat, Ihram & Talabiyah
- Tawaf
- Tawaf Prayer
- Sa’y (counting both up and down) starting from Safa’h
- Taksir
- Tawaf-un-Nisa
- Tawaf Prayer
Meqat, Ihram & Talabiyah
The sacred rules of Islam designate special places for wearing the ihram. It is incumbent on the pilgrim to wear ihram there. There are nine such places, each of which is called Meqat.
- Thul Hulaifah which is situated near Madinah, Masjid-ush-Shajarah
- Wadil-Aqeeq, which is the Meqat for the people of Iraq and Najd and those passing through there. It has three parts: Maslakh, Ghamrah, and Thati Irq.
- Johfa, which is the Meqat for the people of Syria, Egypt, and the West and those who pass from there if they have not worn ihram earlier at Thul Hulaifa either with or without excuse.
- Yalamlam which is the Meqat for the people of Yemen and those who pass from there.
- Qarn-ul-Manaazil which is the Meqat for the people of Ta’if and all those who pass through that route.
If the pilgrim is unable to specify the exact place, he can wear the ihram by making a vow (nadhr) before reaching the Meqat. The proximity of any of the above-quoted Meqats: If a person takes a route that does not cross any of the said Meqats, he must wear ihram from any place which is parallel to the Meqat, that is to say, a place at which, when he faces the Holy Ka’ba, one of the Meqats would be to his right or left, and when he proceeds from that point to Makkah, the Meqat would be behind him. It is sufficient to use common sense to determine if one has reached such a point; it is not necessary to take exact measurements. If a person takes a route on which he reaches a place that becomes parallel to two Meqats, it, as a matter of preferential precaution, is recommended that he should wear the ihram on reaching the first of such two places.