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ZaraHajj & Umrah Services

The rituals & preparation

Umrah, explained in the order it happens

Umrah is not complicated, but it is unfamiliar, and almost every problem first-time pilgrims run into is logistical rather than religious. This section covers both, the rituals as scholars describe them, and the practical detail nobody tells you until you are standing there.

Zara Hajj & Umrah Services · Udupi, Karnataka

Updated 30 Jul 2026 · 6 min

Guides

Everything in this section

  • Start here

    Step-by-step Umrah guide

    All 9 steps from ghusl to the final trim, each with its dua, its realistic timing, and the mistakes that happen at that point.

    Read

  • Verified quarterly

    Visa & Nusuk permit

    Which visa route applies to you, how to get the Nusuk account verified, and when the Umrah permit window opens.

    Read

  • Scholar reviewed

    Ihram rules & miqat points

    What ihram prohibits, how to wear it, where the miqat lies on each approach, and what to do if you pass it.

    Read

  • Saves your progress

    Packing checklist

    39 items across five stages, from the passport renewal at twelve weeks to the dua list you write the night before.

    Read

  • Calculator

    What Umrah actually costs

    A range by origin country, travel style and length of stay, with every line item shown, in your currency.

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  • Printable

    Duas & adhkar

    The Talbiyah and the duas for each stage. Arabic, transliteration, translation, source. Printable to carry.

    Read

The short version

If you read nothing else

Nine steps. Four to six hours at a moderate pace. Longer in Ramadan, and longer again with children or an elderly parent.

  1. 01Prepare before the miqat30–45 min
  2. 02Enter ihram and make your intention5 min
  3. 03Enter Masjid al-Haram15–30 min
  4. 04Tawaf, seven circuits45 min to 2 hrs
  5. 05Two rak'ahs at Maqam Ibrahim10 min
  6. 06Drink Zamzam5 min
  7. 07Sa'i, seven lengths45 min to 1.5 hrs
  8. 08Halq or taqsir, shave or trim20 min
  9. 09Your Umrah is complete—

Avoidable

Six things that go wrong, and what to do instead

None of these are religious errors. All of them are common, and all of them are preventable at the planning stage.

  • Passing the miqat in ordinary clothes

    Announcements get missed. Set your own alarm 45 minutes before landing.

  • Losing count during Sa'i

    By length five everybody is tired. Count aloud or on your fingers, every single time.

  • Scented everything

    Soap, toothpaste, deodorant, wet wipes. Buy unscented before you fly, not at the hotel.

  • Fighting the crowd for the Black Stone

    It is sunnah when possible, not a requirement. Raising your hand from a distance is complete.

  • Doing the mataf at Maghrib

    The single most crowded moment in the mosque. Go at 10am or after Isha instead.

  • No rehydration salts

    Heat exhaustion, not injury, is what ends most people's second day.

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