Etiquette of Ihram

There are certain etiquette which one must observe while in a state of Ihram. It is Sunnah for a pilgrim to clean himself. This means clipping his fingernails, trimming his moustache, shaving off the hair from under his armpits and his pubic hair. The Muhrem must take a complete bath even if he is a boy. Women experiencing menstruation and post-childbirth bleeding must take a complete bath too, for this bath is taken for cleanliness. If water is not enough to take a complete bath the Muhrem is not obliged to make dry ablution. Ablution should suffice. If there is not enough water for making ablution, he can simply declare his Ihram without taking a complete bath or ablution. It is a Sunnah to wear some perfume before declaring Ihram, for both men and women even if it should continue to smell afterwards or leaves traces of it that show when one sweats. 

However, if a woman in Ihram wears a perfume she must stay away from men lest they should smell her perfume. She is prohibited to wear a perfume and attract the attention of men whom she is not forbidden to marry as the smell of her perfume lingers in the air. A pilgrim can put perfume on his body but never on his garb. He is allowed to wear a garb he had already perfumed before he declared his Ihram. But he is prohibited to wear this perfumed whole back of poll is missing all the previous prerequisite, it is preferred that he should pray two rak'at. In the first rak'ah, he should recite Surat Al-Kafirun, in the second, he should recite Surat Al-Ikhlas. 

Once he finishes his prayers, he must declare his intention, at heart, of performing 'Umrah or Hajj or both to assume the state of Ihram. He should say 'O Allah, I want to perform Hajj so make it easy for me and accept my Hajj, or I want to perform both Hajj and 'Umrah so make them easy for me and accept them'. Then, he should make his Talbyah saying 'Here I am at Your Service, O Allah! You have no partner, here I am at Your Service, O Allah. Verily all the praise, the grace belongs to You, and the Kingdom. You have no partner. It is worth noting that there are other additions to this Talbyah said by the Prophet (P.B.U.H.). The Hanafi scholars held that Talbyah is a condition. Malik held that it is obligatory Ash-Shafi'i and Ahmad held that it is a Sunnah. The reader must be conscious of these disagreements among scholars. However, it suffices for the validity of Ihram of the pilgrim to utter Talbyah once when he makes the intention of performing Hajj or 'Umrah. It is safer for the pilgrim not to delay Talbyah until after he made his intention of performing Hajj or 'Umrah. "Lab- baika" means "Here I am at Your Service and at Your Call and I hope that you are pleased with me. 

It is preferred that the pilgrim should raise his voice when uttering Talbyah. His voice should be medium pitched, in other words it should not be too high-pitched in a way that might disturb others and put the pilgrim himself to inconveniences. Imam Ahmad disliked raising ones voice when saying Talbyah when one is inside a congregational mosque. However, he preferred raising one's voice when saying Talbyah in the Sacred Mosque, Mecca, Arafah and the Mosque of Mina. It was reported that when Ibn Abbas heard a man raising his voice in Talbyah in Al Madina he exclaimed: 'He must have lost his mind. Women are allowed to raise their voices in Talbyah just like men. Because the mothers of the believers used to raise their voices in Talbyah. It was reported that the Prophet (P.B.U.H.) said: Gabriel came to me and told me: Command your Companions to raise their voices when saying Talbyah? It was reported that the Prophet (P.B.U.H.) said, When any Muslim utters Talbyah, everything, every stone or tree or pebble on his right side and on his left side responds with a similar Talbyah. It was also reported that the Prophet (P.B.U.H.) said, He who declares, 'There is no God but Allah', or 'God is the Great, will get the good news of Paradise as his reward. Scholars were of the opinion that Talbyah is preferred after prayers, when going up or down a hill when meeting another group of people and early in the morning. On these occasions, the Muslim should raise his voice when saying Talbyah even if he was in a mosque. If he sees something which he likes, he should say, 'There is no life but the Hereafter' The Muhrim should not stop saying Talbyah until he throws the first pebble on the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah, the Day of Nahr - Sacrifice. If he enters Mecca with the intention of performing Umrah, he should say Talbyah until he kisses the Black Stone and starts his Tawaf. Only then, should he discontinue Talbyah.

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Hajj And Umrah Guides, Pilgrimage Essentials, Mecca & Medina Topics Links:

Advice To Pilgrims | A Step by step Hajj and 'Umrah | Adhkar (Pertaining to the remembrance of Allah) | A Lasting Word For Hajj And 'Umrah | An Account of the Miqat | An Account of visiting the Prophet's Mosque | Ayaam at-Tashreeq | Binding on the pilgrim to refrain from sins | Command about the Menstruating and similar women | Conditional Ihram | Day by Day Rites of Hajj - Day One | Day by Day Rites of Hajj - Day Two | Day by Day Rites of Hajj - Day Three | Day by Day Rites of Hajj - Day Four | Day by Day Rites of Hajj - Day Five | Day by Day Rites of Hajj - Day Six | Day of Arafah | Day to Day Activities of Hajj | Dhabh | Duties of pilgrims at 'Arafah | Entering Mecca | Entering Al-Masjid-al-Haram (the Sacred Mosque) and Tawaf | Errors Often Committed by Pilgrims | Etiquette of Ihram | Etiquette of Visiting the Prophet's (P.B.U.H) Grave | Farewell Pilgrimage of the Messenger of Allah | Farewell Tawaf | Farewell Tawaf is binding on everyone except the menstruating and women with post childbirth bleeding | Fixed time for Hajj | Fixed time for Hajj | Four Khutbahs in Hajj | Hajj in Pre-Islamic Times | Hajj of a woman | Hajj, Umrah & Ziyarah At a Glance | Halq or Qass | Halq or Qasr: Shaving or Clipping | Ihram | Ihram for youngsters | Ihram: Introduction And Significance | Innovations of `Arafah | Innovations Before Ihraam | Innovations of Hajj, `Umra and Visiting Madinah | Innovations of Ihraam and Talbiyyah, etc. | Innovations of Muzdalifah | Innovations of Sacrifice and Shaving the Head | Innovations of Sa'y Between Safaa and Marwah | Innovations of Stoning | Innovations of Tawaaf | Innovations of Visiting Madinat-ul-Munawwarah | Innovations of Visiting Bait-ul-Maqdis | Innovations: Various Innovations | Istilaam | Kinds of Ihram | Leaving Arafah to spend night in Al Muzdalefah | Many `Umrahs after Hajj is not encouraged by the Shari`ah | Maqaam Ibraaheem | Meeqaat | Merits of Hajj | Merits of 'Umrah | Minaa | Neglecting and delaying the throwing of pebbles | No Specific Supplication for Tawaf and Sa'y | Not allowed to shave the beard | Not obligatory to visit the Prophet's Mosque | Objective of Hajj - To seek the Divine Pleasure | Obligations during Hajj and Umrah | Performing Hajj on behalf of others | Permitted and Forbidden things in the State of Ihram | Pilgrim with Sacrificial Animal in the month of Hajj should intend Qiran (accompanied Hajj) and the one | Pillars of Hajj | Prayers at Arafah | Preparations for Hajj, Umrah and travelling to the holy lands | Preparing for Hajj or 'Umrah | Prerequisites and Sunnahs of valid Tawaf | Ramy | Reaching Miqat at a Time other than the Hajj Season | Regulations Concerning Hady (Sacrificial animals) | Restrictions of Ihram | Rites, obligations and Sunnahs of Umrah | Sa'y | Sa'y between Safa and Marwah | Sa'y and its rituals | Sacrificial animals | Shaving or clipping hair | Sunnah and allowed throwing | Sunnahs of Tawaf | Supplication at the beginning of the journey | Supplication on entering the Mosque | Supplications at Arafah | Supplications: Some All-Inclusive Supplications | Supplications: Some Supplications which may Be Recited At 'Arafat, at the Sacred Sites, and at Other Places of Supplication | Talbeeyah | Tawaaf | Tawaaf al-Ifaadah | Throwing Al Jemar | Throwing pebbles on behalf of other people | Types of Hajj | Umrah | Veiling and giving up the display of beauty is compulsory for women | Verdict on spending the night at Mina | Visitation of the Prophet's Mosque | Visiting Al-Masjid Al-Nabawi | Visiting Quba Mosque and Al-Baqi' cemetery | What a Pilgrim should do when he reaches the Miqat | What Is Required of the Pilgrims | What is allowed to a Muhrim | Where to pick the pebbles from and the number and size of pebbles | Woman's Hajj with Mahram, expenses of Hajj, taking husband's permission | Woman may enter into the Ihram in any dress | Wuqoof 'Arafaat | Wuqoof Muzdalifah | Zamzam