Umrah Guide for Women

How to Perform Umrah for Women: A Complete Guide

Everything a woman needs to know to perform Umrah with confidence, clothing, the questions around menstruation, travelling without a mahram, and the full step-by-step walkthrough with duas included at each stage. This is a travel guide, not a religious ruling: for guidance on your own specific situation, a knowledgeable female guide or scholar is the right source.

Quick Answers, Before the Full Guide

Clothing and Ihram for Women

• Unlike men, there’s no requirement for the two white unstitched cloths, your ihram is simply your own regular, modest, loose-fitting clothing (an abaya or similar), in any colour.
• Clothing should be clean, non-transparent, and free of perfume.
• You must not cover your face with a niqab or face veil, and must not wear gloves, while in the state of ihram.
• If non-mahram men are nearby, you may draw the edge of your headscarf down over your face as a screen, this is permitted and doesn’t affect the validity of your ihram.
• Rings and simple accessories are fine to wear.
• Socks are permitted at all times.

Your Step-by-Step Umrah

The same four rituals every pilgrim performs, walked through here specifically for what applies to you at each stage, with the duas recited at each point included directly.

1. Entering Ihram

• Make the niyyah (intention) at or before the miqat, the boundary point that depends on which direction you’re arriving from.

The Talbiyah, recited quietly (not aloud, as men do), after the intention:

لَبَّيْكَ اللَّهُمَّ لَبَّيْكَ، لَبَّيْكَ لاَ شَرِيْكَ لَكَ لَبَّيْكَ، إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ وَالنِّعْمَةَ لَكَ وَالْمُلْكَ لاَشَرِيْكَ لَكَ

Labbayk Allahumma Labbayk, Labbayk la sharika laka Labbayk, Innal hamda wanni’mata laka walmulk la sharika lak.

“Here I am, O Allah, here I am. Here I am, You have no partner, here I am. Indeed all praise, grace, and sovereignty belong to You. You have no partner.”

Continue reciting it at intervals on the journey to Makkah, stopping once tawaf begins.

2. Tawaf — Circling the Ka’aba

Seven counter-clockwise circles around the Ka’aba, walked at your normal pace throughout, the brisk-walking and shoulder-uncovering practices you may have heard about are specifically for men and don’t apply to you.

On entering Masjid al-Haram:

اللَّهُمَّ افْتَحْ لِي أَبْوَابَ رَحْمَتِكَ

Allahumma aftah lee abwaaba rahmatika.

“O Allah, open the doors of Your Mercy for me.”

Each circle both starts and ends by lining up with the Hajar e Aswad (the Black Stone), simply facing or gesturing toward it as you pass is completely acceptable given how crowded it usually is.

Commonly recited between the Yemeni Corner and the Hajar e Aswad, in the final stretch of each circuit:

رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ

Rabbanaa aatinaa fid-dunyaa hasanatan wa feel aakhirati hasanatan wa qinaa ‘adhaaban naar.

“Our Lord, give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.”

Afterward, two rak’ahs near the Maqam e Ibrahim if space allows, or anywhere in the mosque if it’s too crowded, then Zamzam water.

3. Sa’i — Between Safa and Marwah

Seven passes between the two hills, walked at a normal, unhurried pace the entire way, including through the section marked by green lights, where you’ll see men picking up their pace. That’s specific to men, there’s no need to hurry through it yourself.

On first approaching Safa:

إِنَّ الصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةَ مِنْ شَعَائِرِ اللهِ

Innas-safaa wal-marwata min sha’aa’ir-illaah.

“Indeed, Safa and Marwah are among the symbols of Allah.”

At Safa and Marwah, each time you reach one:

اللهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللهُ أَكْبَرُ، لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ

Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, laa ilaaha ill-Allahu wahdahu laa shareeka lah.

“Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest. None has the right to be worshipped except Allah alone, without partner.”

Covered, air-conditioned walkways make this manageable, with dedicated slower-paced lanes if that’s useful for you or anyone travelling with you. You finish at Marwah on the seventh pass.

4. Completing Umrah — Cutting Your Hair

Shaving isn’t an option for women, gather a section of hair and cut roughly a fingertip’s length (about 1cm) from the ends. Cutting from one section is enough, there’s no need to cut from every strand.

On leaving Masjid al-Haram:

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ

Allahumma innee as’aluka min fadhlika.

“O Allah, I ask You from Your favour.”

Once this is done, all restrictions of ihram lift immediately and your Umrah is complete.

If Your Period Starts Before or During Your Trip

This is a genuinely common situation to plan around, not a reason for distress or to feel your trip is derailed.

• If you’re menstruating (hayd) or in post-natal bleeding (nifas), you can still perform every part of Umrah except tawaf and the two rak’ahs of prayer behind Maqam e Ibrahim.
• Sa’i and the hair-cutting step can both be performed as normal, it’s specifically tawaf and the prayer that wait until you’re in a state of purity.
• If your period begins partway through your trip, tawaf can be completed once you’re pure again, even if that means it happens later than the rest of your rituals.
• It’s worth planning travel dates around your cycle where you can, and raising any specific questions with a knowledgeable female scholar or teacher rather than guessing.

Travelling Without a Mahram

Traditionally, many scholars have held that a woman needs to travel with a mahram (a close male relative she cannot marry). A number of contemporary scholars and official bodies now permit women to travel as part of an organised group instead.

• This varies by scholarly opinion, and by individual provider, worth confirming directly with whichever provider you’re considering before booking.
• If this question matters to your own plans, raising it with a trusted scholar directly is worth doing before you commit to a trip.

Common Questions