Umrah (Lesser Pilgrimage)
The lesser pilgrimage to Mecca, which can be performed at any time of the year.
Umrah is the lesser pilgrimage to Mecca, which unlike Hajj can be performed at any time of the year. It consists of four main rituals: ihram (entering the state of pilgrimage), tawaf (seven circumambulations of the Kaaba), sa'i (walking between Safa and Marwa), and halq/taqsir (shaving or shortening the hair).
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "An Umrah to the next is an expiation for what is between them, and the accepted Hajj has no reward other than Paradise" (Sahih al-Bukhari). Prayer at Masjid al-Haram during Umrah has a special virtue — the Prophet said: "One prayer in my mosque is better than a thousand prayers elsewhere, except Masjid al-Haram" (Sahih al-Bukhari).
The four Sunni schools of law disagree on whether Umrah is obligatory (wajib) or merely strongly recommended (sunnah mu'akkadah). The Shafi'i and Hanbali schools consider it obligatory at least once in a lifetime, while the Hanafi and Maliki schools regard it as strongly recommended.
Related terms
Tashahhud (Declaration of Faith in the Seated Position)
The specific recitation during the seated position in prayer, with greetings to the Prophet.
Husayniyyah (Shia Assembly Hall)
A Shia Muslim assembly hall, named after Imam Husayn.
Rak'ah (Prayer Cycle)
A single cycle of movements and recitations in the Islamic prayer.
Adl (God's Justice)
The doctrine of God's absolute justice — the second article of faith in Shia Islam.
Salat al-Mayyit (Funeral Prayer)
The prayer for the deceased, performed before the burial.
Sunan Ibn Majah (Ibn Majah's Hadith Collection)
The sixth of the canonical hadith collections in Sunni Islam with unique narrations.