Step by Step Umrah Guide with Duas and Important Tips

Most guides about performing Umrah deal exclusively with the religious order of Ihram, Tawaf and Sa’i, and quite rightly so. However, if you are planning to make your first journey to Saudi Arabia from Britain, there is another level of concern which very few people seem to discuss at all: what actually happens every hour, what should I take and what does the whole trip feel like?

This guide will focus on this very gap. As opposed to reciting the entire process along with all the duas word for word (which you can do by reading through our individual guides, available throughout), this article takes you through the real process right from the time you book your ticket till the time you return home.

What Umrah Actually Involves, in Brief

Umrah is a shorter journey compared to Hajj, which can be undertaken throughout the year and is normally done in a few hours after one enters into the state of Ihram. Umrah consists of four main rituals which include Ihram, Tawaf, Sa’i, and either Halq or Taqsir. These rituals follow an inviolable sequence along with etiquettes for each ritual.

If you would like to know all the rules and restrictions in detail, the Complete Umrah Rules guide is what you need. In case you require the Arabic text with the translation for all the duas, then the Essential Umrah Duas guide will be perfect for you. This post is all about those two.

The Umrah Journey, Stage by Stage

This is the way the journey usually goes for the pilgrim traveling out of the UK:

1. Before you fly (1–4 weeks ahead): Getting your visa sorted out, confirming your flight and hotel bookings, packing, and being aware of the sequence of events before you hear about it in the plane.

2. Departure Day: Check-in at UK airports. Depending on your destination, you may have to enter Ihram once you board your plane if you pass through any Miqat.

3. Arrival in Saudi Arabia: Immigration procedures will be followed upon arrival in Jeddah or Madinah and transport to your hotel in Makkah (or Madinah first, if your package includes both destinations).

4. Doing Umrah: Entrance of Masjid Al-Haram, Tawaf, prayer at Maqam Ibrahim, Sa’i from Safa to Marwah, and finally Halq or Taqsir.

5. Days following Umrah: Further trips to Haram for prayers, second Umrahs (optional), if you wish, from Miqats near the city, and for most packages a couple of days spent in Madinah visiting the Masjid an-Nabawi.

6. Return journey: After checking out from the hotel, going to the airport, and flying back to UK.

Having an idea of what the journey is likely to be like beforehand takes all of the uncertainty out of it.

Before You Fly: A Practical Checklist

A lot of first-time nerves come from feeling under-prepared, not from the rituals themselves. Before leaving the UK, it’s worth sorting out:

• Visa and documentation make sure all is well and sorted out well in advance of your travel dates, not a week before them.
• Ihram clothing (for men) to pack in carry-on luggage, just in case there’s the need for Ihram in flight.
• Wear a pair of comfortable and worn-in sandals instead of new ones for Tawaf and Sa’i the walking distance on tough surfaces.
• First aid kits, consisting of blister pads and hydration sachets, are very useful indeed.
• Duas saved offline on your phone, or you can print them out, because sometimes there are Wi-Fi problems in the Haram.
• A general check of your health, especially if you are not mobile, so that you can work around it rather than being surprised by it.

What to Expect Once You Land

These two airports will be crowded by people from all over the world due to this reason the procedure of immigration will take longer than the procedure on holiday visits. It would be better to spare some extra time after landing to complete your transfer.

After you reach your hotel you move to Masjid al-Haram after a short while due to the excitement that you feel and because visiting Umrah at the start of your visit makes other visits to the mosque available for prayers and relaxation.

Timing Your Umrah: When It’s Busiest

When talking about UK pilgrims who organize their visit beforehand, time becomes a very significant element of their pilgrimage:

Ramadan is certainly the busiest period for pilgrimages, as the capacity of Masjid al-Haram is extremely high. The season is highly spiritually important but very difficult physically.

The school holidays and summer months attract more families of pilgrims from the UK.

The off-peak months will provide a more relaxed environment, fewer crowds, and even cheaper packages.

Avoiding the high season will definitely help you have an easy time physically, especially if this is your first Umrah.

Duas You’ll Use Along the Way

Every ritual in Umrah is associated with the particular dua as well, right from leaving your home in the UK to performing the rituals of Tawaf and Sa’i to finally finishing the pilgrimage. Instead of reproducing all of these duas here, it is much better to learn these ahead of time from the proper source.

Duas for Umrah will be presented in our Essential Duas for Umrah book in Arabic, with transliteration and translation into English in sequence as per their practical usage.

Rules Worth Keeping in Mind Throughout

Umrah has a few things that you need to be wary of when you are in a state of Ihram, such as prohibition of perfumes, shaving, nail trimming, and having good manners. All these prohibitions are valid from the time you enter into a state of Ihram until the Halq or Taqsir process is completed.

For detailed information on all the above rules, visit our Complete Umrah Rules page.

What First-Time Pilgrims Often Don’t Expect

A few things which always surprise the pilgrims coming from the UK during their first visit:

• For how physically tough Tawaf and Sa’i are, the distances that pilgrims travel are much more than expected, particularly when it is warm.
• Seeing the Kaaba is an emotional experience, even for those who come well prepared for their pilgrimage.
• Given how much waiting for the transfer and prayer times, patience is equally as important as preparation.
• The truth is that most pilgrims know that sitting and reflecting alone or going straight from Umrah to Madinah is really the same thing.

Tips for a Smoother Trip

• Go on a guided trip with professionals. This is especially true for new pilgrims performing Umrah since an expert will not allow any extra stress at all.
• Take it easy physically, instead of trying to keep up with the pace of other pilgrims in Tawaf and Sa’i.
•  Keep your phone charged and bring a portable charger. You might use it more than you think during the recitation of duas, travelling within the mosque grounds and talking to team members.
• You should try to make your package as flexible as possible with rest days in, especially if you are traveling through Madinah too.
• Set a modest daily routine in attempting to do all of these optional prayers and visits. Umrah is not a checklist.

Final Thoughts

The process of religious pilgrimage of Umrah has been explained very nicely, but it is the practical aspects of the whole process such as timing, packing, arrangements, and even the anticipation of what is coming up that really makes the whole experience easy for a beginner from the UK. Combine this guide with the details we provide in our Umrah Rules and Umrah Dua pages and get ready for an easier pilgrimage.

If you feel that you need to start planning, check out our Umrah packages from UK!