Hajj & Umrah Information & Experience
Know the rites before you know the price.
Twenty-seven years of caravans, condensed. If you read nothing else on this site, read this page — then walk the Preparation Map beside it.
Hajj is the fifth pillar — obligatory once in a lifetime upon every Muslim who is adult, able, and can afford the way. It is performed in the month of Dhul-Hijjah, and its essential form has not changed since the Prophet ﷺ performed his farewell pilgrimage.
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Ihram at the Miqat & Umrah of Tamattu‘
Most South Asian pilgrims perform Hajj Tamattu‘: Umrah before the days of Hajj, ihram released in between. Bathe at the miqat, wear the two unstitched cloths, make your intention, and enter the state where mirrors, perfume and stitched cloth are set aside.
Day of Tarwiyah
Mina — the tent city
Ihram is resumed and the caravan moves to Mina for five prayers and a night of preparation. Nothing dramatic happens — and that is its point: the heart is given a quiet day before Arafah.
Day of ‘Arafah
Arafat — the Standing
Hajj is Arafah. From midday to sunset you stand in du‘a on the plain where Adam was reunited, where the Prophet ﷺ delivered his last sermon. Miss the standing, and the Hajj is missed — our itineraries are built backwards from this single afternoon.
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Muzdalifah — under the sky
After sunset, walk or ride to Muzdalifah, combine Maghrib and ‘Isha, collect your 49–70 pebbles, and rest on the open ground. For many pilgrims this austere, star-lit night is the memory that stays longest.
Days of Tashriq
Mina — Ramy, sacrifice, Halq
Stone the three Jamarat each day, the sacrifice is made on your behalf, and hair is shaved or trimmed — the restrictions of ihram lift one by one. The days are demanding; our guides escort every Ramy group on foot.
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Tawaf al-Ifadah & Sa‘ee, then the farewell
Return to the Haram for the tawaf that is a pillar of Hajj, then Sa‘ee between Safa and Marwah. Before leaving Makkah for the last time, the farewell tawaf — the leaving itself made into worship.
“On the night of Arafah our guide, Hafiz Abdullah, stayed beside my mother the whole night with water and du‘a, though his own tent was a twenty-minute walk away. We came for Hajj and found a family.”Walk the eight stations on the Preparation Map
Umrah — the lesser pilgrimage — can be performed at any time of year and takes under three hours in the Haram itself. It is four acts, in order, in the state of ihram.
Ihram
Intention at the Miqat
At the boundary (for flights, usually over Qarn al-Manazil before landing in Jeddah), bathe, wear the ihram cloths, make niyyah for Umrah and begin the talbiyah. The restrictions begin here, not at the airport.
Tawaf
Seven circuits of the House
Begin at the Black Stone line, counter-clockwise, men uncovering the right shoulder for the first three. Touch the ka‘bah if you can; do not push to kiss the Stone — from a distance, a gesture and takbir suffice.
Sa‘ee
Seven laps, Safa to Marwah
Walk the corridor of Hajar’s search for water, seven lengths, with du‘a at each hill. The green-lit section between the markers is where tradition says she ran — men only pick up pace there; the elderly ride the wheelchair lane.
Halq
Shaving or trimming
Men shave the head or trim all around; women cut a fingertip’s length. Ihram ends, and the Umrah is complete — the Haram stays open, and many stay on for prayer before leaving Makkah.
Umrah in Ramadan carries the reward of a Hajj in the Prophet’s ﷺ company; our Ramadan caravans are therefore booked months ahead. See Umrah departures for dates.
What to pack
- Ihram cloths ×2 (one to wear, one drying)
- Unscented soap & unscented deodorant
- Comfortable slip-on sandals for tawaf
- Medicine kit, in original boxes with prescriptions
- Waist pouch for passport & cash
- Power bank (outlets in Mina are scarce)
- Photocopies of passport, visa & vaccine card
- Light shoulder bag for the days of Hajj
- Small pouch for the 49–70 pebbles
- Pocket du‘a book — paper survives heat better
Health
Meningitis ACWY (and polio for our region) is mandatory — the certificate must be at least 10 days old at departure. Hydrate before you feel thirst; the mataf in the afternoon is 40°C of reflected marble. Our clinics in Makkah and Mina keep your file; tell the guide about diabetes, heart conditions or dialysis before Dhaka airport, not after.
Money
Carry Saudi riyal in mixed notes plus one card; keep receipts for large payments. Expect to spend modestly outside the package — dates, gifts, laundry. Our office in Makkah can hold surplus cash safely until departure day.
Etiquette & apps
In the Haram: voices low, photographs of other worshippers avoided, and the mataf left clear between circuits. Install Nusuk for permits and prayer slots, and keep our group flag’s colour in mind — in a crowd of two million, it is how the caravan finds itself.