Question: How does a menstruating woman perform umrah? What can she do and not do?
Answer:
Bismi Llahir Rahmanir Rahim
Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatuLlahi wa barakatuhu
While in a state of menstruation, some of the umrah rites cannot be performed. Therefore the umrah cannot be completed until a woman’s menstrual bleeding finishes and she takes a ghusl.
The following passages summarize which umrah rites a menstruating woman can and cannot perform.
Ihram
In the Hanafi madhhab, a menstruating woman who lives outside the miqāt is obliged to enter into a state of iḥrām for umrah/hajj before passing the miqāt if she is intending to visit Makkah.
She can:
- Perform any of the sunna/recommended acts for preparing the body for iḥrām
- Take the ghusl for cleanliness, which is sunna before entering into iḥrām
- Enter into a state of iḥrām (intention + talbiya in an audible voice)
- Chant the talbiya as much as she likes
- Recite all the sunna supplications
She cannot:
- Pray the two sunna raka’at before entering into iḥrām (nor does she need to make it up later)
Tawaf
A menstruating woman is obliged to wait until her menstruation finishes and she takes a ghusl before performing the ṭawāf. She will remain in a state of iḥrām until the umrah ṭawāf is offered.
She cannot:
- Enter the mosque
- Perform any type of ṭawāf
(Read about the general categories of prohibited acts of worship here.)
Sa’y
The sa’y cannot be performed until after the umrah ṭawāf is completed. A menstruating woman is obliged to wait until her menstruation finishes and she takes a ghusl before performing the umrah ṭawāf.
If her menstruation starts after performing the umrah ṭawāf, she can perform the sa’y but she cannot enter the mosque. She should enter the area of the sa’y from the back doors and not walk through the mosque to reach it.
Trimming the Hair
Trimming the hair before the umrah rites are completed is an iḥrām violation and it will result in a penalty. Furthermore, despite cutting her hair, a menstruating woman will remain in a state of iḥrām until the umrah rites are carried out.
She cannot:
- Cut/trim her hair until the umrah rites are completed
Possible Situations
If she is in a state of iḥrām for umrah and her menstruation starts BEFORE she begins performing her umrah ṭawāf, then she must wait until her menstruation finishes before entering the mosque and making ṭawāf.
If she is in a state of iḥrām for umrah and her menstruation starts DURING the performance of her umrah ṭawāf, then she must leave the mosque immediately and wait until her menstruation finishes before completing her ṭawāf.
If her group will leave Makkah before her menstruation finishes, then she must contact a scholar/mufti about what to do in her situation.
We urge women to plan ahead of time. Read about taking medication to stop your bleeding during the days that you’re in Makkah here inshaAllah.
Check out our FREE Umrah course for more details about the rulings related to umrah, as well as practical advice.
Read our Step-By-Step Umrah Guide.
Jazak Allah khayran
Naielah Ackbarali
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