Common Mistakes to Avoid When Performing Umrah

You can also get carried away when a big crowd makes the same mistakes. Sometimes, we fail to recognise that something we are doing might be wrong or an error because we have always seen people do it. This can negatively affect your pilgrimage, and no one wants to miss out on the promised rewards or the ultimate spiritual renewal through this spiritual retreat. Therefore, we have listed some common mistakes that many people make but must avoid when performing Umrah to ensure that you have a perfect pilgrimage. 

• Changing the Intention of Umrah

Intention is the basis of any act of worship. As Muslims, Allah Almighty judges us for our intentions even before we do any deed. Therefore, make sure that you don’t change your Umrah intention. 

If you have already booked Umrah deals and have started preparing for the pilgrimage, you might have learned that there are two different types of Umrah: Mufradah and Tamattu. You must intend which Umrah you will perform before assuming Ihram. If you want to change your intention afterward, assuming Ihram, you can only change from Mufradah to Tamattu, not vice versa. 

• Not Changing the Ihram Clothes

It is a common misconception among Muslims that you cannot take off the Ihram clothing once you have entered the state of Ihram. This is not true and doesn’t have any sound basis. Even though you must follow the Ihram rules and restrictions till you have completed your pilgrimage, you can change Ihram clothes for reasons like cleanliness and comfort. But you must ensure that the clothes you change into are also simple and plain according to the requirements of Ihram. 

• Thinking that Dua is Accepted at the First Glance of Kaabah

Standing in front of the Holy Kaaba is undoubtedly an emotional experience for Muslims. The pilgrims claim that the first sight of the Kaabah brings tears to the eyes and makes the heart race. It is an incredible spiritual experience that is unmatched. However, many believe that the Dua made at the first glance of the Holy Kaaba is always accepted. 

There is no authentic Quranic and Hadith evidence on this. Doing any act of worship without any evidence is prohibited. You can supplicate as much as you want and make Duas during your pilgrimage, but you should not believe in any innovation like your Dua getting accepted at the first glance of the Kaabah. 

• Touching or Wiping any Part of the Kaabah

Many Muslims believe that touching or wiping any part of the Holy Kaaba and the Grand Mosque is a source of Barakah. This belief is not authentic in the light of the Quran and the Sunnah. During his pilgrimage, the Prophet (SAW) didn’t touch Kaabah or any other part of the site except for the Black Stone and the Yemeni corner. If people think touching any other spot or place brings khair, it is a complete innovation and must be avoided. 

• Kissing the Black Stone from Afar

Kissing the sacred Black Stone during the Umrah is a Sunnah of the Prophet (SAW). Anyone who can quickly kiss it must do it. However, if the Prophet (SAW) couldn’t kiss the stone, he wouldn’t have done it from afar. 

Nowadays, the Holy Kaaba is usually crowded all year round, and everyone can’t kiss the Black Stone. Therefore, people stop during their Tawaf and fly kisses at it from afar. This disrupts the flow of the crowd and causes blockage and crowds at the specific area. Therefore, we must follow the Sunnah of the Prophet (SAW). He only pointed towards the Black Stone and said “Allah-u-Akbar”. 

• Doing Multiple Umrahs

Many people have the misconception that they can perform Umrah multiple times. Many pilgrims repeatedly go to the various Miqat sites to assume the state of Ihram and perform the pilgrimage. You can perform as many Tawafs as you want, but avoid performing multiple Umrah.