The Umrah pilgrimage is one of great significance in a Muslim’s life; even though it isn’t compulsory, it is suggested to perform Umrah more than once, as you will reap the benefits in later life. However, when it comes to who can perform the Umrah pilgrimage, there are some conditions with regards to who are obliged to perform Umrah.
They Must Be a Muslim
The most important requirement is that you have to be a Muslim. This means that performing Umrah is not valid for a blasphemer and you can be punished for doing so, such as a lifetime ban and deportation from Makkah.
They Must Be Accountable
This means that they have to be of a certain age and they have to make sure that they understand why they are performing such a sacred ritual. Performing the Umrah pilgrimage, and even the Hajj, is valid when a child has reached the age known as sin at-tamyiz.
This specific point in a child’s development translates to the ‘age of discernment’, meaning the age at which a child is able to take care of himself without the assistant of his/her guardians. This age is nine years old for a girl and seven years old for a boy. However, newly born babies are valid to perform such pilgrimages
They Must Be Able
A person is considered ‘able’ to perform the Umrah pilgrimage if they can afford to reach the sacred city of Makkah and return home safely. This also means that the specific person needs to have appropriate lodging, clothes, no unpaid debts and enough money to provide for their family from when they leave for Makkah and then return home.
Any Other Special Requests
If a woman is performing the Umrah pilgrimage, they are obligated to be accompanied by a mahram – a man who is unmarriageable to the woman in question and any sexual relations is considered incestuous – who is related, such as her father or brother, or one that she must pay for, her husband or trustworthy women.
If none of these are available, then women are permitted to perform this the Umrah pilgrimage but she is not allowed to travel alone, and so needs a mahram or the like to accompany her
Another special request that if a person is physically unable, due to old age or sickness, then they can have someone to perform the pilgrimage of their behalf. If they cannot find someone but they are able to pay someone to do it, then they are obliged to pay the one who performs the pilgrimage on their behalf.
The reason why these obligations are put in place is due to how important the Umrah pilgrimage is to Muslims around the world. That’s why, at Hajj and Umra Express, we put so much care and consideration into our excellent Umrah and Hajj packages.
If you want to know more about our brilliant packages, then make sure to contact us today on 08000 141419 and we will be more than happy to help.
