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It is crucial for pilgrims to make their intention (niyyah) to perform Umra or Hajj before crossing one of the designated Miqats. The niyyah is an inner desire to carry out an act of worship, which should be followed by the recitation of the Talbiyah, a special prayer that should be repeated until reaching Masjid Al-Haram.
Miqats are specific locations established by the Prophet (Salallahu Alaihi Wasallam) where pilgrims must enter the state of Ihram when traveling for Hajj or Umra. There are five total Miqats, and the applicable one for you depends on your point of departure. Four of them are mentioned in the following Hadith narrated by Abdullah ibn Abbas I:
Allah’s Messenger ﷺ had fixed Dhul Hulayfah as the Miqat for the people of Madinah; al-Juhfah for the people of Sham; and Qarn al-Manazil for the people of Najd; and Yalamlam for the people of Yemen. So, these (above mentioned) are the Mawaqit for all those living in those places, and besides them for those who come through those places with the intention of performing Hajj and Umra and whoever lives within these places should assume Ihram from his dwelling place, and similarly the people of Makkah can assume Ihram from Makkah.
[Narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari]
An additional Miqat was affixed during the reign of the second caliph, Umar Ibn al-Khattab I after the towns of Basra and Kufa had been captured. Abdullah ibn Umar I narrates:
When these two towns (Basra and Kufa) were captured, the people went to Umar and said, “O Chief of the faithful believers! The Prophet ﷺ fixed Qarn as the Miqat for the people of Najd, it is beyond our way and it is difficult for us to pass through it.” He said, “Take as your Miqat a place situated opposite to Qarn on your usual way. So, he fixed Dhat Irq (as their Miqat).
[Narrated in Sahih al-Bukhari]
The five Miqat locations are:
You shouldn’t just make the Umra niyyah in your heart, but also recite the words. You may recite any of the following three supplications to make your niyyah:
لَبَّيْكَ اللَّهُمَّ عُمْرَةً
Labbayka llāhumma ‘umratan.
O Allah, here I am to perform Umra.
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّيْ أُرِيْدُ الْعُمْرَةَ
Allāhumma innī urīdu l-‘umrata.
O Allah, I intend to perform Umra.
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّيْ أُرِيْدُ الْعُمْرَةَ فَيَسِّرْهَا لِيْ وَتَقَبَّلْهَا مِنِّيْ
Allāhumma innī urīdu l-‘umrata fa yassirhā lī wa taqabbalhā minnī.
O Allah, I intend to perform Umra, so accept it from me and make it easy for me.
After making your Niyyah, you must recite the Talbiyah to validate your intention and enter into the state of Ihram. The utterance of the Talbiyah is Wajib according to the Hanafi and Maliki schools of thought. The Shafi’i and Hanbali schools consider it a Sunnah.
You must recite the Talbiyah at least once after making your intention for Umra. Failure to do so will result in an invalid Umra!
The Sunnah method of reciting the Talbiyah is to briefly pause at four places, indicated by the dashes. The prayer is as follows:
لَبَّيْكَ اللهُمَّ لَبَّيْكَ – لَبَّيْكَ لَا شَرِيْكَ لَكَ لَبَّيْكَ – إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ وَالنِّعْمَةَ لَكَ وَالْمُلْكَ – لَا شَرِيْكَ لَكَ –
Labbayka llāhumma labbayk(a), labbayka lā sharīka laka labbayk(a), inna l-ḥamda wa n-ni’mata, laka wa l-mulk(a), lā sharīka lak.
At Your service, Allah, at Your service. At Your service, You have no partner, at Your service. Truly all praise, favour and sovereignty are Yours. You have no partner.
After uttering the Talbiyah, you will now be in a state of Ihram and be known as a Muhrim. Make sure you’re well aware of the prohibitions of Ihram and ensure you don’t fall foul of its rules. If a rule of Ihram is violated, Damm or Sadaqah will be required as expiation.
It is recommended to send Salawat on the Prophet ﷺ after reciting the Talbiyah and to make Dua for yourself and others. Continue reciting the Talbiyah for the rest of your journey until you reach one of the doors of Masjid al-Haram prior to performing Tawwaf.
