3. IHRAM MEASURES RECOMMENDED PRIOR TO IHRAM
IHRAM (THE STATE OF PILGRIM SANCTITY) MEASURES RECOMMENDED PRIOR TO IHRAM
When one wishes to enter ihram, it is recommended (even for a woman in menstruation) to perform the purificatory bath (ghusl), intending bathing for ihram. If there is not much water, one merely performs ablution (wudu).
It is also recommended to shave pubic hair, pluck the underarms, clip the mustache, (0: trim the nails,) clean oneself of dirt, and wash the head.
OBLIGATORY MEASURES BEFORE IHRAM
Then (if male) one:
a) sheds any garments that have sewing in them (taking them off being obligatory for ihram, which is incomplete if one does not remove them before entering it);
b) puts on a clean white mantle (Ar. rida’, the rectangular piece of cloth worn over the shoulders that covers the upper body of a man in ihram) and wraparound (izar, the cloth worn around the lower body), and sandals (that do not enclose the foot, but rather reveal the toes and heels, as opposed to sandals that cover the toes, for wearing such sandals obliges one to slaughter;
c) and it is recommended to perfume the body, though not one’s clothes.
The above measures 03.1) apply equally to women, although women do not divest themselves of sewn garments (a woman being obliged to cover all of her body except the face and hands, which, in ihram as well as in prayer, are not considered nakedness). It is recommended that she dye her hands and face with henna (a measure that is desirable, and whose nonperformance is without consequence). (But women do not use perfume.)
All of the foregoing are done before entering ihram.
ENTERING IHRAM
One then prays two rak’as, provided it is not a time when the prayer is forbidden, intending the Sunna of ihram. (It is Sunna to recite al-Kafirun (Quran 109) in the first rak’a, and al-Ikhlas (Quran 112) in the second.)
Then one rises to start travelling to Mecca. As soon as one begins travelling to Mecca, one has entered ihram.
Ihram (which is an integral of hajj and ‘umrah) is the intention to enter into the performance of the rites (of hajj, ‘umrah, or both (qiran)). One intends in one’s heart to perform the hajj for Allah Most High, if one wants to perform hajj; or to perform ‘umrah if one wants to; or both together if one wants to perform them simultaneously (qiran). It is recommended that one also pronounce this intention with the tongue.
CHANTING “LABBAYK”
Then one chants “Labbayk” (as described below), raising the voice (enough to (at least) hear oneself, the raising being relative. For the duration of the time one is in ihram one raises it enough for those nearby to hear), though a woman should lower her voice when saying it (as raising the voice is offensive for a woman) saying: “Ever at Your service, O Allah, ever at Your service. Ever at Your service, You have no partner, ever at Your service. Verily, all praise, blessings, and dominion are Yours. You have no partner” (saying this three times).
Then (after chanting the above) one recites the Blessings on the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) in a softer voice, asking Allah Most High for paradise (saying, “O Allah, I ask You for paradise and its blessings,” and asking for His good pleasure and acceptance (ridwan» and seeking refuge in Him from hell (saying, “I take refuge in You from Your wrath, and hell,” and asking Him for whatever one wishes of the good of this world and the next).
It is desirable to chant “Labbayk” for the duration of one’s ihram, whether standing, sitting, riding, walking, lying down, and even in a state of major ritual impurity (janaba), or for a woman in menstruation. It is particularly desirable when:
1. changing from one state, time, or place to another, such as when going uphill or down, or getting on or off a vehicle;
2. meeting groups of people;
3. at the approach of dawn, night, or daytime;
4. after prayer;
5. and in all mosques.
One does not chant “Labbayk” while circumambulating the Kaaba or going between Safa and Marwa (as these have their own particular invocations). It is undesirable to stop chanting it in order to speak, though if someone greets one with “as-Salamu ‘alaykum,” it is recommended (but not obligatory) to return his greeting.
When one sees something pleasing (or displeasing) during ihram, it is recommended to say, “Ever at Your service, truly, the real life is the life of the hereafter” (and if one sees the like while not in ihram, one says, “O Allah, truly, the real life is the life of the hereafter,” without saying “Labbayk.”
THINGS UNLAWFUL WHILE IN IHRAM
Five things are unlawful when one has entered ihram. (Namely:
1. sewn garments on men;
2. using perfume;
3. removing hair or nails;
4. sexual intercourse or foreplay;
5. and hunting.
SEWN GARMENTS ON MEN
The first thing unlawful in ihram is wearing sewn clothing such as shirts, trousers, moccasins (khuff), anything else sewn (sewn meaning that which is for wearing, not just any sewing, as a patched mantle or wraparound are permissible), and anything that encircles the body as sewn garments do, such as (those seamed) by being woven or felted together and the like.
It is unlawful to cover the head with anything, sewn or unsewn, that is generally considered a head over (such as a hat, cloth, bandage (or blanket while sleeping).
It is permissible while in ihram to carry a (sewn) bag or the like, or to tote a basket (on one’s head, though it is unlawful if one intends it as a headcover). (It is permissible to carry an umbrella held in the hand for protection against the sun.)
It is not permissible to fasten one’s mantle by tucking part of it through a hole, tying it together, passing a string through one end and then the other, or by tying a string to each of the two ends (though it is permissible to fasten it together with safety pins).
end to the other) or tie a string over it (so that it holds it fast, like a drawstring, and one may likewise use a waistband) (the reason for the permissibility (of tying the wraparound but not the mantle) being that if the wraparound were to fall it would reveal one’s nakedness, unlike the mantle). (Safety pins are permissible to fasten the wraparound, and are useful to make pleats at the waistline (safety-pinning two or three tucks of cloth there to gather the wraparound at the waist and leave more freedom of movement for the legs below.) (A belt may also be used to hold one’s wraparound at the waist.)
PERFUME
The second thing that is unlawful after entering ihram is using perfume, such as musk, camphor, or saffron on one’s clothing, body, or bedding. It is also unlawful to smell roses, violets, lilies, or anything fragrant; to sprinkle rose water or flower water about; or to use scented oils (or scented bar soap), whether to smell them or to apply them to any part of the body.
It is also unlawful:
1. to apply unscented oils like olive, sesame, and so on to the beard or scalp, unless one is bald (in which case it can be used on the skin of the head), though it is permissible to smell them or apply them to any of the body (except the hair of the head and face);
2. to eat food in which the use of a cosmetic is manifest, whether in taste, color, or scent, such as the scent of rose water, the color of saffron or its taste, or the taste of ambergris in cooked grain and the like;
3. or to use scented perspiration deodorant or eyeliner.
REMOVING HAIR OR NAILS
The third thing that is unlawful while in ihram (for both men and women, but only if one does so deliberately, knowing that it is unlawful, voluntarily, and remembering that one is in ihram) is:
1. cutting or plucking hair (i.e. removing it by any means whatever), even if only part of a single hair (by shortening it), and whether from the head, underarms, pubes, mustache, or any other part of the body (the obligatory expiation for one hair is to give 0. 51 liters of food to the poor in Mecca, and for two hairs, twice that amount. For three or more, a full expiation (clef) is obligatory);
2. or clipping fingernails or toenails, even if only part of one (my above remark on expiations also applies to nails).
THE EXPIATION FOR VIOLATING THE CONDITIONS OF IHRAM
It is necessary to slaughter a shah (or perform one of the other alternatives) when one is in ihram and one:
(1) uses perfume;
(2) wears a prohibited garment;
(3) removes three or more hairs, fingernails, or toenails;
(4) touches another person with desire in a non-genital area;
(5) or applies unscented oil to one’s hair.
A person obliged to perform such an expiation may fulfill it (any time thereafter.) in any of the following ways:
(1) by slaughtering a shah (and distributing its meat to the poor and those short of money in the Sacred Precinct);
(2) by distributing 6.09 liters of food to the poor in charity, giving 1.015 liters to each person;
(3) or by fasting three days (even if inconsecutive).
ACCIDENTALLY REMOVING A HAIR
It is unlawful during ihram to comb one’s beard (or hair) or run one’s fingers through it if one knows that hair will be pulled out.
When one runs the fingers through one’s beard or washes the face and then notices hair in one’s hand, then if one knows one pulled it out while doing this, an expiation must be paid, though if one knows that it came out by itself, or does not know whether it did or not, then one is not obliged to expiate
The following things necessitate the expiation, but when done out of need, are not unlawful:
(1) having to cut one’s hair because of illness, heat, or lice;
(2) having to wear something sewn because of intense heat or cold;
(3) or having to cover one’s head.
SEXUAL INTERCOURSE OR FOREPLAY
The fourth thing unlawful while in ihram is sexual intercourse or touching a non-genital area with sexual desire, such as kissing, hugging, or touching lustfully.
If one intentionally has sexual intercourse before finishing one’s ‘umrah, or while on hajj before partial release from ihram, then:
a) this nullifies the hajj or ‘umrah;
b) it is nonetheless obligatory to complete the hajj or ‘umrah from the point at which it was spoiled to the end;
c) it is obligatory to make it up as soon as possible, even if the spoiled hajj or ‘umrah was merely supererogatory;
d) and it is obligatory to pay the expiation (for the male, not the female, who need not do anything, though it is a sin if she participated willingly) (the more reliable position is that if the woman was unwilling, none of the above «a),(b), (c), or (d)) apply to her, though if willing, (a), (b), and (c) apply to her but not (d)).
The expiation for the above is to slaughter (and distribute to the poor of the Sacred Precinct, immediately):
1. a camel (i.e. a male or female that meets slaughter specifications), but if this is not possible (within the days of that hajj), then one must slaughter:
2. a cow, but if not possible, then:
3. seven shahs, but if not possible, then:
4. one estimates the cost of a camel and how much food this would buy, and then gives that much food (to the poor in Mecca), but if not possible, then:
5. one fasts one day for every 0.51 liters of food that would have been given had (4) been done. (One may fast anywhere, but it is not permissible to delay it without an excuse.)
A person making up a hajj or ‘umrah nullified by sexual intercourse must enter ihram for the makeup hajj or ‘umrah at the same ihram site as the original (nullified) hajj or ‘umrah, though if one entered ihram for it at a location closer to Mecca (than the ihram site), one must enter ihram for the makeup at the (prescribed) site (for those of one’s country)
When someone (in ihram who intends to make up a nullified hajj) is accompanied on the makeup hajj by the wife he made love to, he is recommended to separate himself from her while they are at the place where they had intercourse.
(Such a makeup counts as the original hajj or ‘umrah would have counted: if it was obligatory, it counts as the obligatory one; if supererogatory, as supererogatory; and if vowed, as vowed.)
If a man has sexual intercourse after partial release from ihram, it does not nullify his hajj (i.e. does not entail (a, b, e, d), though he must pay an expiation.
If one has sexual intercourse absentmindedly (forgetting one is in ihram or out of ignorance of its prohibition or because of being forced), then one is not obliged to do anything (i.e. none of (a, b, c, d).
THE PROHIBITION OF MARRYING WHILE IN IHRAM
It is unlawful while in ihram to marry, or to marry someone to another (zawwaja) (whether one does so oneself or through an agent). If one does so, the marriage contract is invalid.
It is offensive while in ihram to get engaged to marry, or to serve as a witness for a marriage contract.
HUNTING
The fifth thing that is unlawful while in ihram is:
1. to kill any wild game that may be eaten by Muslims;
2. or to kill the offspring of mattings between game animals that may be eaten by Muslims and game animals that may not be eaten by Muslims.
Someone in ihram is obliged to pay the expiation (def: below) whenever such an animal dies at his hands, is destroyed by an act of his, or is injured, in which case one must expiate in proportion to the part damaged.
THE EXPIATION FOR HUNTING
If the animal killed has a domestic counterpart, one may fulfill the expiation in any of the following ways:
1. to slaughter a head of domestic livestock that is like the wild animal which was killed (like meaning an approximation, not actual resemblance. The criterion is the condition of the animal, not its value. One expiates a game animal that was, for example, large, small, healthy, diseased, fat, thin, or defective, with a head of livestock of the same description, heeding the correspondences. It is a necessary condition that the wild animal and the head of livestock share, if the animal was defective, the same type of defect, such as blindness (though it is permissible, indeed superior, to pay a healthy one for a defective one or a whole one for one that is lacking some part);
2. to estimate the value of the like head of livestock, and distribute an equal value of food to the poor;
3. or to fast one day for every 0.51 liters of food (that would have been bought had (2) been done).
If the animal killed does not have a domestic counterpart, then one may fulfill the expiation in any of the following ways:
1. to distribute funds to the poor which equal the value of the game animal, although if the animal was a pigeon, one is obliged to slaughter a shah (which is obligatory for killing even a single pigeon);
2. to buy food equal to the animal’s value and distribute it as charity;
3. or to fast one day for each 0.51 liters of food (that would have been bought had (2) been done).
The prohibition of all things unlawful while in ihram applies to both men and women, except for not wearing sewn clothing and not covering the head, which are restricted to men.
A woman, however, may not veil her face in ihram If she wants to conceal it from people, she may drape something in front provided it does not touch her face (such as a veil worn over a cap’s visor), though if it touches it without her intention, it is of no consequence.
It is permissible when in ihram to scratch one’s head or body with one’s fingernails as long as this does not remove any hair.
It is also permissible in ihram to kill lice (or other insects harmful to humans), though if one kills a louse, it is recommended to expiate its death by giving charity, even if only a single bite of food
(Source: The reliance of the traveller, revised edition, Edited and Translated by Nuh Ha Mim Keller)
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