Umrah rules and etiquette for Pakistani pilgrims

The short answer. Learn the rites from your scholar; nothing here replaces that. What a travel agency can tell you is the conduct around them: nothing scented once you are in ihram, patience in crowds that are larger than anything at home, care with photography, modest dress for the whole trip rather than only at the Haram, and giving way rather than pushing, which is the single thing most often got wrong.

We are careful about this page. The rules of Umrah are a religious matter and your scholar is the authority, not us. Be wary of any travel agency that offers to teach you the rites.

What we can speak to is what we watch, from an office that has been sending groups for two generations: the practical conduct that makes a first Umrah go well or badly.

Ihram, practically

Nothing scented. Soap, shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, wet wipes. This is the most common practical error, and it is almost always accidental: somebody packs the ordinary version without thinking. Buy unscented in Pakistan, where it costs a fraction of what it costs beside the Haram.

Know where the miqat is on your route, and when your group intends to enter ihram. Ask your group leader in advance rather than on the aircraft.

Ask your scholar about the details that apply to you: the umbrella, the belt, anything you are unsure of. Ask before you travel, not in the moment.

In the crowd

This is where most of the real etiquette lives, and where people from any country can get it wrong.

Give way. Especially near the Hajar al-Aswad and in the tawaf. Pushing towards something does not get you there faster in a crowd that size; it makes it worse for everybody including you.

Watch for the elderly and the very young. Make room. You will want the same made for your own parents.

Do not stop suddenly in a moving crowd. Step aside first.

Keep your group together and agree a meeting point before you enter, every time. Note the gate number.

Mind the pace of whoever is with you. A family moves at the pace of its slowest member or it does not move together at all.

Photography

Use judgement rather than rules. People are praying and weeping, and a camera in their face is a discourtesy whatever the signage says. Photograph the place, not the people, and never where you have been asked not to.

A phone on a lanyard, put away during prayer, causes nobody any difficulty.

Dress and conduct outside the Haram

Modest dress for the whole trip, not only at the Haram, for men and women alike. It is a courtesy to the place and it avoids awkwardness.

Ordinary good manners carry further than anything else: patience in queues, quietness in shared spaces, and not bargaining aggressively with people working long hours.

Things specific to Pakistani groups

Keep the group's noise down in the hotel. Large family groups travelling together are cheerful, and the corridor at midnight carries.

Do not save spaces for a large party in a crowded prayer area.

Zamzam and the luggage. Know your airline's rules before you buy, rather than discovering them at check-in with a full case.

The shopping. It is part of the trip and nobody begrudges it, but it belongs around the Haram rather than instead of it. Write the gift list at home: how much money should I take for Umrah.

With children

Children are welcome and everybody understands. What helps:

• A quiet activity for the long moments.
• A card in their pocket with the hotel name in Arabic and two adult numbers.
• A photograph of each child every morning in what they are wearing.
• Lower expectations of the day. One main thing, then rest.

More in Umrah for families.

The one piece of advice worth more than the rest

Do less. Fewer things, done properly, with rest between them. Almost everybody who comes back disappointed tried to fit everything in and spent the trip tired.

Before you go

The practical preparation in order is in the Umrah preparation checklist, and the errors we see most often are in Umrah mistakes first time pilgrims should avoid.

For the rites themselves, ask your scholar. For everything else, send us your dates and ask us.