How to Perform Hajj-e-Tamattu

At a glance

Day	Where	What to do
Before Hajj	Makkah	Perform Umrah and leave Ihram
8 Dhul Hijjah	Makkah to Mina	Ihram for Hajj, stay in Mina
9 Dhul Hijjah	Arafat, then Muzdalifah	Wuquf at Arafat, night at Muzdalifah
10 Dhul Hijjah	Mina, then Makkah	Rami of the big Jamrah, sacrifice, halq, Tawaf al-Ziyarah and Sa’i
11 and 12 Dhul Hijjah	Mina	Rami of all three Jamarat
Before leaving	Makkah	Tawaf al-Wida

Step-by-step guide

Before Hajj: Umrah

1. Enter Ihram for Umrah at the Miqat and perform Umrah.
2. Leave Ihram with halq or qasr.
3. Stay in Makkah in your normal state until Hajj.

The full method of Umrah is on the “How to Perform Umrah” page.

8 Dhul Hijjah: Mina

1. Take a bath and enter Ihram for Hajj from where you are staying.
2. If it is not a makruh time, pray two rak’at nafl, then make the intention for Hajj and recite the Talbiyah.
3. Set off for Mina. The Muallim’s transport often takes pilgrims on the night of 7 Dhul Hijjah, so keep track of the departure time with your group.
4. In Mina, pray Zuhr, Asr, Maghrib, Isha and the Fajr of 9 Dhul Hijjah.

9 Dhul Hijjah: Arafat

1. After sunrise, set off for Arafat.
2. Stay at Arafat from after zawal (midday) until sunset. This wuquf is the most important fard of Hajj.
3. According to the Hanafi school, unless you are praying behind the imam at Masjid Namirah, pray Zuhr and Asr each in its own time.
4. Spend the whole time in du’a, dhikr, Talbiyah and seeking forgiveness.
5. After sunset, leave for Muzdalifah without praying Maghrib at Arafat.

The night between 9 and 10 Dhul Hijjah: Muzdalifah

1. At Muzdalifah, pray Maghrib and Isha together in the time of Isha, with one adhan and one iqamah.
2. Spend the night at Muzdalifah and collect chickpea-sized pebbles for rami.
3. After Fajr, stand in wuquf until shortly before sunrise. This is wajib.
4. The weak, the ill and women may leave for Mina during the night because of their excuse.

10 Dhul Hijjah: Mina and Makkah

1. Rami: in Mina, throw seven pebbles at the big Jamrah (Jamrat al-Aqabah) only. Stop reciting the Talbiyah with the first pebble.
2. Sacrifice: after rami, offer the dam-e-shukr sacrifice.
3. Halq or qasr: once the sacrifice is done, shave or trim your hair. According to the Hanafi school, this order of rami, sacrifice and halq is wajib for a Tamattu pilgrim.
4. All the restrictions of Ihram now end, except marital relations.
5. Tawaf al-Ziyarah: go to Makkah and perform Tawaf al-Ziyarah. This is a fard of Hajj. It is best done on 10 Dhul Hijjah; otherwise, be sure to do it before sunset on 12 Dhul Hijjah.
6. Sa’i: after Tawaf al-Ziyarah, perform the Sa’i of Hajj.
7. Return to Mina to spend the nights there.

11 and 12 Dhul Hijjah: Mina

1. Each day after zawal, throw seven pebbles at each of the three Jamarat in order: the small, then the middle, then the big Jamrah.
2. After the first and second Jamrah, face the qiblah and make du’a.
3. After rami on 12 Dhul Hijjah you may leave Mina before sunset. If Fajr of the 13th comes while you are in Mina, rami on 13 Dhul Hijjah also becomes wajib.

Before leaving: Tawaf al-Wida

1. Perform Tawaf al-Wida before leaving Makkah. It is wajib.
2. It is not wajib for a woman in her menses.

Do

• Write the Hajj-day schedule and your tent number on a card and keep it in your pocket.
• Collect a few extra pebbles in case some fall.
• Know the time of your sacrifice so that halq comes after it.
• Keep water, an umbrella and essential medicines with you in the tent.

Don’t

• Don’t do wuquf outside the boundary of Arafat. Look for the boundary signs.
• Don’t push at the Jamarat, and don’t throw shoes or big stones.
• Don’t do halq before the sacrifice is done.
• Don’t leave elderly pilgrims or women alone in the crowds.

Common mistakes

• Leaving Arafat before sunset.
• Missing the wuquf at Muzdalifah after Fajr.
• Doing halq without confirming the sacrifice.
• Delaying Tawaf al-Ziyarah beyond 12 Dhul Hijjah.

Frequently asked questions

How many pebbles do I need? Seven on the 10th and twenty-one each on the 11th and 12th: forty-nine in total. If you stay for the 13th, twenty-one more: seventy in total.

Can someone else do rami for an ill or weak person? Someone who genuinely cannot do rami themselves can have another person do it for them. The other person does their own rami first, then theirs. Ask a reliable scholar for the details.

What is the ruling on halq for women? Women do not shave their heads. They trim the ends of their hair by the length of a fingertip.