The rites
Umrah duas with Arabic and meaning
Every dua below carries its Arabic, a transliteration, the meaning and a link to the hadith or verse it comes from. Where a popular dua is not from the Prophet, we say so rather than leaving you to find out later.
Key facts
- The Talbiyah, Labbayk Allahumma labbayk, is recited abundantly from the Miqat onwards, and its wording is in Sahih al-Bukhari 1549.
- There is no dua fixed to each circuit of Tawaf, and any dua may be made during Tawaf in any language.
- The prescribed dua during Tawaf, Rabbana atina fid-dunya hasanah, is said between the Yemeni corner and the Black Stone, from Sunan Abi Dawud 1892.
- At the Black Stone, at the start of each circuit, the pilgrim raises a hand towards it when aligned and says Allahu Akbar.
- The popular Zamzam dua asking for beneficial knowledge, abundant provision and healing is reported as the practice of Ibn Abbas, not from the Prophet.
8 min read12 sources
How to use this page
These are in the order you will need them: the journey, the Miqat, the masjid, Tawaf, Safa and Marwah, Zamzam, and the way home. If you are printing anything to take with you, print this.
Setting out, and coming back
The Prophet said Allahu Akbar three times before reciting this, when he mounted for a journey.
When you set out
سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي سَخَّرَ لَنَا هَذَا وَمَا كُنَّا لَهُ مُقْرِنِينَ وَإِنَّا إِلَى رَبِّنَا لَمُنْقَلِبُونَ، اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّا نَسْأَلُكَ فِي سَفَرِنَا هَذَا الْبِرَّ وَالتَّقْوَى وَمِنَ الْعَمَلِ مَا تَرْضَى، اللَّهُمَّ هَوِّنْ عَلَيْنَا سَفَرَنَا هَذَا وَاطْوِ عَنَّا بُعْدَهُ، اللَّهُمَّ أَنْتَ الصَّاحِبُ فِي السَّفَرِ وَالْخَلِيفَةُ فِي الأَهْلِ، اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ وَعْثَاءِ السَّفَرِ وَكَآبَةِ الْمَنْظَرِ وَسُوءِ الْمُنْقَلَبِ فِي الْمَالِ وَالأَهْلِ
Subhanal-ladhi sakhkhara lana hadha wa ma kunna lahu muqrinin, wa inna ila Rabbina lamunqalibun. Allahumma inna nas'aluka fi safarina hadhal-birra wat-taqwa, wa minal-'amali ma tarda. Allahumma hawwin 'alayna safarana hadha watwi 'anna bu'dah. Allahumma antas-sahibu fis-safar, wal-khalifatu fil-ahl. Allahumma inni a'udhu bika min wa'tha'is-safar, wa ka'abatil-manzar, wa su'il-munqalabi fil-mali wal-ahl.
“Hallowed is He Who subdued for us this (ride) and we were not ourselves powerful enough to use it as a ride, and we are going to return to our Lord. O Allah, we seek virtue and piety from You in this journey of ours and the act which pleases You. O Allah, lighten this journey of ours, and make its distance easy for us. O Allah, You are (our) companion during the journey, and guardian of (our) family. O Allah, I seek refuge with You from hardships of the journey, gloominess of the sights, and finding of evil changes in property and family on return.”
On returning, he added
آيِبُونَ تَائِبُونَ عَابِدُونَ لِرَبِّنَا حَامِدُونَ
Ayibuna, ta'ibuna, 'abiduna, li-Rabbina hamidun.
“We are returning, repentant, worshipping our Lord, and praising Him.”
The Talbiyah, from the Miqat onwards
This is what you say once you have entered ihram, and the guidance is to recite it abundantly on the way to Makkah. Before entering ihram it is also recommended to recite tasbih, tahlil and takbir.
The Talbiyah
لَبَّيْكَ اللَّهُمَّ لَبَّيْكَ، لَبَّيْكَ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَكَ لَبَّيْكَ، إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ وَالنِّعْمَةَ لَكَ وَالْمُلْكَ، لاَ شَرِيكَ لَكَ
Labbayk Allahumma labbayk, labbayka la sharika laka labbayk, inna-l-hamda wan-ni'mata laka wal-mulk, la sharika lak.
“I respond to Your call O Allah, I respond to Your call, and I am obedient to Your orders, You have no partner, I respond to Your call. All the praises and blessings are for You, All the sovereignty is for You, And You have no partners with you.”
The identical wording appears in Jabir's account of the Prophet's own pilgrimage.
Entering and leaving a masjid
On entering
اللَّهُمَّ افْتَحْ لِي أَبْوَابَ رَحْمَتِكَ
Allahumma-ftah li abwaba rahmatik.
“O Allah, open for me the doors of Your mercy.”
On leaving
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ
Allahumma inni as'aluka min fadlik.
“O Allah, I ask You of Your grace.”
During Tawaf
At the Black Stone, at the start of each circuit, you raise your hand towards it when aligned and say the takbir.
At the Black Stone
There is no other fixed formula for the start of a circuit. Between the Yemeni corner and the Black Stone, however, there is a prescribed dua, and it is the one every pilgrim should learn.
Between the Yemeni corner and the Black Stone
رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
Rabbana atina fid-dunya hasanah, wa fil-akhirati hasanah, wa qina 'adhaban-nar.
“Our Lord, give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.”
Sunan Abi Dawud 1892, narrated by Abdullah ibn as-Sa'ib, graded Hasan by al-Albani
The two rak'ahs after Tawaf
After completing Tawaf the Prophet went to the Station of Ibrahim and recited: "And adopt the Station of Ibrahim as a place of prayer." The Station was between him and the House. He recited Surah al-Ikhlas and Surah al-Kafirun in the two rak'ahs. Afterwards he returned to the Black Stone and kissed it.
At Safa and Marwah
The Prophet recited this verse as he approached Safa, then said "I begin with what Allah began with."
Quran 2:158
۞ إِنَّ ٱلصَّفَا وَٱلْمَرْوَةَ مِن شَعَآئِرِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ فَمَنْ حَجَّ ٱلْبَيْتَ أَوِ ٱعْتَمَرَ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِ أَن يَطَّوَّفَ بِهِمَا ۚ وَمَن تَطَوَّعَ خَيْرًا فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ شَاكِرٌ عَلِيمٌ
“Indeed, Safa and Marwah are among the symbols of Allah. So whoever makes Hajj to the House or performs Umrah, there is no blame upon him for walking between them. And whoever volunteers good, then indeed Allah is Appreciative and Knowing.”
Then
أَبْدَأُ بِمَا بَدَأَ اللَّهُ بِهِ
Abda'u bima bada'Allahu bih.
“I begin with what Allah began with.”
Facing the Qibla on Safa, and again on Marwah
He said this three times at each, making his own dua in between. This is the dhikr to know before you start Sa'i.
لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَىْءٍ قَدِيرٌ، لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ، أَنْجَزَ وَعْدَهُ، وَنَصَرَ عَبْدَهُ، وَهَزَمَ الأَحْزَابَ وَحْدَهُ
La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lah, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu wa huwa 'ala kulli shay'in qadir. La ilaha illallahu wahdah, anjaza wa'dah, wa nasara 'abdah, wa hazamal-ahzaba wahdah.
“There is no god but Allah, One, there is no partner with Him. His is the Sovereignty, to Him praise is due, and He is Powerful over everything. There is no god but Allah alone, Who fulfilled His promise, helped His servant and routed the confederates alone.”
Drinking Zamzam
The Prophet drank Zamzam during his pilgrimage, and drinking it is recommended rather than obligatory. What he said about it is this.
The hadith of Zamzam
مَاءُ زَمْزَمَ لِمَا شُرِبَ لَهُ
Ma'u Zamzama lima shuriba lah.
“The water of Zamzam is for whatever it is drunk for.”
Sunan Ibn Majah 3062, narrated by Jabir ibn Abdullah, graded Hasan (Darussalam)
Scholars differ on the grading of that hadith, some calling it sahih and some da'if. The preponderant view reported is that it is sound.
The dua most pilgrims recite
Said by many when drinking Zamzam
We are not printing the Arabic of this one. No reliable hadith database page carrying the vowelled Arabic could be retrieved, and we would rather leave a gap than print Arabic we cannot verify. The transliteration and meaning below are what the fatwa reporting it gives.
Allahumma inni as'aluka 'ilman nafi'an, wa rizqan wasi'an, wa shifa'an min kulli da'.
“O Allah, I ask You for beneficial knowledge, abundant provision, and healing from every disease.”
Questions people ask
No. There is no basis in Shari'ah for per-circuit duas, and Ibn Taymiyyah is quoted concluding that there is no specific dua for particular spots, by scholarly consensus. Any dua may be made during Tawaf, in any language.
Allahu Akbar, raising your hand towards it when you are aligned with it, at the start of each circuit. There is no other fixed formula for the start of a circuit.
Rabbana atina fid-dunya hasanah, wa fil-akhirati hasanah, wa qina 'adhaban-nar — "Our Lord, give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire." It is in Sunan Abi Dawud 1892, graded Hasan by al-Albani.
No. The dua asking for beneficial knowledge, abundant provision and healing from every disease is reported by al-Daraqutni as the practice of Ibn Abbas, a companion, and carries no authenticity grading in the fatwa that reports it. The Prophet's own guidance is that the water of Zamzam is for whatever it is drunk for.
Surah al-Ikhlas and Surah al-Kafirun, at the Station of Ibrahim, having recited "And adopt the Station of Ibrahim as a place of prayer."
Where this comes from
Everything on this page was checked against these sources on .
- Sahih al-Bukhari 1549 — the Talbiyah
- Sahih Muslim 1218 a — Jabir's account of the Prophet's pilgrimage
- Sahih Muslim 713 a — entering and leaving a masjid
- Sahih Muslim 1342 — the dua for travel and for returning
- Sunan Abi Dawud 1892 — between the Yemeni corner and the Black Stone
- Sunan Ibn Majah 3062 — the water of Zamzam is for whatever it is drunk for
- Quran 2:158 — Safa and Marwah
- Quran 2:201 — Rabbana atina
- Nusuk — the takbir at the Black Stone
- IslamQA 34744 — dhikr and dua during Tawaf and Sa'i, and that there are no per-circuit duas
- IslamWeb 338296 — the Zamzam supplication and its attribution to Ibn Abbas
- IslamWeb 256039 — the grading of the Zamzam hadith
