The Minor pilgrimage of Umrah and The Major Pilgrimage of Hajj, both remain the most significant religious duties of the believers of the Islamic faith. From all over the world, millions of pilgrims travel throughout the year for the holy rituals with their umrah package UK 2022. They gather in the sacred city of Makkah and perform the necessary rituals of Umrah and Hajj as per the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (SAWW). Though Hajj and Umrah hold similar rewards for the pilgrims and have some rituals in common, there’s a slight difference in their level of obligation and rituals as well. Here’s a brief description of how hajj and umrah pilgrimages are different.

Ruling on the Obligation.

Hajj is an obligatory pilgrimage for Muslims as it remains the 5th yet the most significant pillar of the Islamic faith. For everyone who can afford it both financially as well as physically, hajj gets obligatory to be performed once in a lifetime. That’s why hajj is also commonly known as the ‘Obligatory Pilgrimage or Major Pilgrimage’. The ruling on it has been mentioned in the Quran as well.

Umrah, on the other hand, is a voluntary pilgrimage and merely remains a sunnah of our Holy Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (SAWW). It’s not obligatory for any Muslim to perform umrah rituals even if one possesses all the physical and financial means for it. However, it’s advised to observe it because of the great rewards it holds. That’s why Umrah is often regarded as a Lesser or Minor form of Hajj.

Time of observance.

Hajj remains an annual Ibadah. It gets performed only once a year during the month of Dhu-al-Hijjah (from the 8th to the 12th date). Nearly four million pilgrims arrive in Makkah for the Hajj rituals during this time with the numbers increasing every year. While Umrah can be performed by a Muslim individually; any time of the year excluding the days of Hajj. Thus, one can travel for umrah as per his ease of travel.

Hajj rituals continue for a period of five days in which pilgrims travel to a lot of different places and offer holy rituals. On the other hand, umrah rituals can be completed in a matter of a few hours (if one performs them consecutively).

The difference in Rituals.

Umrah rituals are also a part of Hajj rituals, however, not all of the Hajj rituals remain part of Umrah rituals. For hajj, pilgrims have to perform a variety of additional rites. Prominently including;

•Staying in the Mina region.
•Travelling to Muzdalifah.
•Wuqoof-al-Arafat.
•Stoning the Devil (Rami-al-Jamarat).
•Slaughtering an animal (Hady).

Hence these are some of the major differences that lie between the hajj and umrah pilgrimage.

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