Ihram is the sacred state a pilgrim enters, by intention, before Hajj or Umrah. Five rules cover most of what you need: enter it at your miqat, make the intention and recite the talbiyah, wear the right clothing, avoid the acts it forbids, and leave it only through the rites that end it. The garments alone do not make you a muhrim; the intention does.
What ihram means—and why it is more than clothing
Ihram is the entry into the rites themselves, and the Qur’an asks that they be completed for Allah: “And complete the Hajj or ‘umra in the service of Allah.” (Al-Baqara, 2:196). Once you have formed the intention, its rules apply until you have performed the rites that release you, even if you change clothes or reach Makkah.
When ihram begins: intention, preparation, and the miqat
The Prophet ﷺ set fixed boundaries, the miqats, that a pilgrim heading for Hajj or Umrah may not cross without entering ihram. According to the hadith of Ibn ‘Abbas (al-Bukhari and Muslim), they are Dhul-Hulayfah for the people of Madinah, al-Juhfah (today Rabigh) for the people of Syria, used in practice by pilgrims from Egypt and North Africa too, Qarn al-Manazil for Najd and Yalamlam for Yemen; whoever lives closer to Makkah enters ihram from home. Dhat ‘Irq, for travellers from Iraq, was fixed by ‘Umar. If you fly, you enter ihram when the aircraft passes over or level with your miqat, so get ready before boarding.
Before the miqat, it is Sunnah to take a bath (ghusl), trim nails and hair, and perfume the body, not the garments: ‘A’ishah reported that she perfumed the Prophet ﷺ for his ihram before he entered it. At the miqat, make the intention for Umrah, Hajj or both, then begin the talbiyah, as the Prophet ﷺ did: “Labbayka Allāhumma labbayk, labbayka la sharīka laka labbayk, inna al-hamda wa an-ni‘mata laka wal-mulk, la sharīka lak.” Its meaning: “O Allah, I respond to Your call, I do respond. I respond to Your call, You have no partner, I do respond. Verily, praise, blessing, and sovereignty belong to You; You have no partner” (al-Bukhari and Muslim). To keep the order of the rites in front of you, follow the Hajj and Umrah rites step by step.
Ihram clothing for men and women
Asked what a muhrim should wear, the Prophet ﷺ answered by listing what he must not wear: “He should not wear a shirt, a turban, trousers, a hooded cloak, or leather socks except if he cannot find sandals; he may wear leather socks after cutting them to make them lower than the ankles. And he should not wear clothes scented with saffron or Wars (kinds of scents).” Al-Bukhari’s version adds: “and a woman should not wear a face cover or gloves.” (al-Bukhari and Muslim).
In practice, a man wears two plain sheets, a waist wrap (izar) and a shoulder wrap (rida), with sandals, and keeps his head uncovered. A woman wears her ordinary modest clothing in any colour; she only avoids the face veil (niqab) and gloves, and may lower part of her headscarf over her face in front of unrelated men.
What is prohibited in ihram—and where rulings differ
For men and women, ihram forbids: removing hair, clipping nails, using perfume, hunting land game, contracting a marriage (according to the majority; the Hanafis allow the contract itself), and sexual relations or what leads to them. Men also avoid fitted garments and covering the head; women, the face veil and gloves. Relations with one’s spouse are the gravest breach: before the standing at ‘Arafah they invalidate the Hajj by agreement of the four schools. Speech is also restrained: “Let there be no obscenity, nor wickedness, nor wrangling in the Hajj.” (Al-Baqara, 2:197). Washing, changing your ihram sheets, using unscented soap or wearing a belt are not breaches.
The schools differ on mistakes. For wearing perfume or fitted clothing out of forgetfulness or ignorance, the Shafi‘is and Hanbalis require nothing, while the Hanafis and Malikis require an expiation. For removing hair, the expiation set by the verse and explained in the hadith of Ka‘b ibn ‘Ujrah is a choice between fasting three days, feeding six poor people, or sacrificing a sheep.
Leaving ihram and what to do after a mistake
For Umrah, ihram ends after tawaf and sa‘i, once you shave or shorten your hair. For Hajj, release comes in two stages: on the day of Eid, after stoning Jamrat al-‘Aqabah and shaving or shortening, everything becomes permitted except relations with one’s spouse (the Malikis also keep hunting forbidden and perfume disliked until then); full release follows tawaf al-ifadah. A pilgrim performing tamattu‘ leaves ihram after the Umrah and enters it again for Hajj on 8 Dhul-Hijjah; one performing qiran or ifrad stays in ihram until the day of Eid.
If you breach a restriction
Stop at once, note what happened, when, and whether it was deliberate, then ask a scholar of your school whether an expiation is due. A mistake does not by itself invalidate the pilgrimage, except relations with one’s spouse as described above. For practical cases, see what to do if you make a mistake during pilgrimage.
In short: enter ihram with the intention at your miqat, recite the talbiyah, wear the prescribed clothing, avoid the forbidden acts, and leave it through the rites of your Umrah or Hajj.
Sources quoted
Every quotation was checked word for word against the Quran and hadith texts in our database.
- Surah Al-Baqara, verse 196
- Surah Al-Baqara, verse 197
- Hadith narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim — authentic
- Hadith narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim — authentic
- Hadith narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim — authentic (Arabic text)
The Al Muslim Plus editorial team · tested on November 11, 2026