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Is it obligatory for one who enters Mecca in a state of ihram and recites the talbiyah for a ritual to intend Umrah before commencing its rites, or should he continue with the intention for the ritual and begin with Tawaf al-Qudum (Tawaf of Arrival)? And is Tawaf al-Qudum the same as Tawaf al-Umrah? And is it permissible for the one in ihram to rest for a day or more before the tawaf? And if he performs tawaf, would that be Tawaf al-Umrah or Tawaf al-Qudum?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Absolute ihram is valid, and the pilgrim in ihram can direct their intention to any type of ritual. If they intend ifrad (performing Hajj only), their intention is sufficient to perform the Hajj rituals. If they intend tamattu' (performing Umrah then Hajj), they intend Umrah, then release themselves from ihram, then enter ihram for Hajj. If they intend qiran (performing Hajj and Umrah together), they intend both Hajj and Umrah simultaneously. A pilgrim in absolute ihram who wishes to perform tamattu' (Umrah leading to Hajj) performs one circumambulation for both Umrah and arrival (tawaf al-qudum). There is no harm for the mutamir (one performing Umrah) if they delay the circumambulation of Umrah after entering Mecca, even though it is contrary to the Sunnah, as tawaf al-qudum is mustahabb (recommended) and not wajib (obligatory). If it is missed, it is not compensated but remains a Sunnah whose time has passed.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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