What is the Difference Between Hajj and Umrah?

As pilgrims from Bangladesh prepare for their spiritual trek, it is vital to find the difference between Hajj and Umrah. Well, Hajj is a big pilgrimage and it takes more time and money than Umrah. Plus, Umrah is Sunnah while all Muslims must do Hajj once (Fard).

Both of these pilgrimages hold great value and you’ll get the reward for doing that. But, they differ in many aspects. It’s a common confusion, especially for those who have little knowledge about them.

If you are one of those, fear not. In this guide, I’ll share five contrasting points between Hajj and Umrah so you know it all. Let’s Begin!

5 Differences Between Hajj and Umrah

There are a few dissimilarities between the Umrah and Hajj that you can see by looking at their meaning, duty, timing, duration, and so on. Let me explain it in detail below:

1. Definition

In terms of meaning, the Hajj and Umrah have diversity. Both are mentioned in the Holy Quran (Chapter 2, Verse 196) and Allah says:

وأتموا الحجَّ والعمرةَ للهِ۝

And, perform the Hajj and Umrah for Allah.

Well, the Umrah is a smaller version of Hajj. As a Bengali Muslim, you can do both but require a reliable travel agent. And if you are searching for quality offers, then find the ideal Hajj and Umrah packages from ITS Holidays Ltd. agent.

What is Hajj?

The Hajj (Arabic: حَجّ) is a major pilgrimage that all Muslims have to do once in a lifetime. It is the 5th pillar of Islam. Well, Hajj meaning in Islam is to set out for a place or travel to a place (Mecca). You’ll find 3 types of Hajj that Muslims perform based on situations. These are:

• Ifrad (Singular): It is to do the Hajj alone without doing Qurbani (sacrificing an animal). If you do this kind of Hajj, you’ll be called Mufrid.
• Tamattu (Enjoying): It is the most common type of Hajj. In which, you do Umrah and then complete the steps of Hajj during the duration of Dhu-al-Hijjah month. Those who perform this kind of Hajj are called Mutamatti.
• Qiran (Joining): It is to do both Hajj and Umrah in the state of Ihram. In that case, you’ll need to do Qurbani. The Muslims who do this kind of Hajj are called Qaarin.

What is Umrah?

The Umrah (Arabic: عُمْرَة) is a minor pilgrimage that Muslims do to fulfill the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad SAWS. Well, the meaning of Umrah is to go to a populated place which is Mecca. You’ll find 2 kinds of Umrah that most Muslims do:

• Mufradah (Independent): It is to do Umrah independently. Instead of doing it during Dul-al-Hijjah month, you can perform it at any time with no limits.
• Tamattu (Enjoying): It is the same as described in the type of Hajj above.

If you have any confusion about doing this pilgrimage, you can check this guide where I have described all the Umrah Masails.

2. Obligation of Hajj and Umrah

Hajj and Umrah have some differences in what you have to do. Each has certain things you must do (Fard), should do (Wajib), and recommended things (Sunnah).

Duty of Hajj

Duty of Umrah

3. Timing and Duration

Both Hajj and Umrah are important for Muslims which they do to get closer to God and make their faith stronger. However, they are done in different months of the Arabic calendar and take diverse periods to do these.

Well, it happens during a special month called Dhu-al-Hijjah, usually from the 8th to the 12th or 13th day. And, you’ll mostly need to spend about 5 to 6 days to complete the Hajj. Unlike Hajj, you can do Umrah any time of the year. It's shorter and takes only a few hours.

4. Doing Hajj and Umrah

You’ll notice a big difference if you compare the acts done in Hajj and Umrah side by side. Well, if you do Hajj, it needs around 7 big steps to perform in the right way which include:

• Circling the House of Allah (Kab’ah) around 7 times (Tawaf) when arriving in Makkah.
• Enter into Ihram and stay in the Mina at 8th Dul-al-Hijjah.
• Spending 24 hours at Arafat and then Muzdalifah at 9th Dul-al-Hijjah.
• Stone the devil, do the Udhiya (sacrifice), do Halaq (shave the hair), and do the Tawaf al-Ifaadah at 10th Dul-al-Hijjah.
• Stay in Mina for stoning on the 11th, 12th, and 13th Dul-al-Hijjah.
• Do the final Tawaf al-Wada before leaving Mecca.

On the other hand, you’ll only need to do 4 things to do Umrah and these are: enter into the state of Ihram, circle the Kab’ah 7 times (Tawaf), walk from Safa to Marwa 7 times (Sa’i), and shave your hair or trim it.

If you want to know exactly how to perform Umrah, this informative guide has all the steps described so you can do it properly.

5. Pricing Cost

Since the Hajj is a bigger pilgrimage than the Umrah, it takes more time and acts to do. And for that, it requires all the Haji (people who do Hajj) to stay more than Mu'tamars (people who do Umrah). Due to this, the total cost would be higher if you compare them.

In general, you’ll need to take up to 7,30,000 to 16,50,000 TK based on which type of Hajj package you pick. However, Umrah costs a lot less than the Hajj. And, you can check this guide out to know exactly how much it costs to do Umrah in a group or single package.

In Conclusion

Even if one needs to go to the same place (Mecca) to do the pilgrimages, the difference between Hajj and Umrah is pretty clear. I hope this guide helps you to know the diversity of the minor and major pilgrimages. May Allah allow you to do hajj and umrah!