This is a sub-article of Hajj

Hajj

The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...

 and Islamic hygienical jurisprudence

Islamic hygienical jurisprudence

Hygiene is a prominent topic in Islam. Islam has always placed a strong emphasis on personal hygiene. Other than the need to be ritually clean in time for the daily prayer through Wudu and Ghusl, there are a large number of other hygiene-related rules governing the lives of Muslims...

.

Ihram (إحرام iḥrām, from the triconsonantal root Ḥ-R-M) is, in Islam

Islam

Islam . The most common are and .   : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

, a sacred state which a Muslim

Muslim

A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...

 must enter in order to perform the major pilgrimage

Pilgrimage

A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...

 (Hajj

Hajj

The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...

) or the minor pilgrimage (Umrah

Umrah

The Umrah or is a pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, performed by Muslims that can be undertaken at any time of the year. In Arabic, Umrah means "to visit a populated place"...

). A pilgrim must enter into this state before crossing the pilgrimage boundary, known as Miqat

Miqat

Mīqāt are the stations at which pilgrims on the Hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca required of all able Muslims, put on ihrām, the pilgrim's garment. Five of these stations were set up by Muhammad, a sixth being added later for the convenience of travellers from India and points further east...

, by performing the cleansing rituals and wearing the prescribed attire

Clothing

Clothing refers to any covering for the human body that is worn. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic and is a feature of nearly all human societies...

.

Clothing

Ihram clothing

Ihram clothing

Ihram clothing includes men's and women's garments worn by Muslim people during the Ihram pilgrimage . Men's garments often consist of two white un-hemmed sheets and are universal in appearance. The top is draped over the torso and the bottom is secured by a belt; plus a pair of sandals...

 is simply an item of clothing to be worn during the pilgrimage, but there are many competing views on the proper wearing of ihram. For example, the exact number of days a pilgrim

Pilgrim

A pilgrim is a traveler who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journeying to some place of special significance to the adherent of a particular religious belief system...

 is required to wear ihram varies according to the type of pilgrimage (Hajj) the individual is performing. The simple, white Ihram clothing is intended to make everyone appear the same, as Muslims believe that in the eyes of God

God in Islam

In Islamic theology, God is the all-powerful and all-knowing creator, sustainer, ordainer, and judge of the universe. Islam puts a heavy emphasis on the conceptualization of God as strictly singular . God is unique and inherently One , all-merciful and omnipotent. According to the Islamic...

 there is no difference between a prince and a pauper. For women there is no clear prescription. Women's clothing, therefore, varies considerably and reflects regional as well as religious attitudes. In general female Hajji

Hajji

Hajji or El-Hajj, is an honorific title given to a Muslim person who has successfully completed the Hajj to Mecca, and is often used to refer to an elder, since it can take time to accumulate the wealth to fund the travel. The title is placed before a person's name...

(women who have completed the Hajj) clothe themselves in long robes, covering the body from head to foot and leaving the face and hands exposed.

Restrictions

A person in the state of Ihram must not tie any knots or wear any stitched items. Sandals and flip flops must not be stitched either and should allow the ankle and back of foot to be exposed (some other schools of thought also agree that the front of the foot must be shown as well). Whilst in the state of Ihram a Muslim must also not use any scented things at all on himself or on the robes, if the robe has been fouled by najas (dirty) material, such as excrement, or has been wiped, rubbed or touched by scented liquids (intentionally) then a new ihram must be worn, otherwise there is a high possibility that the Umrah or Hajj will be invalidated.

Behavior and hygiene

Aside from being as clean as they are for prayer, male Muslims are expected to not cut their nails, trim their hair and beards, and have to wear Ihram clothing, which is a white, seamless garment. Many also shave their head as this is considered hygienic, but the vast majority wait until after they have finished Umrah or Hajj to shave their heads, as this is a requirement to leave the state of Ihram. Females are also expected be clean. During the pilgrimage, sexual activity, smoking, swearing, shaving and cutting one's nails are forbidden.

Other forbidden activities include killing animals, using profane language, quarrelling or fighting, and taking oaths, in addition to any other regularly prohibited acts. Males should also refrain from looking at women and women should exercise strict modesty in their appearance and not apply make-up, perfume (males must not wear deodorant) or any other cosmetics.

Also, Muslims are not allowed to use scented soap, unscented soap is on sale for pilgrims during hajj though. All flirtatious, arrogant and rude thoughts are to be put aside, as well as day to day life. Muslims must forget about studies, business and relationships and just focus on God.

External links

• Ihram Ihram and more on Hajj/ Umrah from Haq Islam

Available online at: www.al-islam.org

• www.ihram.com.au / www.hajj-umrah.com.au Ihram and islamic prayer items online
• http://www.desertdress.com/Ihram.html Ihram @ DesertDress
• The Five Pillars of Islam, Hajj (Pilgrimage), The Fifth Pillar of Islam, Holy Sites/Mistakes of Pilgrims - An article on the many different beliefs surrounding the wearing of ihram by Sheikh Dr. Ghanim Saleh Al-Sadlan, professor of Higher Islamic Studies at the Imam Muhammad bin Saud Islamic University.
• Ihram Encyclopaedia Britannica online
• Ihram @ Hajj Portal Ihram @ Hajj Portal