Step 3 of 10
Entering Ihram
Ihram is the sacred state the pilgrim enters, in which certain permitted things become forbidden until the 'Umrah is done. Before it, it is a sunnah to make ghusl: Zayd ibn Thabit saw the Prophet ﷺ undress for his ihram and bathe. 'A'ishah said that she perfumed the Prophet ﷺ for his ihram before he entered it.
A man takes off all fitted clothing and wears two plain sheets: one wrapped around the waist (izar) and one over the shoulders (rida'), with sandals. This is how the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions set out from Madinah.
A woman enters ihram in her ordinary modest clothing; there is no special garment or colour for her. The Prophet ﷺ said: "The woman in ihram does not wear a niqab or gloves."
Then intend in your heart to enter into 'Umrah, and begin the talbiyah. It is good to do this after a prayer: the Prophet ﷺ prayed in the mosque at Dhul-Hulayfah, then mounted his camel, and began the talbiyah once it stood up with him.
The four schools differ on some details. Show them
Each school's ruling, with the schools that share it named together.
Is it recommended to put on perfume before ihram when its scent will remain afterward?
3 of 4 schools agree. Differing: Maliki.
Show each school
- RecommendedHanafi · Shafi'i · Hanbali
- Disliked (makruh)Maliki
- Hanafi
- In the relied-upon view, perfuming the body before ihram is recommended even if its scent remains, following the hadith of 'A'ishah; what is forbidden is applying perfume after entering ihram.
- Maliki
- Perfume whose scent will last into the ihram is disliked, since the pilgrim should be free of perfume once in ihram.
- Shafi'i
- Perfuming the body before ihram is a sunnah, and the scent that remains afterward does no harm, following the hadith of 'A'ishah.
- Hanbali
- Perfuming the body before ihram is a sunnah, and the scent that remains afterward does no harm, following the hadith of 'A'ishah.
May a woman in ihram wear gloves?
3 of 4 schools agree. Differing: Hanafi.
Show each school
- PermittedHanafi
- Not permittedMaliki · Shafi'i · Hanbali
- Hanafi
- The school holds that a woman's ihram lies in her face, so she may cover her hands with gloves.
- Maliki
- Wearing gloves is forbidden for a woman in ihram, following the wording of the hadith.
- Shafi'i
- In the more correct view she may not wear gloves, following the wording of the hadith.
- Hanbali
- She may not wear gloves, following the wording of the hadith.
- Jami' al-Tirmidhi 830Graded by Ahmad Muhammad Shakir: Sahih · Al-Albani: Sahih · Bashar Awad Maarouf: Hasan · Zubair Ali Zai: Isnaad HasanSahih
- Sahih al-Bukhari 1539 Sahih · in the two Sahihs
- Sahih Muslim 1189Sahih · in the two Sahihs
- Sahih al-Bukhari 1545 Sahih · in the two Sahihs
- Sahih al-Bukhari 1838 Sahih · in the two Sahihs
- Sahih al-Bukhari 1554 Sahih · in the two Sahihs
- Sahih Muslim 1218Sahih · in the two Sahihs
What the hadith grades mean
- Sahih (authentic): an unbroken chain of trustworthy, precise narrators, free of hidden flaws or contradiction. It is acted upon.
- Hasan (good): like sahih, but a narrator's precision is slightly lighter. It is also accepted and acted upon. "Hasan sahih" means it reaches sahih by its routes.
- Da'if (weak): a break in the chain or a narrator who is not reliable enough. It is not used to establish beliefs or rulings.
- Very weak (munkar, matruk): a seriously flawed chain or a narrator accused of lying. It is not relied on at all.
- Mawdu' (fabricated): falsely attributed to the Prophet ﷺ. It may not be narrated as his words except to warn against it.
- The two Sahihs: every hadith with a full chain in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim is accepted as sahih by the scholars of hadith.
- Historical report: biographies and histories (Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Sa'd, al-Tabari) record events with chains that are often incomplete. They are used for the story, not for rulings.
- Hadith scholars grade a narration; the four madhhabs do not. Where a hadith carries a ruling, the page shows which schools act on it.
The positions of the four schools are summarised from their standard references and are pending review by a qualified scholar. Follow the school you were taught, and for your own situation, ask a scholar.
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