Tazkirah: Common Mistakes You Might Be Committing While Doing Umrah

The people living here in the western province visit Makkah often alhamdulillah. But each time we visit, we either witness other people or we ourself are engaged in things that are bid'ah in Islam. A few very common mistakes are as follows:

1) People push and harm others to reach to the black stone and kiss it. If the Mataaf (place of tawaaf) is very crowded, instead of pushing your way to the black stone, it is better to point to it, because that is the Sunnah.

2) Kissing the Yemeni Corner: There is no proof concerning this from the Prophet (p.b.u.h), and if an act of worship is not prescribed in the sunnah then it is bid’ah. Kissing any place on earth is bidah (an innovation), apart from the Black Stone. Based on this, when a person reaches the Ar-Rukn Al-Yemeni he should touch it with the "right hand" but not kiss it.

3) People touch the Black Stone and the Yemeni corner to seek barakah or blessings from them. When the Prophet (p.b.u.h) touched the Black Stone he said: “Allaahu akbar,” indicating that the purpose of it is to glorify Allaah, not to seek barakah.
Hence when the caliph ‘Umar (R.A) touched the Black Stone he said: “By Allaah, I know that you are just a stone and can neither cause harm nor bring benefit. Were it not that I had seen the Prophet (p.b.u.h) kiss you, I would not have kissed you.” Hence it is not permissible to kiss the covers of the Kabah or its stones, or the Yemeni Corner, or the Mus-haf, or to touch them with the intent of seeking blessing from them .

4) Some people bring their young children and touch the Corner or the Stone with their hands, then wipe their children with their hands. This is a corrupt belief that should be denounced. These stones can neither harm nor benefit.

5) Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him), said regarding touching the walls and covering of the kabah: Every action which is done with the intention of drawing closer to Allaah and worshipping Him, but which has no basis in shareeah, is an innovation, and the Prophet (p.b.u.h) warned against that when he said: “Beware of newly-innovated matters, for every innovation is a going astray.”
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi, 2676; Abu Dawood, 4607.

It is not narrated that the Prophet (p.b.u.h) touched anything apart from the Yemeni Corner and the Black Stone.

6) The Prophet (p.b.u.h) did not touch any part of the Maqaam. We only have to pray two short Rak'ah, as close as conveniently possible, behind Maqam Ibrahim. During the first Rak'at recite Surah Al-Kafirun and during the second one Surah Al-lkhlas.

7) Climbing the mountains of Safa and Marwah, turning towards Qiblah, raising hands and celebrating Allah’s Greatness as if starting prayer. This is completely wrong, because the Prophet (p.b.u.h) raised his hands there only for supplication. Praying two Rak`ahs after completing Sa`y is also bid'ah as the Prophet (p.b.u.h) never did it.

8) Some people carry a small booklet having a du’aa’ for each circuit of the tawaf, and they read it without understanding the meanings. We even hear some of them say du’aa’s that clearly deviate from Islamic teaching. We must explain to the pilgrims that during tawaaf a person can say whatever du’aa’ he wants, and he can remember Allaah (dhikr) however he wants.

All of these matters are simply innovations (bid’ah) and do not benefit those who do them in any way. But if the one who does that is ignorant and does not realize that this is bid’ah, then there is the hope that he may be forgiven. But if he knows that this is bid’ah and yet following it or he is negligent and does not ask about his religion, then he is sinning.

We hope that Allaah will guide our Muslim brothers to perform umrah in accordance with the Sunnah. Religion is not based on emotions and inclinations, rather it is to be based on what has been narrated from the Messenger of Allaah (p.b.u.h).

We also hope that the brothers having the knowledge of these matters educate their relatives and friends visiting Makkah from their native countries so that these practices can be eliminated. Inshallah.

From Daleel al-Akhta’ allati yaqa’ fiha al-Haaj wa’l-Mu’tamir by Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him).