Umrah Duas Step by Step: What to Say at Each Stage, With Arabic, Transliteration and Meaning

The authentic duas and words of remembrance for every stage of Umrah, from leaving home to the final haircut, in Arabic with transliteration and English meaning. Includes what is Sunnah, what is not fixed, and how to carry the duas others ask you to make.

Most pilgrims worry that they will not know what to say during Umrah. The good news is that very few words are fixed. The Sunnah gives us a small number of set phrases at specific moments (the Talbiyah, the takbir at the Black Stone, the verse at Safa) and leaves the rest of your Umrah open for your own heartfelt dua, in any language. This guide lists the duas that are reported in the Sunnah for each stage, in Arabic with transliteration and meaning, and tells you clearly where there is *no* fixed dua, so you can stop worrying about getting the words wrong and focus on asking Allah for what you need.

1. Leaving home and travelling

When leaving the house: بِسْمِ اللهِ، تَوَكَّلْتُ عَلَى اللهِ، وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِاللهِ Bismillah, tawakkaltu ‘alallah, wa la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah. “In the name of Allah, I place my trust in Allah, and there is no power and no strength except with Allah.” (Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi) When the plane or car sets off: say Allahu Akbar three times, then: سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي سَخَّرَ لَنَا هَذَا وَمَا كُنَّا لَهُ مُقْرِنِينَ، وَإِنَّا إِلَى رَبِّنَا لَمُنْقَلِبُونَ Subhanalladhi sakhkhara lana hadha wa ma kunna lahu muqrinin, wa inna ila Rabbina lamunqalibun. “Glory be to the One who has placed this at our service, for we could never have done it ourselves, and to our Lord we will surely return.” (Muslim). The longer travel dua in Muslim continues with a request for righteousness and ease on the journey.

2. Entering ihram: the intention and the Talbiyah

Ihram is entered by intention, not by the clothes. At the miqat (on a flight from the UK, usually when the crew announce it, a little before landing in Jeddah) say: لَبَّيْكَ اللَّهُمَّ عُمْرَةً Labbayk Allahumma ‘Umrah. “Here I am, O Allah, for Umrah.” If you fear something may stop you completing Umrah (illness, a missed connection), you may add the condition: اللَّهُمَّ مَحِلِّي حَيْثُ حَبَسْتَنِي, Allahumma mahilli haythu habastani, “O Allah, my place of release is wherever You hold me back.” (Bukhari, Muslim) Then begin the Talbiyah and repeat it often until you start Tawaf. Men say it aloud; women say it quietly: لَبَّيْكَ اللَّهُمَّ لَبَّيْكَ، لَبَّيْكَ لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ لَبَّيْكَ، إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ وَالنِّعْمَةَ لَكَ وَالْمُلْكَ، لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ Labbayk Allahumma labbayk, labbayka la sharika laka labbayk, innal-hamda wan-ni‘mata laka wal-mulk, la sharika lak. “Here I am, O Allah, here I am. Here I am, You have no partner, here I am. All praise, blessings and sovereignty belong to You. You have no partner.” (Bukhari, Muslim) Our guide to the five miqat and entering ihram on a plane explains exactly when to make your intention.

3. Entering Masjid al-Haram and seeing the Kaaba

Enter with your right foot and say the dua for entering any mosque: بِسْمِ اللهِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ، اللَّهُمَّ افْتَحْ لِي أَبْوَابَ رَحْمَتِكَ Bismillah, was-salatu was-salamu ‘ala Rasulillah, Allahumma iftah li abwaba rahmatik. “In the name of Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. O Allah, open for me the gates of Your mercy.” (Muslim and others) When you first see the Kaaba: there is no authentic fixed dua for this moment. Many pilgrims raise their hands and ask Allah for whatever is in their heart. It is a moment worth preparing for: decide in advance what you most want to ask for.

4. Duas during Tawaf

Stop the Talbiyah when you begin Tawaf. Start each of the seven rounds at the Black Stone (the green light on the wall marks the line). Face it, raise your right hand towards it and say: بِسْمِ اللهِ، وَاللهُ أَكْبَرُ Bismillah, wallahu akbar (or simply Allahu Akbar). Between the Yemeni Corner and the Black Stone, recite: رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ Rabbana atina fid-dunya hasanah, wa fil-akhirati hasanah, wa qina ‘adhaban-nar. “Our Lord, give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.” (Abu Dawud) For the rest of each round there is no fixed dua. Many printed booklets give a different dua for each of the seven rounds; these are not from the Sunnah, and you do not need them. Make dua in your own language, recite Qur'an, or repeat dhikr such as SubhanAllah, Alhamdulillah, La ilaha illallah, Allahu Akbar.

5. At Maqam Ibrahim and Zamzam

After the seventh round, go towards Maqam Ibrahim and recite: وَاتَّخِذُوا مِنْ مَقَامِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ مُصَلًّى, wattakhidhu min maqami Ibrahima musalla, “And take the standing place of Ibrahim as a place of prayer” (2:125). Pray two short rak'ahs behind it if there is space, or anywhere in the mosque if it is crowded. It is Sunnah to recite Surah al-Kafirun in the first and Surah al-Ikhlas in the second. Then drink Zamzam. The Prophet ﷺ said, “Zamzam water is for whatever it is drunk for” (Ibn Majah, Ahmad), so drink with an intention and ask Allah for what you need. A dua often recited, reported from Ibn Abbas, is: اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ عِلْمًا نَافِعًا وَرِزْقًا وَاسِعًا وَشِفَاءً مِنْ كُلِّ دَاءٍ, Allahumma inni as'aluka ‘ilman nafi‘an, wa rizqan wasi‘an, wa shifa'an min kulli da', “O Allah, I ask You for beneficial knowledge, abundant provision and healing from every illness.”

6. Duas at Safa and Marwah (Sa'i)

As you approach Safa for the first time, recite: إِنَّ الصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةَ مِنْ شَعَائِرِ اللهِ, innas-Safa wal-Marwata min sha‘a'irillah (2:158), and say أَبْدَأُ بِمَا بَدَأَ اللهُ بِهِ, abda'u bima bada'allahu bih, “I begin with what Allah began with.” This is said only at the start, not on every lap. On Safa, face the Kaaba, raise your hands, say Allahu Akbar three times, then: لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ، لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ وَحْدَهُ، أَنْجَزَ وَعْدَهُ، وَنَصَرَ عَبْدَهُ، وَهَزَمَ الْأَحْزَابَ وَحْدَهُ La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lah, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay'in qadir. La ilaha illallahu wahdah, anjaza wa‘dah, wa nasara ‘abdah, wa hazamal-ahzaba wahdah. “There is no god but Allah alone, with no partner. His is the dominion and His is the praise, and He has power over all things. There is no god but Allah alone. He fulfilled His promise, supported His servant and defeated the confederates alone.” Say this three times, making your own dua in between (Muslim). Do the same on Marwah. Between the green lights, men walk briskly. Some of the Companions were reported to say رَبِّ اغْفِرْ وَارْحَمْ إِنَّكَ أَنْتَ الْأَعَزُّ الْأَكْرَمُ, Rabbighfir warham innaka antal-a‘azzul-akram, “My Lord, forgive and have mercy; You are the Most Mighty, the Most Generous.” Otherwise, the rest of Sa'i is open dua.

7. Shaving or trimming, and leaving the mosque

There is no specific dua for shaving or trimming the hair; men shave or shorten the hair of the whole head, and women cut a fingertip's length from the end of their hair. With that, your Umrah is complete. When you leave the mosque, step out with your left foot and say: بِسْمِ اللهِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ، اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَسْأَلُكَ مِنْ فَضْلِكَ, Allahumma inni as'aluka min fadlik, “O Allah, I ask You of Your bounty.” To choose when to go, see our best time for Umrah guide and plan your stay with our hotels in Makkah. If this is your first Umrah, our guide on how to perform Umrah step by step walks you through each rite.

Practical tips: making dua for others and keeping your list

- Write your list before you fly. Family and friends in the UK will ask you to pray for them. Put names and requests in your phone notes, grouped by person, so you can read them during Tawaf, Sa'i and in the last third of the night. - Making dua for someone else is encouraged: the angels say “and for you the same” (Muslim). You can mention people by name in any language. - Do not stop in the flow of Tawaf to read a booklet; step to the side or keep walking while reading from your phone. - Best times: between the adhan and iqamah, in sujud, the last hour before Maghrib on Friday, and the last third of the night. - Women in their period can still make all of these duas and dhikr; they wait to perform Tawaf until they are pure. - One small card is enough. Carry the Talbiyah, the Yemeni Corner verse and the Safa dhikr; everything else can be your own words. Ready to plan? Browse our Umrah packages from the UK.

Frequently asked questions

Can I make dua in English during Umrah? Yes. Apart from the few fixed phrases, you can make dua in any language. Is there a special dua for each round of Tawaf? No. Only the takbir at the Black Stone and the verse between the Yemeni Corner and the Black Stone are reported; the rest is open. What if I forget the Talbiyah or a dua? Your Umrah is still valid. The pillars are ihram, Tawaf and Sa'i, and none of the duas above is a condition for them. Do women recite the Talbiyah aloud? Women say it so that they themselves can hear it, without raising their voice among men. For the basics, read what Umrah is and how it differs from Hajj.

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