The meaning of "Umrah" is "to visit." The accomplishment of Umrah at least once in a lifetime is Sunnat-e-Mu'akkadah. The Umrah performed during the auspicious month of Ramadaan supercedes that Umrah completed in other days. Bukhari Shareef states that
Umrah in Ramadaan is equal to Hajj.
THE MASAA'ILS OF UMRAH CAN BE BRIEFLY SUMMARISED AS:-
The wearing of Ihraam before entering the Miqat boundary
The performance of two Rakaahs Sunnatul Ihraam
The recitation of Niyyah and Talbiyah
The advancement towards Makkatul Mukarramah while constantly reading the Talbiyah
The performance of Tawaaf with Idh'tibaa and Ramal
The performance of two Rakaah Waajib Salaah after Tawaaf behind Maqaam-e-Ebrahim
Advancement to the Multazam to make Du'a and drink water from the Zam Zam well
Performance of Sa'ee between Saffa and Marwa (9) Shaving or trimming the hair of the head.
THE FARAA'IDH OF UMRAH:
Ihraam
Four circuits of Tawaaf
WAAJIBAAT OF UMRAH:
Completion of all seven circuits
Sa'ee
Shaving/trimming of the hair.
N.B. The rest are either Sunnat or Adaab.
SEQUENCE OF PERFORMING UMRAH:
Adoption of Ihraam and performance of two Rakaah with Niyyah of Umrah
Tawaaf
Du'a at Multazam
Performance of two Rakaah Salaah at Maqaam-e-Ebrahim
Drinking Zam Zam water
Performing Sa'ee between Saffa and Marwa
Two Rakaah Salaah
Shaving/Trimming of the hair.
VISITING THE GRAVE OF THE PROPHET:
Visiting the grave is part of the Sunnah and is both excellent and desirable. Hazrat Ibn Umar (radi Allahu anhu) said that the Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) said, "My intercession is assured for all who visit me." (at-Tabarni) Hazrat Anas bin Malik (radi Allahu anhu) said that the Messenger of Allah (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam) said, "Anyone who visits me in Madina for the sake of Allah is near to me and I will intercede for him on the Day of Rising." (Al-Bayhaqi).
Imam Malik (radi Allahu anhu) disliked anyone saying "the tawaf of the visit," or "we visited the grave of the Prophet," because people normally use that for visits between themselves, and he did not like to put the Prophet on the same level as other people. He preferred a specific statement like "We greeted the Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam)." He did not dislike people saying, "We visited the Prophet (sallal laahu alaihi wasallam)." (Ash-Shifa)
