The terms are grouped by what they are about, then listed alphabetically inside each group. If you are looking for one word, use your browser's search on this page.
Spellings vary between English, French and Moroccan usage. Umrah is also written Omra or Umra, Dhul Hijjah appears as Dhu al-Hijjah, Muzdalifa as Muzdalifah, and Arafah as Arafat. They mean the same thing. We use the spelling most often seen in English-language news.
For a question of fiqh, such as whether something is valid or what to do after a mistake, no glossary is enough. Ask a trusted imam or scholar.
Which words describe the Umrah rites?
These six words cover the Umrah from start to finish. The order in which they happen is set out in the practical side of the Umrah steps.
Halq: shaving the head at the end of the Umrah or of the Hajj. It is practised by men, as one of the two ways of leaving ihram; the other is taqsir. See the practical side of the Umrah steps.
Ihram: both the state a pilgrim enters before the rites begin and, for men, the clothing worn in it, two plain white unstitched sheets. While in ihram, some ordinary acts are set aside until the rites are completed; which ones, and what to do after a slip, is a question for an imam. See the practical side of the Umrah steps.
Miqat: one of the boundary points around Makkah where pilgrims enter ihram. Pilgrims who fly cross a miqat in the air, so ihram is often entered before or during the flight; the group organiser or an imam will tell you when. See the practical side of the Umrah steps.
Sa'y: the walk between Safa and Marwa, two small hills now inside the Grand Mosque in Makkah. How it is performed is a question for an imam; this guide does not describe it yet. See the practical side of the Umrah steps.
Taqsir: shortening the hair at the end of the Umrah or of the Hajj; halq is shaving the head. Who does which, and how, is a question for an imam. See the practical side of the Umrah steps.
Tawaf: walking around the Kaaba, in the Grand Mosque in Makkah. How it is performed is a question for an imam; this guide does not describe it yet. See the practical side of the Umrah steps.
Which places will you hear about?
Arafah: a plain east of Makkah where Hajj pilgrims spend the most important day of the pilgrimage, the day before Eid al-Adha. For Hajj 1448, the Day of Arafah would fall on 15 or 16 May 2027 (estimate, subject to moon sighting)1. There is no day at Arafah in the Umrah. See the guide's official calendar.
Jamarat: the stone structures in Mina at which Hajj pilgrims throw small pebbles in the days after Arafah. This is not part of the Umrah. See the guide's official calendar.
Kaaba: the cube-shaped building at the centre of the Grand Mosque in Makkah, around which the tawaf is walked. See the practical side of the Umrah steps.
Mina: a valley just outside Makkah where Hajj pilgrims stay in large tent camps for several days of the Hajj. Umrah pilgrims do not stay there. See the guide's official calendar.
Muzdalifa: an open area between Arafah and Mina where Hajj pilgrims spend the night after the Day of Arafah. See the guide's official calendar.
Rawdah: an area inside the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah, whose visit permit is issued once every 365 days through Nusuk or Tawakkalna, according to Gulf News, citing the ministry (December 2023)2. Visiting it is not one of the Umrah rites. See the Rawdah booking explained.
Safa and Marwa: two small hills, now inside the Grand Mosque in Makkah, between which the sa'y is walked. See the practical side of the Umrah steps.
Which apps and papers are involved?
Several of these words change with Saudi announcements. Where a definition carries a date or a rule, the small number after it leads to its source at the bottom of the page.
eVisa: the Saudi tourist e-visa, which allows Umrah; according to the ministry's Umrah guide (edition date not stated), those who can apply include permanent residents of the European Union and North America and holders of a valid US, UK or Schengen visa3. See the guide's chapter for Moroccans living abroad.
Immediate Path: a service in the Nusuk app through which a Rawdah visit can be repeated during the year if the worshipper is close to the Prophet's Mosque, according to Gulf News, citing Nusuk's management4. Its exact conditions are not published in our sources. See the Rawdah booking explained.
Meningitis ACWY vaccine: the meningococcal vaccine that the Saudi Ministry of Health's official document for Umrah 1447 AH (2026) asks of everyone coming to perform Umrah, at least 10 days before arrival; the document for the 1448 AH season was not found5. See the guide's health chapter.
Nusuk: the Saudi platform and app that pilgrims use for their bookings. In August 2025, the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah launched Nusuk Umrah, through which pilgrims outside the Kingdom can apply for the visa and book their services directly, with licensed agents remaining an option6. No published list confirms that Morocco is among the countries served6. See the guide's chapter on entry papers for Moroccans.
Nusuk Masar: the Saudi platform on which Umrah accommodation is registered; since 10 June 2025, an Umrah visa is issued only if the accommodation is registered there, in a hotel licensed by the Saudi Ministry of Tourism that confirms the booking electronically, according to Gulf Business and Khaleej Times, citing the Saudi ministry7. See the guide's chapter on entry papers for Moroccans.
Tawakkalna: a Saudi public-services app, and one of the two apps through which the Rawdah visit permit is issued, according to Gulf News, citing the ministry (December 2023)2. See the Rawdah booking explained.
Umrah permit: the booking in the Nusuk app that gives a pilgrim access to Makkah for the Umrah; for the 1448 season, permits and entry to Makkah opened on 1 June 20269. For children, the ministry gave 5 as the minimum age for a permit via Nusuk, with none needed under 5, according to Ajel, citing the ministry (August 2026)10. See the guide's official calendar.
Which words belong to Morocco's Hajj procedure?
Hady: the animal offered in sacrifice by some Hajj pilgrims, depending on the form of Hajj they perform. For Hajj 1447, the final cost for pilgrims supervised by the ministry included the hady for the first time12. Who is concerned, and how, is a question for an imam. See Morocco's Hajj lottery and official steps.
Hajj: the major pilgrimage to Makkah, on fixed days of the month of Dhul Hijjah. Unlike the Umrah, it includes the days at Arafah, Muzdalifa and Mina. For Hajj 1448, applicants in Morocco had to be aged 18 or over and not have performed Hajj in the last 10 years13. See Morocco's Hajj lottery and official steps.
Hajj lottery: the draw that decides which registered applicants in Morocco are selected for the Hajj. For Hajj 1448, it took place from 2 to 13 March 2026, and the final lists and a waiting list were published afterwards14. See Morocco's Hajj lottery and official steps.
Makkah Route: a Saudi programme under which Saudi entry formalities are completed at the departure airport; Morocco joined it in 2022 (1443 AH), according to the Saudi ambassador in Rabat, and it serves Hajj pilgrims15. It is a Hajj arrangement, not an Umrah one. See the Makkah Route explained.
Medical fitness certificate: the certificate of physical and mental fitness that applicants selected for Hajj 1448, on both the official and the travel-agency lists, had to obtain after medical exams and hand to Interior Ministry services to receive their selection certificate16. See Morocco's Hajj lottery and official steps.
Rakb Al Hajj: an app launched on 12 May 2026 by Morocco's Ministry of Habous and Islamic Affairs, with videos, audio guides, lessons in Arabic and Amazigh, and a guide to accommodation sites in Makkah, Madinah and the holy sites18.
Selection certificate: the Moroccan document confirming that an applicant has been selected for Hajj; for Hajj 1448, fees were paid in a single instalment at Al Barid Bank branches on presentation of the national ID card and this certificate17. See Morocco's Hajj lottery and official steps.
Waiting list: the applicants ranked after those selected, in lottery order; for Hajj 1448, they were called to a second payment phase from 3 to 11 August 2026, and anyone who did not pay was automatically replaced from the list16. See Morocco's Hajj lottery and official steps.
Which calendar words matter?
Dhul Hijjah: the last month of the Hijri calendar, the month of the Hajj and of Eid al-Adha; Dhul Hijjah 1448 would begin on 7 or 8 May 2027 (estimate, subject to moon sighting)1. See the guide's official calendar.
Eid al-Adha: the feast that follows the Day of Arafah; in 1448 it would fall on 16 or 17 May 2027 (estimate, subject to moon sighting)1. See the guide's official calendar.
Umm al-Qura: Saudi Arabia's Hijri calendar, calculated in advance; according to it, 1 Ramadan 1448 falls on Monday 8 February 2027 (estimate, subject to moon sighting)20. The Hijri dates printed under each page of this guide are calculated from it and marked as approximate. See the guide's official calendar.
Umrah: the smaller pilgrimage to Makkah, not tied to the days of the Hajj, within a season that Saudi Arabia sets each year; for the 1448 season, the last entry into Saudi Arabia for Umrah is 23 March 20279. See the guide's official calendar.
How is this glossary kept up to date?
A definition that holds a date or a rule changes when its source changes. The same rule is tracked, with its status and the date we last checked it, in the guide's official calendar, and both pages are updated together. If a word you met is missing here, the button below lets you ask the guide's publisher.