- Hunting: Remember that hunting within
the sacred area around and in Makkah, known as the Haram,
is always forbidden. It is not confined to Ihraam. When
in Ihraam, hunting anywhere else is also forbidden. You
are allowed to kill scorpions, pythons, poisonous snakes
and rats. If one is attacked by a wild animal it is allowed
to kill it. You are allowed to fishing or slaughter domestic
fowls such as goats, sheep, camels, etc.
The kaffara (expiation) for killing an ostrich is a camel,
a wild cow a cow, a deer or rabbit a sheep. There is expiation
of a sheep also for killing a fox as a matter of precaution
(Ihtiyat).
- Sexual intercourse: Sexual intercourse,
or any acts of courtship, which would arouse sexual desire,
is forbidden. Even lustful glance at ones own wife or husband
or any other lady or man who is Na-Mahram is forbidden.
The expiation is one camel or a cow or a sheep in that order
of affordability.
- Masturbation: To masturbate in any form,
this includes all methods of self-abuse. It has the same
precept as sexual intercourse. If it is done in the state
of Ihraam for Hajj-e-Tamattu before staying in Mashar (Muz-dalifa),
the Hajj becomes null and void. All the required rituals
must be completed and the Hajj must be repeated the following
year. But if it is because of looking at or imagining a
woman, although the expiation is as stated above, the Hajj
or Umrah remains valid, but observing precaution is better,
i.e. it is Ihtiyat to repeat the Hajj the following year.
- Kissing: Kissing one's wife or any other
woman with lust and semen is discharged; the expiation is
one camel that has completed 5 years. If it is done without
lust the expiation is one sheep.
- Touching: Touching one's wife or any
other woman with lust, the expiation is one sheep. If it
is without lust then there is no expiation.
- Romancing: Romancing with one's wife
or any other woman as a result of which if semen is discharged
the expiation is one camel that has completed five years.
Likewise, for looking at a strange woman with or without
lust as a result of which semen is discharged the expiation
is a camel that has completed five years, if he is rich,
a cow if he is middle class, a sheep if he is poor.
- Marriage contract (Nikah): To read Nikah
for himself or for others regardless of whether the other
person is in Ihraam or not. This applies to Muta'a as well.
While in all cases the Nikah is batil, the expiation is
Ihtiyatan (precautionary) one sheep. To become witness to
somebody's Nikah is also forbidden.
- Un-desired smell or odour: To close
ones nose or nostrils from bad smell or odour is not allowed.
The expiation of doing so is one sheep. However, there is
no objection if one hastily passes away from the unpleasant
odour.
- Perfumes: To use perfume or apply it on ones clothes.
Perfumes like Saffron, Camphor, Cloves, Cardamom, Amber
and all their uses are forbidden. Eating and drinking sweet
smelling food or fruits like apples etc. is allowed but
it is essential to avoid smelling when eating or drinking
them. As a result of such willful action an expiation of
one sheep becomes due. There is no objection to smelling
natural sweet smell coming from the Kaaba.
- Sewn clothes: It is Haram for men to
wear sewn or stitched clothes in Ihraam. Their clothes must
not have sleeves or seams. However, belts with sewn pockets
for keeping money, traveler's cheques, passports and other
valuables, slung around the shoulders or worn around the
waist are allowed. Similarly, Hernia belts can be worn.
One is not allowed to fasten the Ihraam with pins or a needle
or anything of that sort. You cannot even tie a knot. There
is no objection to covering the body, except the head with
any cloth while sleeping. Ladies are allowed to wear all
types of sewn clothes during Ihraam, except for the hand
gloves and wear a veil. The expiation for violation of this
rule is one sheep.
- Surma: To apply black surma (eyeliner)
in the eyes for cosmetic purposes are strictly forbidden
for men and women. If it is neither black nor for any cosmetic
or beautifying purposes, then it is allowed. The expiation
of violation is one sheep.
- Make up/Ornament: All methods of self-beautification,
either by use of cosmetics or by ornaments is forbidden.
A ring worn for the Niyyat of thawab, like a Firoza or Aqeeq
or Dhoor-e-Najaf is permissible. Ladies must also refrain
from wearing ornaments, except those they usually wear.
But even these must not be displayed to men, even to the
husband. This violation costs one sheep in expiation.
Note: If a person is wearing a golden tooth
for beauty only, it should be removed if possible.
- Henna: To apply henna (Indian Myrtle)
is Haraam during Ihraam. It should not be applied even before
Hajj, if the color will remain when wearing Ihraam. The
expiation for the violation is Ihtiyatan (precautionary)
one sheep.
- Mirror: To look into a mirror for cosmetic
reason, which means to appreciate ones looks and features,
including combing hair etc., are forbidden. The expiation
of this violation is one sheep. If a driver wearing Ihraam
has to refer to the mirrors of his car or bus as he drives,
there is no objection. Spectacle glasses are allowed provided
they are not worn for fashion or beautification, though
this should be avoided if possible.
- Lying and abusing: To tell lies or abuse
and scorn is always forbidden but when in Ihraam it becomes
all the more undesirable and Haraam. Similarly, it is Haraam
to boast or brag about ones own superiority or excellence,
with an intention to belittle or under estimate the others.
Note: This means one has to be very careful not to use abusive,
foul or obscene language in ordinary conversation. If this
is done the expiation is one cow for violation of this rule.
- Swearing: To take an oath or to swear
in any form, particularly saying LaWallah, Balaa Wallah
(no, by God or yes, by God) is Haraam. The expiation is
Istegfaar, (repentance) for the first and second time, and
a sheep for the third time.
The following cases are exceptional.
a) That it is intended to prove thereby some right or to
make the wrong public to others.
b) That is not meant to swear thereby, but is merely expressing
respect and love.
There is no expiation for a right swearing, provided, it
is not more than twice, and otherwise, the expiation is
one sheep. If it is a wrong swearing, the expiation is one
sheep for the first time, for the second time two sheep
and a cow for the third time.
- Shoes and socks: It is forbidden for
men to cover the upper part of the feet from the toes to
the ankle. So, men must not wear socks or full shoes. Women
can wear them, (although); it is better for women to avoid
wearing socks. The expiation for men violating of this rule
is one sheep.
- Killing insects: It is forbidden to
kill insects or even throwing them down or brush-off an
insect originating from one's own body e.g. parasites, lice,
bugs, fleece, etc. There is no harm to transfer them from
one place to another and the expiation for this rule being
violated is to give a handful of food to the poor.
- Pulling out of a tooth: To have your
tooth extracted even if there is no bleeding due to it.
The expiation for violating this rule is one sheep. (Marhum
Ayatoullah Abul Qassim El Khui did not lay emphasis on this.
He said this is permitted).
- Blood: To take out blood from ones own
body, or to cause any bleeding by scratching or brushing
the teeth etc. is Haraam. However, if this becomes in evitable
for relief from any distress, it is allowed. The expiation
for ignoring this rule is one sheep. Note: One should use
salt to brush teeth rather than scented toothpaste.
- Covering of the face: In the state of
Ihraam, women are not allowed to cover their faces with
a mask or veil, not even partly, though they must cover
their faces from Na-Mahram by hanging their head-covering
over their faces down to the nose or chin without touching
the face. While saying her Salaat/Namaz, they may cover
part of their forehead etc., in an effort to cover her head
and hair fully, but after Salaat/Namaz, she has to see that
her face is not covered even partially. She must also refrain
from immersing her head in water. Men are not allowed to
cover their face at all; their ears must also be visible.
Men must not carry any baggage on their heads (fearing their
head may be covered), nor dip themselves in water. However,
a handkerchief or strip of cloth tied on the forehead for
relief from a headache is allowed. The expiation for this
violation is one sheep.
Note: When sleeping if the face is covered unintentionally,
there is no objection but the cover must be removed immediately,
if it is realized.
- Ointment: It is forbidden to apply any
kind of ointment to the body, whether it has a sweet smell
or not. If however, it becomes necessary for medical reasons
it is allowed. The expiation for this violation is one sheep.
- Removing Hairs: To remove or pluck hair
from ones own body, or from another's body, regardless of
whether the other fellow is in Ihraam or not. The expiation
for this is a handful of grain to poor. There are four exceptions
to this.
- If hair falls itself, while doing Wudhu or Ghusl,
there is no objection.
- If one's hair has grown to his/her eyelid and is
causing distress and agony, one may remove it.
- If the removal of hair becomes inevitable for any
good reason and valid reason. But if due to the hair,
there are too many lice on the body, and it becomes
necessary to remove the hair so as to be relieved of
the parasite.
- You are allowed to stroke your hair or beard or slowly
scratch your body, if you know that by doing so, no
hair would fall, and no bleeding would be caused.
- Travel/Shade: Men are not permitted
to travel under any kind of shade or shadow, be it the hood
of a car, an umbrella or walking in the shadow of a car,
bus, caravan or aircraft. All traveling must be under the
open sky. Shades are permitted at the time of resting or
taking a respite on the way. You can ward off sunrays by
cupping one hand. The meaning of refraining from shade or
shadow is that men must not protect themselves from sunrays,
cold, heat or rain. So it is not only the head, which must
not go into shade, it is the whole body. Once you are in
Makkah, you are allowed to go under shade or shadow, even
before you have found your accommodation or place of abode.
Women, children and such men who fear that exposure would
disable them or render them very sick, are exempted. But
for such men, the expiation (kaffara) will have to be given
in spite of the valid excuse they may have. The expiation
for this violation is one sheep.
According to Ayatoullah Syed Seestani, he allows men to
travel in closed bus during the night. Men may follow his
rulings if they are doing his Taqleed.
- Cutting of nails: Cutting of nails either
whole or partly is not allowed unless the nail is causing
pain. The expiation (kaffara) for each fingernail being
cut is a handful of food/grain to the poor. If all nails
of the hands are cut in the same place, the expiation (kaffara)
will be one sheep. The same is true of feet. If the nails
of both the hands and feet are cut in the same place, the
expiation will be one sheep. If one cuts the nails of his
hand in one place and the feet in another place the expiation
will be two sheep.
- Carrying of weapons: One is not allowed
to carry any weapons such as swords, spears, guns, etc.,
unless it is absolutely necessary. There is no harm in carrying
a knife, etc., for cutting fruits, etc. The expiation for
violating this rule is one sheep.
- Uprooting trees: To uproot, pluck or
cut the grass, leaves of the trees and all that grows from
the earth in Makkah and around it, is not allowed. This
is forbidden during Ihraam and also without Ihraam.
- There are certain acts, as detailed below, which are prohibited
all the time whether one is in Ihraam or not;
- Hunting.
- Uprooting or cutting whatever grows in Haram. But there
is no objection if a plant is uprooted unintentionally when
passing by Haram, except
(I) Palm or fruit bearing trees.
(II) The grass that is usually fed to the animals.
The expiation for uprooting, or cutting a tree is the cost of
the tree but there is no expiation for grass.
Note: All the expiation can be paid in Makkah
or at home, except the expiation of hunting which must be
paid in Makkah.
|