On the ground in Saudi. There are two routes. Pick yours, and follow it stop by stop — no improvising, no false statements, only what is in the Sunnah.
Choose your route
Land in Madinah first; rest, visit the Prophet's Mosque ﷺ, then enter ihrām at the mīqāt en route to Makkah.
Stop 01 · Madinah
Land in Madinah al-Munawwarah.
Most groups give 4–8 days here. Rest your body, soften your heart, and pray in the Prophet's Mosque ﷺ. There is no Hajj rite here — but there is much to gain.
Day 1
Masjid an-Nabawī المَسْجِد النَّبَوِيّ
Pray every fard prayer in the masjid. The reward of one prayer here is a thousand prayers elsewhere.
Sit after Fajr until sunrise, then pray two rakʿah of Ishrāq — the reward, by Allah's mercy, is a complete Hajj and ʿUmrah.
Book the Rawḍah slot through the Nusuk app on your phone. Men and women have separate windows, often early morning or late at night.
Stand at the Prophet's grave ﷺ briefly. Send salām on him, then on Abū Bakr, then on ʿUmar — and move on. Do not raise hands, do not direct duʿāʾ at the grave.
Day 2–3
Quba & Uḥud قُبَاء · أُحُد
A short visit to Masjid Quba (the first masjid built in Islam) and the slopes of Uḥud, where the companions are buried.
Make wuḍūʾ at your hotel, then pray two rakʿah in Masjid Quba — the Prophet ﷺ said it equals the reward of an ʿumrah. He used to visit on Saturdays; follow that if you can.
At Uḥud, send salām on the seventy companions buried at the foot of the mountain — including Ḥamzah ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib (raḍiyAllāhu ʿanhu). Do not climb, do not touch the rocks, do not seek baraka from the site.
Day before / morning of departure
Prepare to leave for Makkah
Most groups have you wear ihrām cloths from your Madinah hotel — the cloths go on in Madinah, but the state of ihrām (niyyah + talbiyah, when the restrictions kick in) only begins once you stop at Bīr ʿAlī.
Night before · Trim nails and hair, do ghusl with the intention of ihrām.
Morning of · Change into ihrām cloths at the hotel before boarding the bus. Wear them through the ride to Bīr ʿAlī.
Pack carefully · Anything scented (perfume, scented soap, deodorant) goes deep in the suitcase, not your day-bag — once you make niyyah at the mīqāt, you cannot use it.
Stop 02 · The mīqāt
Dhul-Ḥulayfah · Bīr ʿAlī.
The mīqāt for those coming from Madinah, about 9 km from the Prophet's Mosque. You arrive already in your ihrām cloths. Make wuḍūʾ at the masjid, pray two rakʿah, declare your niyyah for ʿumrah (or Hajj, depending on what your group is doing), and begin the talbiyah. From this moment the rules of ihrām apply — no scent, no stitched garments for men, no clipping nails or cutting hair.
“Here I am, O Allah, here I am. Here I am — You have no partner — here I am. Truly all praise, favour, and dominion belong to You. You have no partner.”
The Talbiyah · Bukhari 1549
Stop 03 · Makkah
The first sight of the Kaʿbah.
On arrival in Makkah, perform ʿumrah straight away if you are doing Hajj Tamattuʿ. Then settle into your hotel and rest before the days of Hajj begin.
8 Dhul-Ḥijjah
Yawm at-Tarwiyah يَوْم التَّرْوِيَة
Re-enter ihrām for Hajj. Travel to Mina; pray Ẓuhr, ʿAṣr, Maghrib, ʿIshāʾ and Fajr there.
9 Dhul-Ḥijjah
ʿArafah عَرَفَة
The day of Hajj. Stand, ask, do not waste a minute. Combine Ẓuhr and ʿAṣr at the time of Ẓuhr.
Combine Ẓuhr + ʿAṣr at the time of Ẓuhr (qaṣr · two rakʿah each). After that, the standing begins.
Face the Qiblah, raise your hands, and ask. The Prophet ﷺ said this is the best day of duʿāʾ — make use of every minute. Bring your list of names from Phase 01.
Do not leave before sunset. The standing IS the Hajj — to leave early is to miss the rite. Move to Muzdalifah only after Maghrib begins.
Night of 9 → 10
Muzdalifah مُزْدَلِفَة
Pray Maghrib + ʿIshāʾ combined on arrival. Sleep under the sky. Collect pebbles for stoning.
10 – 13 Dhul-Ḥijjah
Mina · stoning · sacrifice · ṭawāf
The days of Tashrīq. Stone the Jamarāt, sacrifice, shave or shorten, perform Ṭawāf al-Ifāḍah.
10th (Yawm an-Naḥr) · Stone only Jamrat al-ʿAqabah (the largest, last) with seven pebbles. Then sacrifice — most groups handle this through Nusuk; you pay in advance and confirm by app. Then shave (men) or shorten (men/women). Then Ṭawāf al-Ifāḍah and Saʿy. After this, full taḥallul — ihrām restrictions are lifted.
11th & 12th · Stone all three Jamarāt after Ẓuhr — Ṣughrā (small), Wusṭā (middle), then ʿAqabah (large), seven pebbles each, in that order. Make duʿāʾ between the first two; the third is just stoning.
12th · the choice point · You may leave Mina before Maghrib (taʿajjul, the early option). If so, perform Ṭawāf al-Wadāʿ before flying home. Otherwise stay one more night.
13th · For those who stayed past the 12th. Same stoning order — Ṣughrā, Wusṭā, ʿAqabah — after Ẓuhr.
Before flying home
Ṭawāf al-Wadāʿ طَوَاف الوَدَاع
The farewell ṭawāf. Make it the last thing you do in Makkah before leaving.
A note for both routes
Move slowly. Ask your guide.
This page is a map, not a fatwa. Anywhere you are unsure, ask the scholar or guide travelling with your group — that is what they are there for. Do not invent rulings, do not pass on what you have not verified.
For the rules behind the route — what is obligatory, what invalidates the Hajj, what becomes forbidden in iḥrām, and the narrated supplication for every station — see The Rites, a plain-language reference following the majority position.