PROHIBITED
(HARAAM) ACTS IN IHRAAM
01.
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).
02. 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.
03.
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.
04.
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.
05.
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.
06.
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.
07.
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.
08.
Un-desired smell or odor: To close ones nose or nostrils from bad smell or odor is
not allowed. The expiation of doing so is one sheep. However, there is no
objection if one hastily passes away from the unpleasant odor.
09.
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.
10. 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.
11. 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.
12. 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.
13. 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.
14. 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.
15. 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.
16.
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.
17. 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.
18. 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.
19. 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).
20. 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.
21.
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.
22.
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.
23.
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.
i) If hair falls itself, while doing Wudhu or Ghusl, there is no
objection.
ii) If one's hair has grown to his/her eyelid and is causing distress and
agony, one may remove it.
iii) 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.
iv) 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.
24.
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.
25. 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.
26.
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.
27.
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.
28. There are certain acts, as detailed below, which are prohibited
all the time whether one is in Ihraam or not;
a) Hunting.
b) 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.