Last year I went to pilgrimage. During Ihraam, I unintentionally covered my head for a few moments on two separate occasions. I am told that I need to sacrifice a sheep in compensation. Is this true?
It is one of the conditions of Ihraam for a man not to cover his head. If one covers his head for long period during Ihraam, then he has violated its conditions and, as such, he is required to compensate by slaughtering a sheep. But if this happens unintentionally for a brief period, a few minutes or so, this can be considered as a minor error. For such errors, the compensation takes the form of sadaqah or a charitable contribution. If you do not find someone who is really poor in the pilgrimage area, then you need not give it to a beggar, you need only to pray Allah to forgive your error.
• Ihraam: Covering of right arm
In Umrah, we forgot to uncover our right shoulder during the sa'ie between As-Safa and Al-Marwah, but we recognized our mistake later on and did what was necessary. Do we need to compensate in any way? What about the compensation for a pilgrim who goes about his sa'ie and tawaf with both his shoulders covered? Also, what about those pilgrims who use safety pins to hold their Ihraam garments on their shoulders?
It is recommended, not obligatory, to have one's right shoulder uncovered during the first three rounds of only the tawaf of arrival in pilgrimage and the tawaf of Umrah. It is also recommended to do these three rounds jogging, if that is at all possible. This is to follow the Prophet's example in showing strength when fulfilling this task of pilgrimage. At any other time, which includes the other four rounds of the first tawaf in pilgrimage and the tawaf of Umrah, and the sa'ie and any other time, one should have his right shoulder covered. But there is no harm in uncovering it.
If one does a mistake either way, there is no compensation to be made, because all this is a matter of recommendation, not obligation. Using the safety pins to hold the Ihraam garment in place is also permissible.
• Ihraam: Removal of head cover or Ihraam garments
When my wife and I went for Umrah, she needed to renew her ablution while we were performing the Umrah. She partly and carefully removed her head cover to wet her hair, but some people have insisted that she has done an offense, and that she needs to sacrifice a sheep in compensation. Please advise.
Some people will give you all the wrong ideas about Ihraam and its restrictions. It is perfectly permissible to change the Ihraam garments for no purpose other than cleanliness. It is a fact that many people perform the pilgrimage in the Ifraad or Qiran methods, and they may stay for several days in Ihraam. If they were not to take a shower or change their garments, these may get very dirty, and they themselves may start to have a bad odor because of sweating during hot days. It is not in the nature of Islam to leave people in such a state.
When a person doing the Umrah or the pilgrimage needs to perform a new ablution, he or she should do it in full. Your wife was right to remove her head cover in order to wet her hair, provided she did that in an area where men do not see her. There is no compensation required of her, as she committed no offense.
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