Umrah

Men have two options when they complete the Hajj or Umrah; either they can shave the head (which is called Halq) or they can trim the hair (which is called Qasr). The Prophet prayed for those who shave their head and those who trim it, so both are permissible (Sunan Tirmidhi, Book of Hajj, Hadith no. 837).

In your case, it is better to perform Qasr each and every time, and then shave it the last time you perform the Umrah. Do not symbolically snip a few hair from each side as Qasr. This is wrong and forbidden in Shariah. It in fact resembles the Jews who deliberately have uneven amount of hair on their head. Instead, perform the Qasr at a barber and ensure he does cut an equal amount all over the head.

When a person performs Hajj or Umrah, then there are certain ports outside Makkah from where the person must ensure he/she is in a state of Ihram. These ports are called Miqaat. These are the names and locations of the Mawaaqits.

Zul-Hulaifah; this is for those coming from the direction of Madinah Sharif.
Yalamlam; this is for those coming from the direction of Yemen, India and Pakistan.
Juhfah; this is for those coming from the direction of Egypt, North Africa and Europe.
Qaran ul-Manazil; this is for those coming from the direction of Najd.
Zaat Irq; this is for those coming from the direction of Iraq.
As you rightly pointed out, the people already in Makkah go to the outskirts of Makkah to Masjid Aisha where they wear the Ihram.

When a person is performing the Hajj, then there are certain restrictions placed on what the person in the state of Ihram can and cannot do. During this state, the person cannot cut nails and cannot trim his hair. The Haji is released from the state of Ihram when the Qurbani is done, either by himself or by the appointed representative.

Note that this is particular to those performing Hajj. Such restrictions are not placed on those performing the Qurbani as part of the requirement of Eid al-Adha.

The two Rakaats for the Ihram are Sunna; Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that he saw the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) perform two Rakaats at Zul-Hulaifa when he wore the Ihram. We are told it is better to recite Surah Kafirun in the first Rakaat and Surah Ikhlas in the second.

It is difficult to answer this question as you have not clarified what type of cousin it is. Hence, I will list the ties which a person cannot marry, As clarified by Imam al-Quduri, the classicial Hanafi scholar A Muslim woman cannot marry the following
• Son (son’s son, daughter’s son, husband’s son by another woman)
• Father (Father’s father, mother’s father)
• Brother real or step (in having same father or mother)
• Brother’s son
• Sister’s son
• Father’s brother
• Mother’s brother
• Foster son (through breast-feeding only)
• Foster brother (through breast-feeding only)
• Son-in-law
• Stepfather
• Husband
• Father-in-law

If the sister in question has been formally adopted, then she is a Mahram, and thus she is suitable as a partner for Umrah. Please note that it will be worthwhile taking official documents to Saudi Arabia to prove she is your adopted sister in case of any problems.

The scholars say this is permissible when there is no long-term harm to the body in doing so. Otherwise it is forbidden.

In the state of Ihram, the man should leave his feet uncovered so that the bones on the upper part of the feet are left exposed. He should not wear sandals that cover the upper part. Using a sleeping bag is merely a means of keeping oneself warm; it is not a part of clothing as such. Therefore he can use it in extreme weather. The head and face of a man should be left exposed at all times during the Ihram state.

Once the parents are married legally, then the step-children will have the same rulings as conventional children. In other words, they will be considered as normal brothers and sisters in Shariah. Therefore, they are classified as Mahrams.

In a Hadith recorded by Imam Bukhari in his Sahih (Book of Hajj, Chapter, what has been mentioned about Zamzam, Hadith no. 1529), it is mentioned that the Prophet (PBUH) was offered Zam Zam water, and he drank it standing up. In accordance to this practice, we too stand when we drink Zam Zam water.

Ordinary water and drinks should be consumed whilst sitting. Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade from drinking whilst standing (Sahih Muslim, Book of Drinks, Chapter; the disliked nature of drinking whilst standing, Hadith no. 3772).

The falling out of hair which occurs naturally does not void the state of Ihraam. It is only if hair is pulled out or plucked deliberately, that will void the Ihraam. Only then is the payment of Dam necessary.

If the shedding of hair is excessive, then it is good practice to give some Sadaqah. According to some of the Scholars, for every three hair a Sadaqah equal to the amount of Fitrah is advisable.

Adopted sons will not be considered as Mahram if he has not been breast-fed by the adopting mother.

Imam Abu Hanifah (RA) has a very strong opinion on the issue of women travelling without Mahram. Therefore in Hanafi Mazhab a woman should not travel alone or with a group of women or with a person who is not Mahram. However according to Imam Shafeyee, women are allowed to travel in groups for the sake of importance of Hajj. Perhaps many Hajj organizers are following the opinion of Imam Shafeyee nowadays.

This is not a matter of Hajj, but a Shariah ruling on the matter of travel by women. The Hajj of a woman who travels without a Mahram will still be valid if performed correctly. However it is highly preferable, that for the purposes of Hajj, a highly auspicious event and one of the five pillars of Islam, care is taken to follow Shariah rulings in the best possible way.

A Sister’s husband will not be considered as Mahram. It doesn’t matter if the sister is also travelling.