a time when voluntary prayer is permitted, according to one of the two views. According to the other, if he is offering an obligatory prayer, he should enter ihrām immediately afterward; otherwise, there is no prayer prescribed specifically for ihrām. This latter view is stronger.

It is recommended to bathe before entering ihrām, even for a woman experiencing postnatal bleeding or menstruation. If any personal grooming is needed, such as clipping the nails, plucking the underarm hair, shaving the pubic hair, or the like, one should attend to it. This is not something specific to ihrām, nor was it mentioned in the reports transmitted by the Companions. Rather, it is prescribed as needed. The same applies to those attending the Friday or Eid prayers.

It is recommended to enter ihrām wearing two clean pieces of cloth; white ones are preferable. One may enter ihrām wearing any permissible fabric, including cotton, linen, and wool. The Sunnah is to wear a waist-wrapper and an upper wrap, whether sewn or unsewn, by agreement of the imams. Entering ihrām in something else is also valid, provided it is permissible to wear. One may wear white or any other permissible colour, even a multicoloured garment.

It is preferable to enter ihrām wearing sandals, if available. A sandal is what is called a tāsūma. If one cannot find sandals, one may wear leather socks without having to cut them below the ankles. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, initially commanded that they be cut, then