is voluntary.” (1) He did not say, “unless he passes by a miqat.” Had passing by a miqat made entering ihram obligatory, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) would have made this clear, since there was a need to explain it. This shows that merely passing by a miqat is not a cause for obligation.

But is it preferable for him to enter ihram and perform Umrah, or to perform Hajj if it is its season?

The answer is: yes, that is preferable, because “from one Umrah to the next is an expiation for what lies between them, and an accepted Hajj has no reward but Paradise.” (2) It is also narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said: “Perform Hajj and Umrah consecutively, for they remove poverty and sins just as the bellows remove impurities from iron, gold, and silver.” (3) However, recommendation is one matter, and obligation is another.

The months of Hajj are Shawwal, Dhu al-Qadah, and ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah.

Having finished explaining the spatial miqat, the author now turns to the temporal miqat. He says:

“The months of Hajj are Shawwal, Dhu al-Qadah, and ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah.” According to the author, the months of Hajj consist of two months and part of a third: Shawwal, Dhu al-Qadah, and the first ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah.

Dhu al-Qadah may be pronounced Dhu al-Qadah or Dhu al-Qidah, and Dhu al-Hijjah may be pronounced Dhu al-Hajjah or Dhu