Is it a condition of ifrād that one enter ihram for umrah afterwards?
Answer: It is not a condition. If a person performs Hajj alone, he is performing ifrād, whether he performs umrah afterwards or not. What is found in some manuals of the Hajj rites—that one enters ihram for Hajj alone and then performs umrah afterwards—is based on the view that umrah after Hajj is legislated, and applies to people who are unable to reach the Sacred House and therefore perform umrah after Hajj in order to fulfill the obligation. However, umrah after Hajj is not legislated, as will be discussed.
Note: The actions of one performing ifrād and one performing qirān are the same, except that the one performing qirān must offer a sacrificial animal, because he has combined the two rites, unlike the one performing ifrād.
An outlying pilgrim must offer a sacrifice …
His statement, “An outlying pilgrim must offer a sacrifice”: the word “must” here indicates obligation. An outlying pilgrim is termed ufuqī, derived from ufuq (horizon); he may also be called āfāqī, derived from āfāq (horizons). Linguistically, the more correct term is ufuqī, derived from the singular form, since this is the basic rule of adjectival derivation.
An outlying pilgrim is one who is not among the residents of al-Masjid al-Haram.
The evidence for this is Allah’s saying:
“And whoever performs umrah during the Hajj months, followed by Hajj, must offer whatever sacrificial animal is available. But whoever cannot find one must fast three days during Hajj and seven when you have returned—ten complete days. This is for those whose families are not residents of al-Masjid al-Haram.” [al-Baqarah 2:196]
“His family,” that is, his residents, because a person becomes established in a place by residing there. Thus, we ask: Who are the residents of al-Masjid al-Haram?
Answer: It has been said: those who live within the miqat boundaries. According to this view, people differ greatly in this regard. Those living along the route from Medina may be seven or eight days’ journey from Mecca, yet they are considered residents of al-Masjid al-Haram.