and before that time, it had not been obligatory at all. As we know, the rulings of the Sacred Law may be renewed: something may become obligatory at one time when it was not obligatory before.

Second: the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said to Ya‘la ibn Umayyah, may Allah be pleased with him: “Do in your Umrah what you do in your Hajj.” (1)

This general wording indicates that everything done in Hajj is also done in Umrah, except that which the textual evidence or scholarly consensus establishes as an exception, such as standing at Arafah, spending the night at Muzdalifah or Mina, and stoning the pillars. These are excluded by consensus. Otherwise, the basic principle is that Umrah shares in the rites of Hajj.

Third: in the hadith of Amr ibn Hazm, which the Muslim community has accepted, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, called Umrah “the lesser Hajj,” saying: “Umrah is the lesser Hajj.” (2) Thus, he called it Hajj, and when it is given the same name, the basic principle is that it shares its rulings, except where an exception has been made.

Fourth: there is no difference between Hajj and Umrah in terms of their underlying meaning. Indeed, it could be said that making the Farewell Circumambulation obligatory in Umrah is more warranted than making it obligatory in Hajj, because its rites are fewer and less demanding.

Fifth: this person entered the House by means of circumambulation, so let him depart from it by means of circumambulation. If it is said: “How do you respond to the one who says that it has not been established that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, performed a Farewell Circumambulation in his Umrahs?”

The answer is: as for the Umrah of al-Ji‘ranah, he performed circumambulation and sa‘i, then departed.