though he is not required to do so, nor is the pilgrim instructed to perfume himself prior to entering iḥrām (1)(2); for the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did so himself yet did not enjoin it upon the people. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, never required anyone to recite a particular wording. One may simply say, “He entered into the rites of ḥajj,” or, “He entered into ʿumrah,” or say, “He proclaimed the talbiyah for ḥajj,” or, “He proclaimed the talbiyah for ʿumrah” (3). This is the explanation of the Almighty’s statement:

“Hajj is in well-known months; so whoever undertakes the pilgrimage during them must refrain from sexual intimacy, from sin, and from disputation during the pilgrimage” (Quran 2:197).

It is rigorously authenticated (4) in the two Ṣaḥīḥs (5) that he said: “Whoever performs pilgrimage to this House and neither engages in rafath nor commits fusuq shall return from his sins like the day his mother bore him” (6).

This pertains to the recitation that reads, “so there is no rafath and no fusuq,” with the words in the nominative case (7). Rafath denotes sexual intercourse, whether in word or deed, while fusuq is a comprehensive term for acts of disobedience.