a sacrificial animal to change his Hajj into ‘umrah. He said, “Had I known beforehand what I know now, I would not have brought the sacrificial animals, and I would have made it an ‘umrah.” This was a binding command conveyed through revelation, for when they hesitated, he said, “Consider (1) what I have commanded you to do, and do it.”
As for ‘Ā’ishah’s statement, “We set out without mentioning either Hajj or ‘umrah,” if this has been reliably transmitted from her, it must refer to the time before entering ihrām. Otherwise, it would contradict the other authentic reports from her: some of them entered ihrām for Hajj at the appointed place, others entered ihrām for ‘umrah, and she was among those who entered ihrām for ‘umrah.
As for her statement, “We recited the talbiyah without mentioning either Hajj or ‘umrah,” this refers to the beginning of ihrām. She did not say that they continued in this manner all the way to Mecca. That is certainly false, for those who heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, enter ihrām and proclaim the rite he was undertaking bore witness to it and reported it. There is no way to reject their reports. Even if that statement were authentically reported from ‘Ā’ishah, it would establish, at most, that she had not retained their proclamations upon entering ihrām at the appointed place, or that she denied this while other Companions retained and affirmed it. Men are better informed about this than women.
As for Jābir’s statement, “The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, recited the talbiyah, proclaiming Allah’s oneness,” it merely describes the wording of his talbiyah. It in no way denies that he specified the rite for which he entered ihrām. In any event, even if these hadiths explicitly denied that he specified a rite, the hadiths of those who affirm that he did would have a stronger claim to acceptance: they are numerous, authentic, and transmitted through connected chains, and they affirm and clarify the matter, providing additional information unknown to those who denied it. This, praise be to Allah, is clear; and Allah grants success.