she had initially entered ihrām for. This is the view of Abū Hanīfah and those who followed him (1). According to this view, this ‘umrah was obligatory for her and could not be omitted; according to the first view (2), it was permissible. Any woman performing ‘umrah and Hajj separately who menstruates and cannot circumambulate before the standing at ‘Arafāt falls under these two views: either she adds Hajj to her ‘umrah, combining the two in one ihrām, or she changes from ‘umrah to Hajj alone and subsequently makes up the ‘umrah.

The third view is that, once she combined Hajj and ‘umrah, she had to perform a separate ‘umrah, because the ‘umrah performed together with Hajj in one ihrām does not fulfil the obligation of ‘umrah. This is one of the two positions reported from Ahmad.

The fourth view is that she was performing Hajj alone, and that menstruation merely prevented her from performing the arrival circumambulation. She continued with Hajj alone until her menstruation ended and she completed Hajj; this ‘umrah was her obligatory ‘umrah. This is the view of Judge Ismā‘īl ibn Ishāq and other Mālikī scholars. The weakness of this interpretation is evident; indeed, it is the weakest interpretation of the hadith.

This hadith of ‘Ā’ishah yields important principles concerning (3) the pilgrimage rites:

First: one circumambulation and one walking between Safā and Marwah suffice for someone combining Hajj and ‘umrah in one ihrām.

Second: a menstruating woman is exempt from the arrival circumambulation, just as the hadith of Safiyyah establishes her exemption from the farewell circumambulation.

Third: a menstruating woman may add Hajj to her ‘umrah, just as a woman who is not menstruating may do so,