‘Umar, from ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb, who said upon assuming office: “O people, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, permitted mut‘ah for us, then forbade it to us.” Al-Bazzār narrated this from him in his Musnad (1).

Those who consider converting Hajj into ‘umrah recommended replied: How astonishing that you should oppose firmly rooted mountains, which no winds can shake, with a mound of loose sand that the winds scatter (2) to the right and left! This hadith is sound neither in its chain of transmission nor in its text. Its chain cannot serve as proof according to hadith scholars. As for its text, mut‘ah here means temporary marriage, which the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, permitted and then forbade. It cannot possibly mean anything else, for several reasons:

First: the Muslim community unanimously agrees that tamattu‘ in Hajj—performing ‘umrah followed by Hajj—is not forbidden. Rather, it is either obligatory, the best form of pilgrimage without qualification, recommended, or permissible. We know of no fifth position within the Muslim community declaring it forbidden.

Second: it is authentically reported through several routes that ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb said: “If I were to perform Hajj, I would perform tamattu‘; then, if I were to perform Hajj again, I would perform tamattu‘.” Al-Athram recorded this in his Sunan, as did others.

‘Abd al-Razzāq recorded in his Musannaf (3), from Sālim ibn ‘Abd Allāh, that he was asked: “Did ‘Umar prohibit tamattu‘ in Hajj?” He replied: “No! Could he do so after the Book of Allah Most High?”

He also recorded (4), from Nāfi‘, that a man asked him: “Did ‘Umar prohibit tamattu‘ in Hajj?” He replied: “No.”