for ‘umrah, then entered ihrām for Hajj. Thus Sālim’s report differs from Bakr’s. This report from him (1) cannot be interpreted to mean that he instructed others to do so, for he explained it by saying: “He began by entering ihrām for ‘umrah, then entered ihrām for Hajj.”

Likewise, those who reported from ‘Ā’ishah that he performed Hajj alone were ‘Urwah and al-Qāsim, while ‘Urwah and Mujāhid reported from her that he combined Hajj and ‘umrah. Abū al-Aswad reports from ‘Urwah that he performed Hajj alone, whereas al-Zuhrī reports from him that he combined Hajj and ‘umrah. If we suppose that the two reports cancel each other out, Mujāhid’s report remains intact. If, however, the report that he performed Hajj alone is understood to mean that he performed only the rites of Hajj, the reports agree and corroborate one another.

There is no doubt that the statement of ‘Ā’ishah and Ibn ‘Umar, “He performed Hajj alone,” admits three meanings:

First: that he entered ihrām for Hajj alone.

Second: that he performed only its rites.

Third: that he performed a single Hajj and no others, unlike ‘umrah, which he performed four times.

As for their statement, “He combined ‘umrah with Hajj, beginning by entering ihrām for ‘umrah, then entering ihrām for Hajj,” in which they described his actions, this is explicit and admits only one meaning. It therefore cannot be rejected on the basis of an ambiguous statement. Nor does the report of al-Aswad and ‘Amrah from ‘Ā’ishah—that he entered ihrām for Hajj—contain anything that contradicts the report of Mujāhid and ‘Urwah from her that he combined Hajj and ‘umrah. A pilgrim who combines the two is unquestionably performing Hajj and has entered ihrām for it, while his ‘umrah forms part of his Hajj. Thus anyone reporting that he entered ihrām for Hajj is indeed