telling the truth (1). When Mujāhid’s report is combined with that of ‘Amrah and al-Aswad, and these in turn with ‘Urwah’s report, the reports taken together make clear that he combined Hajj and ‘umrah, each corroborating the others. Even if the statement of ‘Ā’ishah and Ibn ‘Umar admitted no meaning other than entering ihrām for Hajj alone (2), it would unquestionably have to be treated in the same way as Ibn ‘Umar’s statement, “He performed ‘umrah in Rajab,” and the statement of ‘Ā’ishah or ‘Urwah, “He performed ‘umrah in Shawwāl.” For (3) there is simply no basis for declaring the narrators of those authentic, explicit hadiths untruthful, or for interpreting those hadiths in a way that departs from their clear meaning. Nor can this ambiguous report (4), transmitted in inconsistent (5) and differing versions from its narrators—who were contradicted by others more reliable than themselves or equally reliable—be given precedence over those hadiths.
As for Jābir’s statement, “He performed Hajj alone,” the authentic version of his report contains nothing of the kind. It merely states that they themselves intended only Hajj. Where, then, does this indicate that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, pronounced the talbiyah for Hajj alone?
As for his (6) other hadith, reported by Ibn Mājah (7), stating that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, performed Hajj alone, it has three chains of transmission: