In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Bestower of Mercy. May Allah bless Muhammad and his family and grant them peace.
Your help, O Allah! He has no partner.

The Book of Hajj

Section
On the Derivation of the Word Hajj

In Arabic, hajj means making one’s way to a place repeatedly. Alternatively, it is derived from the expression hajajtu fulānan, meaning “I visited so-and-so time and again.” Hence the expression “hajj to the House,” since people come to it every year. Allah, Mighty and Majestic, says:

“And when We made the House a place of return for the people.” [al-Baqarah: 125]

That is, a place to which they come every year and then return again, never having their fill of it. In other words, someone who visits it does not leave it without returning a second time. A pilgrim is called a hājj because, upon first arriving, he comes to the House and circumambulates it before the Day of ‘Arafah. He then returns to it after the Day of ‘Arafah for the pilgrimage circumambulation, leaves it for Minā, and returns a third time for the farewell circumambulation. Because he returns to it time and again, he is called a hājj.

Section

‘Umrah means a visit. The expression “So-and-so came as a mu‘tamir” means that he came as a visitor. Thus, one who performs ‘umrah is called a mu‘tamir because, after circumambulating the House, he departs from it as a visitor, or does not return to it after his visit. Accordingly, to say that a man performed ‘umrah at the House means that he visited it and made his way to it. Anyone who makes his way to something is a mu‘tamir in relation to it.