it is voluntary. Those who did not hold ‘Umrah to be obligatory cited what is related from Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir, from Jabir ibn ‘Abd Allah, that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was asked, “Is ‘Umrah obligatory?” He replied, “No, but performing ‘Umrah is better for you.” (1)

The first view is sounder. The meaning of His saying, “And complete the Hajj and ‘Umrah for Allah,” is: begin them; then, once you have entered into them, complete them. Thus, it commands both their commencement and completion—that is, establish them—just as Allah, exalted is He, says: “Then complete the fast until nightfall” (al-Baqarah 187), meaning: begin it and complete it.

‘Abd al-Wahid al-Mulayhi reported to us, from Abu Mansur al-Sam‘ani, from Abu Ja‘far al-Rayani, from Humayd ibn Zanjawayh, from Ibn Abi Shaybah, from Abu Khalid al-Ahmar, from ‘Amr ibn Qays, from ‘Asim, from Shaqiq, from ‘Abd Allah, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Perform Hajj and ‘Umrah consecutively, for they remove poverty and sins just as the bellows remove impurities from iron, gold, and silver. An accepted Hajj has no reward but Paradise.” (2)

Ibn ‘Umar said: “There is no one among Allah’s creatures upon whom Hajj and ‘Umrah are not two obligatory duties, if he is able to find a way to them, as Allah, exalted is He, has said: ‘And complete the Hajj and ‘Umrah for Allah.’ Whatever is done beyond that is a virtuous voluntary act.”

The ummah agreed that Hajj and ‘Umrah may be performed in three ways: ifrad, tamattu‘, and qiran. Ifrad is to perform Hajj alone, then, after completing it, perform ‘Umrah. ⦗29/a⦘ Tamattu‘ is to perform ‘Umrah during the months of Hajj and then, after completing the rites of ‘Umrah, enter ihram for Hajj from Mecca and perform Hajj in that same year. Qiran is to enter ihram for Hajj and ‘Umrah together, or to enter ihram for ‘Umrah and then incorporate Hajj into it before commencing the circumambulation, thereby becoming one who combines the two.

They differed as to which of these forms is best. A group held that ifrad is best, followed by tamattu‘, then qiran. This was the view of Malik and al-Shafi‘i, based on what Abu al-Hasan al-Sarakhsi reported to us, from Zahir ibn Ahmad, from Abu Ishaq al-Hashimi, from Abu Mus‘ab, from Malik, from Abu al-Aswad Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Nawfal, from ‘Urwah ibn al-Zubayr, from ‘A’ishah, the Mother of the Believers, who said: “We set out with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, in the year of the Farewell Pilgrimage. Among us were those who entered ihram for ‘Umrah, those who entered ihram for Hajj and ‘Umrah, and those who entered ihram for Hajj. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, entered ihram for Hajj. As for those who entered ihram for ‘Umrah,”