that are authentic. Some of those who reported that he performed tamattu‘ also reported that he performed Hajj alone, for he performed a single set of Hajj rites and did not leave ihrām because he had brought the sacrificial animal. Thus, his tamattu‘ did not involve leaving ihrām, and in this respect he resembled someone performing Hajj alone.

For someone who arrives during the months of Hajj without bringing a sacrificial animal, it is preferable to leave ihrām by performing ‘umrah, as the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and his Companions instructed during the Farewell Pilgrimage. He instructed everyone who had not brought a sacrificial animal to perform tamattu‘. For someone who has brought a sacrificial animal, qirān is preferable, as this is what the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did. As for someone who performs ‘umrah on one journey and Hajj on another, or performs ‘umrah before the months of Hajj and remains until he performs Hajj, this form of ifrād is not superior to tamattu‘ or qirān, according to the agreement of the four imams.

As for the fourth category, it concerns matters over which scholars disagree: one considers something obligatory or recommended, while another considers it forbidden, and the Sunnah supports only one of the two positions, not both. This is the most problematic of the four categories. In the preceding three, however, the Sunnah permits both alternatives.

An example is their disagreement over reciting al-Fātihah behind the imam while he is reciting aloud. Scholars hold three positions on this matter. One view is that someone who can hear the imam reciting aloud may not recite either al-Fātihah or anything else. This is the view of the majority of the early generations