That being so, someone who enters ihrām for Hajj is bound to perform Hajj alone. If he then undertakes tamattuʿ, he commits himself to both ʿumrah and Hajj. By converting his Hajj, he thus undertakes more than was previously binding upon him. This is therefore permissible; and since it is preferable, it is recommended. This presents a difficulty only to someone who imagines that he has converted Hajj into ʿumrah alone. That is not the case: if he intended to convert Hajj into an independent ʿumrah, that would be impermissible without dispute. Such a conversion is permissible only for someone who intends to perform Hajj after ʿumrah.

We have already explained that someone performing tamattuʿ has embarked upon Hajj from the moment he enters ihrām for ʿumrah, as the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“ʿUmrah has become part of Hajj.”

For this reason, he may fast the three days from that point onward. His entering ihrām specifically for Hajj only afterward is comparable to the Prophet’s practice, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: “When he performed the full ritual bath following major ritual impurity, he would begin with ablution.” Likewise, he told the women washing his daughter’s body: “Begin with her right side and the parts washed in ablution.” Washing those parts thus constituted ablution while also forming part of the full ritual bath.

If it is said, “The sacrifice offered by someone performing tamattuʿ is a compensatory sacrifice, and a pilgrimage requiring no compensation is better than one requiring compensation,” the answer is:

This is incorrect for two reasons. First, it is established that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, ate from his sacrificial offering. He ordered that a piece be taken from each sacrificial camel and placed in a pot, then ate some of the meat and drank some of the broth. It is also established that he was performing tamattuʿ in the broader sense, for