combining Hajj and umrah in a single state of ihrām. Yet I prefer performing umrah followed by Hajj with a release from ihrām between them, since this was the later of the two directives.”

He means the words of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, after he had circumambulated the House, traversed between Safā and Marwa, and instructed his Companions to leave ihrām. When they found this difficult, he said:

“Had I known beforehand what I came to know afterward, I would not have brought the sacrificial animal, and I would have made it an umrah.”

This only implies that he would have performed umrah followed by Hajj without bringing a sacrificial animal. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, had, however, brought his sacrificial animal.

For this reason, Ahmad said, as reported by al-Marwadhī:

“If a person brings his sacrificial animal, combining Hajj and umrah in a single state of ihrām is preferable, because that is what the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did.”

Our conclusion that he performed Hajj and umrah together becomes clear to anyone who reflects on the hadiths and understands their meaning. A detailed discussion is not possible here, but we shall mention a few brief points.

One is that those who transmitted the actual words of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace—such as his wording of the pilgrimage invocation, his statements about himself, and his accounts of what Allah had commanded him—mentioned only the combination of Hajj and umrah. For example, Anas said, as recorded in the two Sahīh collections:

“I heard him say, ‘Here I am for umrah and Hajj.’” Anas was beneath the Prophet’s she-camel.

Another example is the hadith of ʿUmar recorded in the Sahīh, in which the Prophet said:

“A messenger from my Lord came to me in this blessed valley and said, ‘Say: an umrah combined with Hajj.’”

There is also his statement in the hadith of al-Barāʾ ibn ʿĀzib . . .
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As for those who said that he performed umrah followed by Hajj, their hearts remained set on something other than