entering ihrām for it after circumambulating and traversing between Safā and Marwa. It is authentically reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, entered ihrām for both together and said, “At Your service for umrah and Hajj.” Someone who enters ihrām for Hajj only after circumambulating and traversing between Safā and Marwa does not say this.

As for those followers of Mālik and al-Shāfiʿī who say that he performed Hajj alone without performing umrah alongside it, this view is refuted by the authentic hadiths showing that he performed umrah alongside his Hajj and that he performed four umrahs: the umrah of al-Hudaybiya, the make-up umrah, the umrah of al-Jiʿrāna, and the umrah accompanying his Hajj. It is likewise refuted by Hafsa’s words in the hadith recorded by both al-Bukhārī and Muslim: “Why have the people left ihrām, while you have not left ihrām for your umrah?” He replied, “I have matted my hair and garlanded my sacrificial animals, so I will not leave ihrām until I slaughter them.”

As for the question, “Which is better?”, the precise answer is that performing Hajj on one journey and umrah on another is better than combining Hajj and umrah, or performing tamattuʿ in its specific sense, on a single journey. Ahmad and Abū Hanīfa explicitly stated this, as did Mālik, al-Shāfiʿī, and others. This is the separate performance of Hajj practiced by Abū Bakr and ʿUmar. ʿUmar preferred it for the people, as did ʿAlī, may Allah be pleased with him. Regarding Allah’s words:

“Complete Hajj and umrah for Allah,”

ʿUmar and ʿAlī said, “Completing them means entering ihrām for them from your family home.”

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said to ʿĀ’isha concerning her umrah: “Your reward is in proportion to