or say: “O Allah, I have committed myself to ʿumrah and Hajj,” or “I have committed myself to ʿumrah, to be followed by Hajj as tamattuʿ,” or “I have committed myself to Hajj,” or “I intend to perform Hajj,” or “I intend to perform both,” or “I intend to perform ʿumrah followed by Hajj as tamattuʿ.” Whichever of these he says suffices, by agreement of the imams. There is no prescribed wording for this, nor is any of these formulations obligatory, by agreement of the imams, just as verbalizing one’s intention for ritual purification, prayer or fasting is not obligatory, by agreement of the imams. Rather, whenever a person recites the talbiyah intending to enter ihrām, his ihrām takes effect, by agreement of the Muslims. He need not say anything before the talbiyah.

The scholars have, however, differed over whether saying such words is recommended, just as they have differed over whether verbalizing one’s intention for prayer is recommended. The definitively correct view is that none of this is recommended. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did not prescribe any of it for the Muslims. Neither he nor his Companions would utter any words expressing their intention before the opening takbīr. Rather:

{When he instructed Dubāʿah bint al-Zubayr to stipulate a condition, she asked: “What should I say?” He replied: “Say: ‘I answer Your call, O Allah, I answer Your call. My place of release from ihrām shall be wherever You prevent me from continuing.’” This was narrated by the authors of the Sunan collections and authenticated by al-Tirmidhī. Al-Nasāʾī’s wording is: “I intend to perform Hajj; what should I say?” He replied: “Say: ‘I answer Your call, O Allah, I answer Your call. My place of release from ihrām shall be wherever You prevent me from continuing,’ for you are entitled, with your Lord, to the exception you have stipulated.”}

The hadith concerning stipulating a condition is in the two Sahīhs. The point of citing this wording, however, is that he instructed her to stipulate the condition within the talbiyah, and did not