the Sunnah in those matters. Thus, they recommended that Muslims perform Hajj as the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, instructed his Companions. Since all the reports agree that he instructed his Companions to leave ihram and make their pilgrimage tamattu‘—performing ‘umrah, leaving ihram, and then performing Hajj—they recommended tamattu‘ for anyone combining the two rites in a single journey and entering ihram during the months of Hajj, as the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, instructed.

They knew that performing Hajj on its own and then performing ‘umrah from outside the Sacred Precinct—even if they considered it permissible—was something no one had done during the lifetime of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, except ‘Ā’ishah, according to those who hold that she abandoned her ‘umrah and entered ihram for Hajj, as the Kufan scholars maintain. According to the majority of jurists, however, she combined Hajj and ‘umrah under a single ihram; on that view, neither ‘Ā’ishah nor anyone else did this.

Likewise, they knew that someone who had not brought a sacrificial animal should not combine the two rites under a single ihram, even though most of them—such as Ahmad and others—held it permissible. No one had done this during the lifetime of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, except ‘Ā’ishah, according to those who hold that she combined the two rites under a single ihram.

The leading hadith authorities—both jurists and scholars, such as Ahmad and others—did not disagree that the Prophet himself, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, neither performed Hajj on its own nor performed tamattu‘ in a manner involving release from ihram. Those among Ahmad’s followers who say that he performed tamattu‘