Abū al-‘Abbās was asked:

Which is better for someone in Mecca: circumambulating the House, or going outside the sacred precincts to enter ihrām for ‘umrah and then returning? Is someone in Mecca encouraged to perform ‘umrah frequently, during Ramadan or at other times, or to circumambulate the House instead?

Likewise, is frequently performing ‘umrah recommended for someone who is not a Meccan? Do the Prophet’s ‘umrah from al-Ji‘rānah and his ‘umrah at al-Hudaybiyah provide a basis for someone to perform ‘umrah starting from Mecca, as does his instruction to ‘Ā’ishah to perform ‘umrah from al-Tan‘īm? And when the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “An ‘umrah in Ramadan is equivalent to a Hajj,” does this refer to the ‘umrah of someone coming from afar, or does it also include a Meccan who goes outside the sacred precincts to perform ‘umrah in Ramadan?

He answered:

For anyone in Mecca—whether a permanent resident, a temporary resident, a newly arrived visitor, or anyone else—circumambulating the House is better than performing ‘umrah. This applies whether, for that ‘umrah, he goes to the nearest point outside the sacred precincts, namely al-Tan‘īm, where the mosques known as “‘Ā’ishah’s Mosques” were subsequently built, or far beyond the sacred precincts in any direction, whether towards al-Ji‘rānah, al-Hudaybiyah, or elsewhere. This is agreed upon among the early generations of the Muslim community, and I know of no imam of Islam who disagreed concerning ‘umrah undertaken from Mecca.