the months of Hajj and outside them. What ‘Umar chose for them is preferable even according to those who hold that tamattu‘ is preferable to performing Hajj alone or to qirān, such as Imam Ahmad and others.

Imam Ahmad maintains that performing ‘umrah outside the months of Hajj is preferable to delaying it until those months, whether a person arrives in Mecca before the months of Hajj, performs ‘umrah, and remains there until performing Hajj that same year, or performs ‘umrah and then returns to his hometown or his region’s designated place for entering ihram before entering ihram for Hajj.

This is clear: if someone travelling to Mecca arrives, for example, in Ramadan and performs ‘umrah during that month, he attains what the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, described when he said:

“An ‘umrah in Ramadan is equivalent to a Hajj.”

If he arrives earlier to perform ‘umrah and remains in Mecca, all of that is better for him, for he performs circumambulation and observes spiritual retreat there throughout that period until entering ihram for Hajj. If he returns to his hometown and then comes back and enters ihram for Hajj, he has devoted a separate journey to ‘umrah and another to Hajj. This is a more complete way of performing both, as ‘Alī said concerning the words of Allah Most High:

“Complete Hajj and ‘umrah for Allah.”

“Completing them means entering ihram for them from your family home.”

That is, beginning the journey for them from your family home.

As for someone who performs ‘umrah before the months of Hajj, then returns to his hometown and comes back a second time during the months of Hajj to perform tamattu‘, combining ‘umrah with Hajj, this is better than someone who confines himself to Hajj alone on his second journey, if he also performs ‘umrah after Hajj. This is because the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, performed ‘umrah together with Hajj as a form of tamattu‘ that was qirān, as they have explained, and because whoever