those whom he instructed to come out of ihrām.

As for reports that Ali and others instructed people to perform two tawāfs and two sa‘ys, several hadith scholars have judged them weak. None of the hadith collections reports that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, performed two tawāfs and two sa‘ys during his Hajj. This is found only in certain works of juristic opinion whose authors transmit many weak hadiths. They did not deliberately lie, but they heard these hadiths from people who did not transmit them accurately.

The same applies to choosing the preferable form of pilgrimage. Although the jurists regard all three forms as permissible, many of them may err in deciding which is preferable. The soundest position—the one most faithful to the Sunnah and best supported by transmitted reports and reason—is what we have already stated: whoever arrives during the months of Hajj intending to perform both Umrah and Hajj on that journey should, according to the Sunnah, combine Umrah with Hajj (tamattu‘).

If he has brought sacrificial animals, he does not come out of ihrām. However, it is better for him to enter ihrām for Hajj together with Umrah at the outset, before tawāf and sa‘y, than to delay entering ihrām for Hajj until after tawāf and sa‘y. If he has not brought sacrificial animals, he comes out of ihrām. This is better for him than performing an Umrah after Hajj.

As for someone who performs the two rites separately during one journey, performing Umrah before the months of Hajj and remaining until Hajj, this is better than tamattu‘. This is the position of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, and it is