The Virtue of 'Umrah in Ramadan and Its Harms
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh:
May Allah greet you and bless you.
The questioner:
Shaykh Salih, the virtue of 'Umrah in this great month, the month of Ramadan, has been mentioned. If you could tell us about its virtue, and I mean that people should strive to perform this recommended practice (sunnah). We ask Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, to accept it from us and from our Muslim brothers.
The Shaykh:
Yes,[Al-Fatihah 1:1-2] and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon his family and his Companions. As for 'Umrah in Ramadan, it has a great virtue, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: There is no doubt that it has a special merit and a virtue due to the virtue of Ramadan and the virtue of doing good deeds in it. However, if 'Umrah in Ramadan leads to harms, such as an imam who leaves his mosque and goes to perform 'Umrah in Ramadan, leaving the work that is entrusted to him, then in reality he has gone to a recommended practice (sunnah) and left an obligatory duty. Likewise, a person who leaves his children, their upbringing, and their supervision, and goes to perform 'Umrah, leaving them to be neglected.
This also means neglecting an obligatory duty and going to a recommended practice (mustahabb). Likewise, if 'Umrah leads to severe crowding and danger, such as those who go in the last ten days or on the twenty-seventh night and find severe crowding and danger, then this also leads to harm. Perhaps one will not be able to perform the 'Umrah in the required manner, or perhaps one will not be able to perform the prayer in the required manner due to the severe crowding, and one is exposed to danger. So, the conclusion is that if 'Umrah in Ramadan is performed and does not lead to harms or negative consequences, there is no doubt in its virtue and merit. But if it leads to negatives and harms, I see that it is better for him to stay in his country, pray with the Muslims, recite the Qur'an, and perform i'tikaf (spiritual retreat) in the mosque. I'tikaf in the mosque also has a great virtue, so he should not neglect these things and go to an 'Umrah that he may not be able to perform in the required manner. Yes.
May Allah greet you and bless you.
The questioner:
Shaykh Salih, the virtue of 'Umrah in this great month, the month of Ramadan, has been mentioned. If you could tell us about its virtue, and I mean that people should strive to perform this recommended practice (sunnah). We ask Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, to accept it from us and from our Muslim brothers.
The Shaykh:
Yes,
(1) In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. (2) [All] praise is [due] to Allah, Lord of the worlds -
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَIt is equivalent to a Hajj, and in another narration, it is equivalent to a Hajj with me, so 'Umrah in Ramadan
إنها تعدل حجة وفي رواية تعدل حجة معي فالعمرة في رمضانThis also means neglecting an obligatory duty and going to a recommended practice (mustahabb). Likewise, if 'Umrah leads to severe crowding and danger, such as those who go in the last ten days or on the twenty-seventh night and find severe crowding and danger, then this also leads to harm. Perhaps one will not be able to perform the 'Umrah in the required manner, or perhaps one will not be able to perform the prayer in the required manner due to the severe crowding, and one is exposed to danger. So, the conclusion is that if 'Umrah in Ramadan is performed and does not lead to harms or negative consequences, there is no doubt in its virtue and merit. But if it leads to negatives and harms, I see that it is better for him to stay in his country, pray with the Muslims, recite the Qur'an, and perform i'tikaf (spiritual retreat) in the mosque. I'tikaf in the mosque also has a great virtue, so he should not neglect these things and go to an 'Umrah that he may not be able to perform in the required manner. Yes.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، 15 من 27|أحكام المرأة في الصيام|العمرة في رمضان|صالح الفوزان|فقه|كبار العلماء — youtube.com (0:47)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.