What is the ruling on one who performed 'Umrah before knowing that 'Umrah is obligatory? Does he have to perform another 'Umrah?

Question : They say this is an important question. He says: If a person performed 'Umrah before knowing that 'Umrah is obligatory, does it suffice for the obligatory one?

Answer : Yes, the apparent ruling is that it suffices for him, because it is not restricted to a specific time, so that we would say, "This person entered the state of ihram before its time." The apparent ruling is that it suffices for him.