The Difference Between Tamattu', Qiran, and Ifrad

Question:
There are people who ask about qiran, tamattu', and ifrad, and what the difference between them is? And is there a preference as well? And knowing that you mentioned that tamattu' is the best of the types?

Answer:
Yes, the types of ihram are three: tamattu', qiran, and ifrad. Tamattu' is that one enters the state of ihram for 'Umrah in the months of Hajj from the miqat he passes, then when he arrives in Makkah he performs the rites of 'Umrah, namely tawaf, sa'y, and shaving or shortening the hair, then he exits his state of ihram. Then when the time for Hajj comes, he enters the state of ihram for it, goes out to 'Arafah and the other stations, and performs the rites as commanded. As for qiran, it is that one enters the state of ihram for 'Umrah and Hajj together from the miqat, combining them with a single intention. When he arrives in Makkah, he performs tawaf al-qudum and remains in his state of ihram without exiting it. If he wishes, he may perform sa'y after tawaf al-qudum, performing the sa'y of Hajj and 'Umrah in advance; if he wishes, he may delay it until after tawaf al-ifadhah. The important thing is that he remains in his state of ihram and does not exit it until he performs Hajj, going out to the stations at the time of Hajj, standing at 'Arafah, and performing the rites. When the day of 'Id comes and he stons the pillars and slaughters his sacrificial animal, he shaves his head and exits his state of ihram, then returns to Makkah and performs tawaf al-ifadhah, and performs sa'y if he had not performed it after tawaf al-qudum. This is called qiran. It means that he combined 'Umrah and Hajj in one journey, and his 'Umrah entered into his Hajj, so the acts of Hajj count for both Hajj and 'Umrah.
As for the one who performs ifrad, his actions do not differ from those of the one who performs qiran. He performs Hajj as an ifrad from the miqat. When he arrives in Makkah, he performs tawaf al-qudum, and if he wishes, he performs sa'y, and remains in his state of ihram just like the one who performs qiran, until the time for Hajj comes and he performs Hajj, then he exits his state of ihram as mentioned before, except that he does not have to pay a fidyah.
The difference between him and the one who performs qiran is that the one who performs qiran combined two types of worship with a single intention, while the one who performs ifrad intended only one type of worship, which is Hajj. This is from one aspect. The second aspect is that the one who performs qiran has to pay a fidyah, while the one who performs ifrad does not have to pay a fidyah.