The Ruling on Repeating 'Umrah in a Single Journey

The questioner : May Allah reward you. There are many questions revolving around the person who entered the state of ihram this month from his miqat in the city he came from, and then, when he finished, wanted to perform another 'Umrah.

The Shaykh : We thank him for.

The questioner : After he performed his 'Umrah, he wanted. There are many questions revolving around the person who performed 'Umrah and then wanted to perform another 'Umrah a few days later for a deceased relative. Is that permissible?

The Shaykh : My brothers, I spoke about this topic in our first meetings, and I said that it is not in the Sunnah for a person to repeat 'Umrah in a single journey, whether the second one is for himself or for one of his deceased relatives. I told you that it is not reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), nor from his noble Companions, nor from his Rightly Guided Caliphs, that they would leave Makkah after performing the first 'Umrah to come with a second 'Umrah, ever. Let whoever has a single letter, whether authentic or weak, from that bring it to us. There is no hadith, neither authentic nor weak, that the Companions left Makkah after performing the first 'Umrah or after Hajj to come with an 'Umrah. The Sunnah, and praise be to Allah, the Sunnah is before us, not from their own opinions nor from others. And in that, there is only a hadith that is not valid to be an argument for whoever argued with it. It is a hadith that is authentic in itself, and it is what happened to our mother A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), where she left Makkah after performing Hajj and entered the state of ihram for 'Umrah from al-Tan'īm. Therefore, the mosques were built there in the place from which she entered ihram, and they were named the Mosques of A'ishah. But in this, there is no proof at all; rather, whoever reflects on it finds it a proof that repeating 'Umrah is not prescribed. Did you hear? How is that? A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her).
And the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came from al-Madinah in the Farewell Pilgrimage with an 'Umrah, intending to combine it with Hajj (tamattu'). And on the way, in a place some of you know called Sarq, menstruation came to her. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to her while she was crying, and he said, "What is the matter with you?"
"Perhaps you have started your period," meaning menstruation has affected you? She said, "Yes, O Messenger of Allah." He said, "This is something Allah has decreed for the daughters of Adam." He told her All daughters of Adam menstruate. Then he ordered her to enter Hajj upon the 'Umrah, so she entered Hajj upon the 'Umrah and thereby became one who combines them (qarinah). This is the correct view. Some scholars said that he ordered her to break off the 'Umrah and enter the state of ihram for a new Hajj, so she would be one who performs Hajj alone (mufridah). But the first opinion is the correct one, indeed the certain one, because when she finished Hajj, she said, "O Messenger of Allah, the people return with an 'Umrah and a Hajj, and I return with only a Hajj?"
He said to her, "Your tawaf of the House and of al-Safa and al-Marwah suffices you for your Hajj and your 'Umrah." This is an explicit text that A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) did not break off the 'Umrah, but rather entered Hajj upon it. And when she persisted with the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is merciful and compassionate to the believers, and he feared that something might happen between his wives, such that his wives would say to A'ishah, "We returned with an 'Umrah and a Hajj, and you returned with only a Hajj," because the one who combines them (qarin) does the same as the one who performs Hajj alone (mufrid), when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) saw that she was persisting with him, he said to her brother 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakrah, "Take your sister to al-Tan'īm." In another wording, "Take your sister out of the Haram so she can declare her intention for 'Umrah." So her brother took her out. On the night of the fourteenth of Dhu al-Hijjah, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was staying at al-Mahshar. And she came with the 'Umrah. And her brother 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr did not come with the 'Umrah. If 'Umrah had been prescribed.
'Abd al-Rahman would have come with it, because the opportunity was available to him, since he reached the place of 'Umrah. So when he did not perform 'Umrah, he knew that 'Umrah is not prescribed. As for the women who experienced what A'ishah experienced, we say that if her soul is not at peace except with an independent 'Umrah, there is no harm in her doing so, following the example of A'ishah.
As for making this Sunnah for everyone, while the original principle in acts of worship is what? It is timing, and that nothing is prescribed from them except what came from the Shari'ah from the Book of Allah or the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). And by this, we know that what many people do today is not in accordance with the guidance of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them). I say that, even though it is heavy on my tongue and heavy on my heart, because it is contrary to the practice of most people. But the truth is more deserving to be followed. And it is obligatory upon whoever knows the Shari'ah of Allah to spread it among the servants of Allah, whether it agrees with what they are accustomed to or contradicts it. The Shari'ah is guidance, not desire, and it is law, not emotion. Some people say, "I want the second 'Umrah to be for my mother or my father." We say, and this is another trial: Did the Companions come with a second 'Umrah for their fathers and mothers after the first 'Umrah? Never. They did not come with it for themselves, nor did they come with it for their relatives. Do not those who are capable of doing it strive to do so?
Then, righteous deeds for relatives, such as a father or mother, were not guided to by the best of creation, Muhammad . He said in the interpretation of the three: a continuous charity that a person does before he dies, or knowledge that benefits, which he teaches people and it remains after his death, or a righteous son who prays for him. Did the Teacher of Goodness, the Guide of the Ummah, say, "Or a righteous son who performs 'Umrah for him, or Hajj for him, or fasts for him, or gives charity for him," even though the hadith is in the context of what?
The context of deeds. In the context of deeds, if the deeds had been prescribed for the dead, he would have said, "Or a righteous son who does deeds for him." Because the context of the hadith is deeds. The Sunnah, my brothers, is clear. Let us leave aside emotion. And I do not like to be stingy with anyone with anything, and I do not like to be stingy with the dead with what the living do.
But I want to follow the Sunnah. And between us and you is the word of Allah and the word of His Messenger. Did Allah urge in His Book that the living do deeds for the dead? Did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) urge that? By Allah, if Allah had urged it in His Book, or His Messenger in his Sunnah, I would be, if Allah wills, the first to do it and the first to call to it. But I do not know that. And I am ready for whoever comes to me with evidence from the Book and the Sunnah for the permissibility of doing deeds for the dead. I am ready, by Allah, to retract this statement of mine from this pulpit or from any other, if this pulpit is not available. The intention is the truth, the intention is the Shari'ah, the intention is that we follow what our predecessors were upon. It is not for us to say, "We found our fathers upon it," that is not possible. Or, "This is the practice of the people," that is not possible. Even if some scholars issued a fatwa of permissibility for that, permissibility is one thing and what is prescribed is another. Because permissibility means that the person is not blamed, and what is prescribed means that the person is rewarded. But I do not agree that it is prescribed, and I do not agree that it is permissible on equal footing, because the cause for that existed in the time of the Messenger and his Companions, and they did not do it. So if the cause is present and the obstacle is absent, and they did not do it in the time of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) nor in the time of his Companions, why do we do it? Are we more guided than they are in the Shari'ah of Allah? Answer: No, by Allah. Are we more eager for good than they are?
No, by Allah. Our Prophet, our Imam, our role model, our master, and our proof which Allah made for us a proof, Muhammad the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), conquered Makkah in Ramadan and stayed in it for nine days in Ramadan and ten days in Shawwal, nineteen days. He did not go out, not even in Ramadan, to come with an 'Umrah. And the conquest was in the eighth year. He did not go out despite the ease of it for him. So how can it be said that it is prescribed when the Messenger did not do it and did not call the Ummah to it?
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) entered Makkah for the 'Umrah of Qadha, and how great was his longing for that 'Umrah. He entered and missed three days. Did he go out on the second or third day to perform the 'Umrah? Never, my brothers. I hope, I call upon you, and I invoke Allah upon you to make your acts of worship based on guidance, not on emotion. Your fathers and mothers, may Allah grant you what you can do for them after their death: supplication and seeking forgiveness. This is why, when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about dutifulness to parents after their death, he did not mention charity for them, nor did he mention deeds for them. He mentioned seeking forgiveness and supplication, honoring the friend, and maintaining family ties with which you have no connection except through them. He did not mention deeds. Where is this from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)? Was he unaware of it, ignorant of it, or concealing it? No, by Allah, he is the most sincere of people, the most knowledgeable of people, and the most vigilant of people in deeds and guidance. Yet he did not do it. My people, I am only on this platform responsible for what I say, and you are responsible for what you learn. And praise be to Allah, the Book and the Sunnah are before you, and you learn them or their knowledge reaches you. Leave emotion aside. Put emotion aside. Look at the guidance and piety from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and from the Companions. And praise be to Allah, righteous deeds are for us and for our dead. Supplication is how the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) guided us. I ask Allah the Exalted to benefit me and you with what He has taught us, and to make us among those who saw the truth as truth and followed it, and saw falsehood as falsehood and avoided it.
Do you not know that what some people do opens up strange doors for people?
A person performs 'Umrah first for himself, then on the second day he performs 'Umrah for his mother, on the third day for his father, on the fourth for his grandmother, on the fifth for his grandfather, and so on, performing an 'Umrah every day. Where is this characteristic in worship among the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them)? Bring me a single letter from the Companions who did that, or else let us follow their path, for it is goodness and it is guidance. Do you not know that some people now perform 'Umrah for the first time and shorten their hair in order to keep the rest for the second 'Umrah? By Allah, I saw a man a few years ago performing sa'y between al-Safa and al-Marwah who had shaved part of his head completely until it was white like silver, while the rest was thick hair on one side. So I said to him, what is this?
This is qaza' (shaving patches of the head), which is prohibited. In fact, he said, "This is for yesterday's 'Umrah, I shaved it, and the rest is for today's 'Umrah." And by the measure of his statement, if he wanted to perform 'Umrah three times, he would shave a quarter, and tomorrow the second quarter, and the day after tomorrow the third quarter, and the day after that the fourth quarter. My brothers, this is playing with religion. Does anyone doubt that this playing with religion involves shaving half his head and leaving the rest for the second time? In any case, I ask Allah to guide me and complete my straight path, and to make us among those who saw the truth as truth and followed it, and saw falsehood as falsehood and avoided it.