Supplication for the Completion of the Qur'an and Traveling to Attend the Completion and Complete the 'Umrah

The questioner:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah preserve you, you know what is carried out in many mosques of the Muslims, and especially in the two Holy Mosques, in this regard: signing up to go and attend on the night of the twenty-ninth or the twenty-ninth and thirtieth of the month of Ramadan every year, and that is to attend the completion (khatmah). People pray the tarawih, and what happens is supplication after the opening of the Qur'an and a firm resolve on this state, until it became so with many people. Is there anything new from the Book and the Sunnah regarding that? And is the supplication for the opening of the Qur'an and what happens in it of resolving to supplicate and striving for it and following up on it, is this from the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)?

The Shaykh:
The supplication for the completion of the Qur'an, in this specific form of prayer, there is no clear evidence for it from the Sunnah. However, the practice of the Salaf was in the time of Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him), and he would pray behind the imam while he was supplicating, and Imam Ahmad would say "Ameen" to his supplication after the completion of the Qur'an, and he would say, "I witnessed this, I witnessed this from those I witnessed from the people of the Hijaz and the people of..." The Imam Ahmad said, as in the book al-Mughni, quoting from Imam Ahmad, so it is from the practice of the Salaf or from the practice of some of the Salaf, so it is not to be denied. But the exaggeration in the completion and lengthening it, this is what is not to be denied—lengthening it to the point of hardship for people, this is not to be denied. Rather, one should supplicate with concise, comprehensive supplications that do not burden people; this is what is required. As for traveling to shorten the completion, there is no evidence for that, and it may be a deterrent. But if one travels for the sake of 'Umrah, then 'Umrah is prescribed, and it is more meritorious in Ramadan. As for traveling solely for the sake of the completion, in my view, the matter is that, even though the completion is prescribed or not to be denied for the one who does it due to the transmission of it from the Salaf in the blessed centuries, with this crowding in the Sacred Mosque, and even 'Umrah on the night of the twenty-seventh, even though 'Umrah is prescribed and recommended, but specifying the night of the twenty-seventh in the crowding and danger, or that a person wastes his work, he is an imam of a mosque and he goes and leaves his mosque, and he attends the 'Umrah and the completion on the twenty-seventh, this is an overburdening with no evidence for it. His remaining in his country, praying and performing the tahajjud, and a person who does not lead the prayer, this is better than abandoning the 'Umrah. So what if there are dangers in the 'Umrah from the crowding and danger? Many of the matters, they used to say, "We entered the state of ihram, and when we came, we did not manage to circumambulate, or women wore our clothes, and we returned, we desisted from the 'Umrah." You are wrong first in this state. Second, you abandoned the 'Umrah after you had entered the state of ihram for it, this is a great error. It is not permissible to refuse the 'Umrah and refuse the ritual after entering the state of ihram for it. One must perform it, but one waits until the crowding subsides. Especially on the night of the twenty-seventh, to the night of the twenty-ninth, to the night of the thirtieth, to the entry of Shawwal, and complete the 'Umrah. You remain in your state of ihram until the space opens up and you perform the 'Umrah. As for that you abandon it, it is forbidden. Allah the Exalted said: . So whoever enters the state of ihram for them must complete them, even if they were originally recommended. Yes. And Allah the Exalted knows best. May Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad.