Making use of the vacation by performing 'Umrah.

The Shaykh : Some people make use of this vacation by traveling to the two Holy Sanctuaries: Makkah and al-Madinah. They go there with their families and stay as long as Allah wills, thereby attaining good. They perform 'Umrah, they pray in al-Masjid al-Haram, and they meet their brothers from the corners of the world. This is good. For example, if you performed 'Umrah six months ago and you perform 'Umrah during this vacation, the sins between the two 'Umrahs are expiated by this 'Umrah. My brother, this is a great blessing. It expiates for you what is between the two 'Umrahs. And how many sins have you committed that need expiation! But beware! Beware of something that some ignorant people do, which is repeating 'Umrah in a single journey. This has no basis in the Shari'ah of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). Our Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) conquered Makkah on the twentieth of Ramadan in the eighth year of the Hijrah. He remained there for nineteen days without performing 'Umrah. At the beginning of his arrival, he could not perform 'Umrah because he was a mujahid (struggler in the path of Allah). But after the situation stabilized, he did not go out to al-Tan'im, nor to al-Ji'ranah, nor to any other place in the non-sacred area to perform 'Umrah. Was the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) ignorant of the Makkah 'Umrah? Answer. Was the Messenger ignorant that it is a recommended practice? No. Was the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) knowledgeable that it is a recommended practice but did not establish it for his Ummah? Yes? No, no, by Allah. If the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had known that this was part of the Shari'ah of Allah and the religion of Allah, he would have been the first to practice it and the first to call to it, but he did not. He never repeated 'Umrah. During the Farewell Pilgrimage, the Ummah of the Believers, 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), needed to enter the state of ihram for 'Umrah after Hajj, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) ordered her brother, 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr, to take her out to al-Tan'im so she could enter ihram for 'Umrah, and she would come, perform tawaf, sa'y, and cut her hair. Her brother was with her, and it was easy for him to perform 'Umrah. Yet he did not do so. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) knew that he was with her, and that it was easy for him to perform 'Umrah. Yet he did not say: "Perform 'Umrah, O 'Abd al-Rahman." My brothers: Where are we from the path of the Salaf? Beware of repeating 'Umrah, whether for yourself, for your father, or for your mother. For this reason, some of the Tabi'un (the generation after the Companions) said: "I do not know about these people who go out to al-Tan'im and perform 'Umrah; are they committing a sin or earning reward?" Look, are they committing a sin or earning reward? Do not be deceived by the actions of people. How many people have done an action that has no basis in the Shari'ah! I say this to clear my conscience, to reform the Ummah, and to establish the religion, with the help of Allah (Mighty and Majestic). It does not harm me if someone performs 'Umrah a thousand times; it does not harm me. But it is obligatory for me, by the knowledge that Allah has bestowed upon me, to clarify the truth. I do not care about the action, nor do I care about the fatwa of whoever issues a fatwa. Between us and the muftis is the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). Let them bring one hadith, whether a command, an action, or an approval, from the Messenger (may Allah's prayers and blessings be upon him) that people repeat 'Umrah from Makkah.