The reason the Rightly Guided Caliphs shifted from Hajj al-Tamattu' to Ifrad
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Why did the Rightly Guided Caliphs (may Allah be pleased with them) shift from Tamattu' to Ifrad, when they were the most eager of people for good?
The Rightly Guided Caliphs (may Allah be pleased with them) shifted to commanding Ifrad by way of their interpretation, as they saw that if people performed Tamattu' and combined Hajj and 'Umrah in one journey, the House would be left without anyone to keep it active through Tawaf and Sa'y. This is because journeys in that era were arduous, making it difficult for a person to return to the House frequently. If they performed an 'Umrah and Hajj in one journey and stopped there, the House would remain abandoned for the rest of the year. They therefore considered Ifrad to be better so that the House would remain active throughout the year. They interpreted the command of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as being intended to remove the corrupt belief that existed in the pre-Islamic age of ignorance,And that is that the people of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance used to say: that 'Umrah is not permissible during the months of Hajj,And they say: "When Safar has passed, the back is free from illness, and the tracks have faded, 'Umrah becomes permissible for whoever performs 'Umrah."
Meaning: One should not perform 'Umrah until a period has passed after Hajj, and the intention behind this is that the House should always remain active. For this reason, the Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) said in his manual of rites: "If one performs 'Umrah alone in a journey, then Ifrad is better without any disagreement."
This is what he said (may Allah have mercy on him).
Perhaps he took this from the practice of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, but there is some hesitation in the heart regarding this,It is said: Tamattu' is absolutely better; because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded it and made it definite,And he did not say: except for one who had already performed an 'Umrah before. Since he did not make an exception, it is known that Tamattu' is better, and that what the Rightly Guided Caliphs adopted was only by way of interpretation. However, adhering to the generality of the words of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is more appropriate.
The Rightly Guided Caliphs (may Allah be pleased with them) shifted to commanding Ifrad by way of their interpretation, as they saw that if people performed Tamattu' and combined Hajj and 'Umrah in one journey, the House would be left without anyone to keep it active through Tawaf and Sa'y. This is because journeys in that era were arduous, making it difficult for a person to return to the House frequently. If they performed an 'Umrah and Hajj in one journey and stopped there, the House would remain abandoned for the rest of the year. They therefore considered Ifrad to be better so that the House would remain active throughout the year. They interpreted the command of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) as being intended to remove the corrupt belief that existed in the pre-Islamic age of ignorance,And that is that the people of the pre-Islamic age of ignorance used to say: that 'Umrah is not permissible during the months of Hajj,And they say: "When Safar has passed, the back is free from illness, and the tracks have faded, 'Umrah becomes permissible for whoever performs 'Umrah."
Meaning: One should not perform 'Umrah until a period has passed after Hajj, and the intention behind this is that the House should always remain active. For this reason, the Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) said in his manual of rites: "If one performs 'Umrah alone in a journey, then Ifrad is better without any disagreement."
This is what he said (may Allah have mercy on him).
Perhaps he took this from the practice of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, but there is some hesitation in the heart regarding this,It is said: Tamattu' is absolutely better; because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded it and made it definite,And he did not say: except for one who had already performed an 'Umrah before. Since he did not make an exception, it is known that Tamattu' is better, and that what the Rightly Guided Caliphs adopted was only by way of interpretation. However, adhering to the generality of the words of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) is more appropriate.