Is it authentic that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed Hajj as an individual, and how do we reconcile the narrations regarding the nature of his Hajj?

The questioner: Peace be upon you.

The Shaykh : And upon you be peace, and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.

The questioner : One person said to me: that Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) says in "Sahih Muslim": "That the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed Hajj as an individual (ifrad)"!

The Shaykh: Mmm.

The questioner : Is this statement correct?

The Shaykh : The actual narrations differ greatly regarding the nature of the Messenger’s (peace and blessings be upon him) Hajj. Some say he performed Hajj as an individual (ifrad), and this is found in "Sahih Muslim." Others say he performed Hajj as a tamattu' pilgrim, and this is found in "the two Sahihs" (Bukhari and Muslim), including the hadith of Ibn 'Umar. And others say he performed Hajj as a qiran pilgrim, and this is the correct view. The reason for the difference is that some of the Companions heard part of it and missed other parts. This is with regard to those who said: he performed Hajj as an individual (ifrad). As for those who said he performed tamattu', and those who said he performed qiran, the reality, according to today's jurisprudential terminology, is that he was a qiran pilgrim and not a tamattu' pilgrim. However, in terms of Arabic expression, every tamattu' pilgrim is a qiran pilgrim, but not every qiran pilgrim is a tamattu' pilgrim. But, excuse me, I made a mistake: whoever is a qiran pilgrim has performed tamattu', but a tamattu' pilgrim is not necessarily a qiran pilgrim. What is the reason? The reason is that both the tamattu' pilgrim and the qiran pilgrim combine two acts of worship: 'Umrah and Hajj. The qiran pilgrim performs 'Umrah, and the tamattu' pilgrim performs 'Umrah. So in this regard, the qiran pilgrim is a tamattu' pilgrim, because he combined 'Umrah with Hajj, as He (Glorified and Exalted is He) said: . From this, many scholars of tafsir (exegesis) said that the verse includes both types, whether one is a qiran pilgrim or a tamattu' pilgrim, and each of them must offer a sacrificial animal (hady). Therefore, whoever among the narrators said he was a qiran pilgrim is truthful and consistent with the Hajj of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). And whoever said he was a tamattu' pilgrim is truthful in the sense that he combined 'Umrah and Hajj, not in the sense that he exited the state of ihram, because it is authentic from him (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said in the well-known story: . So what he exited was [the state of ihram], therefore he was certainly a qiran pilgrim. This is the way to reconcile the expressions and the types of Hajj narrated by the Companions: some saying he performed Hajj as an individual (ifrad), some as a qiran pilgrim, and some as a tamattu' pilgrim.

The questioner : But how is the reconciliation apparent regarding the individual Hajj (ifrad)?!

The Shaykh : Yes, the Messenger heard [the pilgrim] saying: , and he did not hear [the mention of] 'Umrah. Yes, that is right.

The questioner : Our Shaykh, does it mean that the one who performs Hajj as an individual (ifrad) loses the 'Umrah and loses the sacrificial animal (hady)?!

The Shaykh : He loses the tamattu', yes, that is it.

The questioner : Okay, is it not in his interest to perform Hajj once in his life and lose this 'Umrah?!!

The Shaykh : Yes, but bring [the verse]: . Stinginess and miserliness, glory be to Allah, even though the Hajj of tamattu' is the easiest and the best, the easiest and the best.