Which of the methods of Hajj is best: Tamattu', Qiran, or Ifrad?
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The Shaykh : Which of the methods of Hajj is best: Tamattu', Qiran, or Ifrad?
The scholars of jurisprudence have differed since ancient times in their answers to this question. Some say that the best is Qiran, and their evidence for this is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed the Farewell Pilgrimage as a Qiran. This is the correct, established, and stronger of the various narrations that came from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding his pilgrimage, indicating that he was a Qiran. There are those who say that he (peace and blessings be upon him) performed it as a Tamattu', and some say that he performed it as an Ifrad. However, the truth is that his pilgrimage was a Qiran. Those who hold that the Ifrad pilgrimage is the best cite some narrations in which he (peace and blessings be upon him) called out the Talbiyah for Hajj. But this does not contradict the fact that he combined 'Umrah with Hajj, which is explicitly stated by some of the Companions, including Anas ibn Malik, who said that he was holding the reins of the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) she-camel when he entered the state of Ihram for Hajj from Dhu al-Hulayfah. He said, "I heard him say: Labbaik Allahumma bi 'Umrah wa Hajjah." Therefore, following the majority of the scholars of hadith, we have no doubt that the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) pilgrimage was a Qiran. Consequently, there is no room for comparison between the Qiran pilgrimage and the Ifrad pilgrimage, because the Ifrad pilgrimage has no basis for being preferred. It is not established that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) performed an Ifrad pilgrimage, nor is it established that he performed a pilgrimage in the manner of Ifrad based on his saying (peace and blessings be upon him). Therefore, no room remains for comparison except between Qiran and Tamattu'. We also have no doubt that Tamattu' with 'Umrah to Hajj is the best, indeed it is obligatory. This is because, although the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) pilgrimage was a Qiran as we mentioned earlier, there was an accompanying circumstance that accompanied the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) pilgrimage, which is absent from the pilgrimages of most pilgrims in most times and eras.
This accompanying circumstance is that he (peace and blessings be upon him) brought the sacrificial animal with him from Dhu al-Hulayfah. That is, when he (peace and blessings be upon him) entered the state of Ihram for Qiran, he had already brought the sacrificial animal. Therefore, the ruling for one who performs Hajj as a Qiran and brings the sacrificial animal differs from the ruling for one who performs Hajj as a Qiran and does not bring the sacrificial animal. We derived this difference from the Messenger's (peace and blessings be upon him) Farewell Pilgrimage, which was a single pilgrimage. It is established from the hadith of the Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed Hajj and the people performed Hajj with him in thousands, they were of three types: some were Qiran, some were Ifrad, and some were Tamattu'. The Qiran were those who were Qiran with the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). The Ifrad were of two categories: the majority of them did not bring the sacrificial animal, but rather slaughtered in Mina, while a few of them brought the sacrificial animal from Dhu al-Hulayfah, as we mentioned, with the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Accordingly, we can say that among those who performed Hajj with the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), some brought the sacrificial animal and some did not. As for those who did not bring the sacrificial animal, if they were Tamattu', you will see in what follows that this is what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) approved for them. And as for those who did not bring the sacrificial animal and were either Qiran or Ifrad, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said to them at the beginning, when they were setting out from Madinah to Makkah: Here we find that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) encouraged them but did not make it obligatory. He encouraged those among them who had not brought the sacrificial animal and had intended other than Tamattu' to make it an 'Umrah, but he said "whoever wishes." Then, in another stage, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) decided this course for them. However, when he came to Makkah, circumambulated the Ka'bah, and performed Sa'y, he said, and they were before that, "Whoever wishes to make it an 'Umrah, let him do so." Finally, the ruling of Allah was decided through the tongue of His Prophet, based on his saying (peace and blessings be upon him): Some of them hastened to exit the state of Ihram. The meaning of the Messenger's (peace and blessings be upon him) saying "let him make it an 'Umrah" is that he should annul his previous intention, whether it was an Ifrad Hajj or a Qiran Hajj. He should annul this intention and change it to a new intention, which is 'Umrah. The necessary consequence of this is that as soon as he finishes the Sa'y between al-Safa and al-Marwah, he cuts his hair or shaves it, and thereby the 'Umrah ends, and he exits the state of Ihram from it, remaining in a state of permissibility until the eighth day of the month of Dhu al-Hijjah, which is the day called Tarwiyah. I said that some of the Companions of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) hastened to exit the state of Ihram by changing Hajj to 'Umrah, but others of them erred in their state of Ihram. When the news reached the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), he became angry, and the Lady Aisha saw this and said, "Who has angered you, O Messenger of Allah? May Allah anger him," or she said a phrase to that effect. He said: The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) then addressed them again and said: At that time, the Companions of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) hastened, and they all exited the state of Ihram. As Jabir and others said, "We circumambulated the House and al-Safa and al-Marwah, and we went to the women," meaning they exited the state of Ihram.
From this, we take that the Tamattu' pilgrimage is obligatory for every pilgrim, except for one who brings the sacrificial animal from the state of permissibility. He has the example of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), whose pilgrimage was likewise. Although his final sayingSunan Abi Dawud 1784 suggests that the best for us, after the Messenger's (peace and blessings be upon him) pilgrimage, is not to bring the sacrificial animal either. This is the best, but if someone does so, we have no way to rebuke him, because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did so and it was not rebuked. This is unlike the Ifrad pilgrimage, and unlike the Qiran in which the sacrificial animal was not brought. This, as you heard, is the Messenger's (peace and blessings be upon him) command to annul Hajj to 'Umrah, and his anger at those who did not hasten to obey the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) in changing their Hajj to 'Umrah. Therefore, we affirm the benefit and exhortation that everyone who intends to perform Hajj should make his pilgrimage a Tamattu'. Then, he must, as thanks to Allah the Mighty and Majestic, offer a sacrificial animal if he finds a way to do so, or otherwise fast for seven days, as the Mighty and Exalted detailed in the Qur'an, saying: [Al-Baqarah 2:196] Many people, to whom the saying of our Lord, Blessed and Exalted is He, applies: [An-Nisa 4:128] When they knew that Tamattu' obligates the sacrificial animal or fasting for ten days, as you heard, if the sacrificial animal is not available, they flee from this ruling by one of those legal stratagems. They perform Qiran of Hajj, then combine 'Umrah with Hajj. Instead of following the command of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and indeed the explicit Qur'an, to perform 'Umrah before Hajj, they perform 'Umrah after completing the rituals of Hajj, in order to escape what Allah has obligated upon them of the sacrificial animal or fasting.
Then they do not know that there are people who cite for them the hadith of the Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), who came for 'Umrah after Hajj while she was with the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). They took that as a proof for performing 'Umrah after Hajj, as if they think that by doing so they are doing a good deed. Then, none of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), the Companions who were with him, or the Salaf who came after them understood this jurisprudence. They all performed 'Umrah before Hajj and then offered the sacrificial animal or fasting, except for these scheming people who perform 'Umrah after Hajj and thereby escape this obligation of the sacrificial animal or fasting. We must know that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had with him tens of thousands of Companions who performed Hajj, and none of them performed 'Umrah after Hajj except the Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her). And this is a specific ruling for her, not because she was Aisha, but because she was menstruating.
The scholars of jurisprudence have differed since ancient times in their answers to this question. Some say that the best is Qiran, and their evidence for this is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed the Farewell Pilgrimage as a Qiran. This is the correct, established, and stronger of the various narrations that came from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding his pilgrimage, indicating that he was a Qiran. There are those who say that he (peace and blessings be upon him) performed it as a Tamattu', and some say that he performed it as an Ifrad. However, the truth is that his pilgrimage was a Qiran. Those who hold that the Ifrad pilgrimage is the best cite some narrations in which he (peace and blessings be upon him) called out the Talbiyah for Hajj. But this does not contradict the fact that he combined 'Umrah with Hajj, which is explicitly stated by some of the Companions, including Anas ibn Malik, who said that he was holding the reins of the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) she-camel when he entered the state of Ihram for Hajj from Dhu al-Hulayfah. He said, "I heard him say: Labbaik Allahumma bi 'Umrah wa Hajjah." Therefore, following the majority of the scholars of hadith, we have no doubt that the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) pilgrimage was a Qiran. Consequently, there is no room for comparison between the Qiran pilgrimage and the Ifrad pilgrimage, because the Ifrad pilgrimage has no basis for being preferred. It is not established that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) performed an Ifrad pilgrimage, nor is it established that he performed a pilgrimage in the manner of Ifrad based on his saying (peace and blessings be upon him). Therefore, no room remains for comparison except between Qiran and Tamattu'. We also have no doubt that Tamattu' with 'Umrah to Hajj is the best, indeed it is obligatory. This is because, although the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) pilgrimage was a Qiran as we mentioned earlier, there was an accompanying circumstance that accompanied the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) pilgrimage, which is absent from the pilgrimages of most pilgrims in most times and eras.
This accompanying circumstance is that he (peace and blessings be upon him) brought the sacrificial animal with him from Dhu al-Hulayfah. That is, when he (peace and blessings be upon him) entered the state of Ihram for Qiran, he had already brought the sacrificial animal. Therefore, the ruling for one who performs Hajj as a Qiran and brings the sacrificial animal differs from the ruling for one who performs Hajj as a Qiran and does not bring the sacrificial animal. We derived this difference from the Messenger's (peace and blessings be upon him) Farewell Pilgrimage, which was a single pilgrimage. It is established from the hadith of the Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed Hajj and the people performed Hajj with him in thousands, they were of three types: some were Qiran, some were Ifrad, and some were Tamattu'. The Qiran were those who were Qiran with the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). The Ifrad were of two categories: the majority of them did not bring the sacrificial animal, but rather slaughtered in Mina, while a few of them brought the sacrificial animal from Dhu al-Hulayfah, as we mentioned, with the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). Accordingly, we can say that among those who performed Hajj with the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), some brought the sacrificial animal and some did not. As for those who did not bring the sacrificial animal, if they were Tamattu', you will see in what follows that this is what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) approved for them. And as for those who did not bring the sacrificial animal and were either Qiran or Ifrad, the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said to them at the beginning, when they were setting out from Madinah to Makkah:
Whoever among you has not brought the sacrificial animal and wishes to make it an 'Umrah, let him do so
من كان منكم لم يسق الهدي وأحب أن يجعلها عمرة فليفعلWhoever among you has not brought sacrificial animals, let him make it an 'Umrah.
من كان لم يسق الهدي فليجعلها عمرةWhoever among you has not brought sacrificial animals, let him make it an 'Umrah.
من كان منكم لم يسق الهدي فليجعلها عمرةWhy should I not be angry when I command the people with a command—namely, the command to dissolve their state—yet they do not act on it?
ما لي لا أغضب وأنا آمر الناس بأمر- أي أمر الفسخ - ثم لا يفعلونO people, whoever among you has not brought sacrificial animals, let him exit the state of ihram. Had I not brought sacrificial animals, I would have exited the state of ihram with you. And had I known in advance what I came to know later, I would not have brought sacrificial animals, but would have made it an 'Umrah.
يا أيها الناس من كان منكم لم يسق الهدي فليتحلل ولولا أني سقت الهدي لأحللت معكم ولو استقبلت من أمري ما استدبرت لما سقت الهدي ولجعلتها عمرةFrom this, we take that the Tamattu' pilgrimage is obligatory for every pilgrim, except for one who brings the sacrificial animal from the state of permissibility. He has the example of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), whose pilgrimage was likewise. Although his final saying
If I had known beforehand about my affair what I have come to know later, I would not have brought the sacrificial animals with me
لو استقبلت من أمري ما استدبرت لما سقت الهدي ولجعلتها عمرةwhoever performs 'umrah [during the Hajj months] followed by Hajj [offers] what can be obtained with ease of sacrificial animals. And whoever cannot find [or afford such an animal] - then a fast of three days during Hajj and of seven when you have returned
َمَنْ تَمَتَّعَ بِالعُمْرَةِ إِلَى الحَجِّ فَمَا اسْتَيْسَرَ مِنَ الهَدْيِ فَمَنْ لَمْ يَجِدْ فَصِيَامُ ثَلَاثَةِ أَيَّامٍ فِي الحَجِّ وَسَبْعَةٍ إِذَا رَجَعْتُمْAnd present in [human] souls is stinginess
وأحضرت الأنفس الشحThen they do not know that there are people who cite for them the hadith of the Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), who came for 'Umrah after Hajj while she was with the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). They took that as a proof for performing 'Umrah after Hajj, as if they think that by doing so they are doing a good deed. Then, none of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), the Companions who were with him, or the Salaf who came after them understood this jurisprudence. They all performed 'Umrah before Hajj and then offered the sacrificial animal or fasting, except for these scheming people who perform 'Umrah after Hajj and thereby escape this obligation of the sacrificial animal or fasting. We must know that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had with him tens of thousands of Companions who performed Hajj, and none of them performed 'Umrah after Hajj except the Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her). And this is a specific ruling for her, not because she was Aisha, but because she was menstruating.