What is the ruling on the 'Umrah of Hajj; that is, Hajj al-Tamattu'?

The questioner : What is the ruling on 'Umrah?

The Shaykh : Which 'Umrah?

The questioner : 'Umrah?

The Shaykh : The 'Umrah of Hajj?

The questioner: Yes.

The Shaykh : The 'Umrah of Hajj, or 'Umrah in general?

The questioner : The 'Umrah of Hajj?

The Shaykh : The 'Umrah of Hajj is necessary. Every pilgrim must have an 'Umrah that he performs before the Hajj. This is based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): . Therefore, a Muslim who is aware of the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him) cannot imagine a Hajj in Islam that is separate from 'Umrah, except in one case. And that case is, in any event, the weaker position; meaning, it is not the preferred one, even though it is permissible, the preferred one being the other option. And that is when the pilgrim brings the sacrificial animal from the state of ihram from the miqat. If he brings the sacrificial animal from the miqat, it is permissible for him to perform Hajj al-Ifrad, though it is the weaker position, based on the saying of the Prophet.
Yes?

The questioner : And Qiran.

The Shaykh : Ifrad. Qiran includes 'Umrah. I am speaking now about Hajj al-Ifrad. Hajj al-Ifrad is not permissible except in the case where this pilgrim has brought this sacrificial animal from the miqat. In that case, it is permissible for him, but it is better for him not to bring the sacrificial animal from the miqat and to perform 'Umrah; to perform 'Umrah before the Hajj. If he does so—that is, if he brings the sacrificial animal—his Hajj is permissible, but he will have contradicted what the Messenger (peace be upon him) indicated regarding making things easy for the people and his wishing for that, as he said: . Then he turned to those who had performed Hajj al-Ifrad or Qiran and had not brought the sacrificial animal; he turned to them and said: . He ordered them to exit the state of ihram, even though they had intended Hajj al-Ifrad or Qiran. And he had said to them before that, when he was performing the final circuit and was in ... and Suraqah ibn Malik asked him, saying: O Messenger of Allah, is our 'Umrah for this year only, or for all time to come? He said (may Allah's prayers and peace be upon him): and he interlaced his fingers like this.
Since the majority of Muslims today—indeed, if we do not say all of them—do not bring the sacrificial animal, they do not carry the gifts with them in airplanes or cars, but rather they enter the state of ihram from the miqat and have nothing of the sacrificial animal with them; since this is the reality of Muslims today, it is obligatory for them, by right, that their declaration of intention (ihlal) be for 'Umrah at the miqat, saying: "Labbaik Allahumma bi 'Umrah," and that they follow the acts of 'Umrah until the last thing they do in it is shortening their hair after they have performed the sa'y between al-Safa and al-Marwah. Therefore, Hajj al-Ifrad today should not occur except in a situation we imagine but do not see as a reality; that is, the situation of bringing the sacrificial animal. Whoever brings the sacrificial animal is permitted to perform Ifrad and is permitted to perform Qiran, but it is better not to bring the sacrificial animal and to perform 'Umrah and exit the state of ihram with the 'Umrah and wait for the Hajj on a day like this, the second day. This is what the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered, and this is what he wished for himself. And the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) would not wish for himself except what is best and easiest, as evidenced by the hadith of the Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her): .
Among the harms and disadvantages of contradicting the guidance of the Messenger (peace be upon him) in performing 'Umrah before the Hajj is that people have innovated an 'Umrah that was not part of his guidance (peace be upon him) nor the guidance of his noble Companions. While the prescribed 'Umrah is before the Hajj, they have moved it, and most of them have forgotten it, and they have established it after the Hajj, which they call today 'Umrah al-Tan'im. Despite the knowledge of many scholars and students of knowledge that this 'Umrah, as we call it, is the 'Umrah of the menstruating woman, not the 'Umrah of men; rather, it is not the 'Umrah of women in general, but it is the 'Umrah of the menstruating woman. Because the origin of this 'Umrah is that the Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), when she arrived with the Messenger (peace be upon him) in the Farewell Pilgrimage to a place called Saraf, she started menstruating. So the Messenger (peace be upon him) came to her and found her crying. He said: . She said: Yes. He said (peace be upon him): . Then while she was at 'Arafah, she became pure, so she performed all the rituals. Then after she left 'Arafah, she sat in her tent. So the Messenger (peace be upon him) came to her and saw her crying. He said: . She said: What is wrong with me? The people are leaving with a Hajj and an 'Umrah, and I am returning alone with a Hajj without an 'Umrah!! So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered her brother, 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr al-Siddiq, to carry her behind him on the camel, and to take her out to Tan'im, and for her to enter the state of ihram from there for 'Umrah. So this is the 'Umrah of the menstruating woman when the Messenger (peace be upon him) ordered the Lady Aisha to do it to comfort her heart; because she would be leaving with a Hajj al-Ifrad without an 'Umrah, without a practical 'Umrah, even though she had previously intended the 'Umrah, but her menstruation prevented her from completing her 'Umrah. So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) compensated her by performing 'Umrah from Tan'im.
So we find today men whom Allah (Mighty and Majestic) has distinguished from women by purifying them from menstruation, and they come and do the act of the menstruating woman. If I had any authority, I would not allow pure women to do this kind of 'Umrah; because its cause is clear; and that is to comfort the heart of the pure, truthful daughter of al-Siddiq who was not able to perform the 'Umrah due to the excuse that was imposed upon her by necessity. She was not able to perform the 'Umrah, so the Messenger (peace be upon him) compensated her with an 'Umrah from Tan'im. So any woman who is afflicted with menstruation like hers, before she completes her 'Umrah, may follow the example of the Lady Aisha and do what she did. As for pure women, let alone pure men, it is not prescribed for them to perform this kind of 'Umrah. And Satan has suggested this 'Umrah to them; because it involves dropping what they call the fidyah, which is actually the sacrificial animal. So it is as if they have reversed the law of Allah when our Lord (Blessed and Exalted is He) says: . They do not want to buy a sacrificial animal for fifty or sixty riyals, which is ... and this is evidence of the stinginess of their souls, if we do not say that this is evidence of ...