What is the ruling on the greeting of the mosque for the one performing 'Umrah? Is the greeting of the House the tawaf? And what is the ruling for one who prays the obligatory prayer and intends with it the recommended practice of the greeting of the mosque?

The questioner : We arrived at al-Masjid al-Haram five minutes before the 'Asr prayer.

Another questioner : The mu'adhdhin was there, so we were waiting for the iqamah.

The questioner : We have the right to combine the Zuhr and 'Asr prayers, so when we entered the Haram, the first thing was the greeting of the mosque. We didn't know whether to pray the greeting of the mosque or not, because the greeting of the mosque is the tawaf. Second, we were able to catch the Zuhr... before we prayed 'Asr with the congregation. So what I did was I prayed two rak'ahs of Zuhr, combining by delaying, first of all, and I attached the intention of the greeting of the mosque to it. And when we finished praying them...

The Shaykh : The 'Asr prayer was called for.

The questioner : They were about to call for the prayer, no, I think we did a little tawaf...

Another questioner : I did not do tawaf.

The questioner : I did tawaf.

Another questioner : But only two or three laps.

The questioner : Two or three laps.

The Shaykh : And they called for the prayer.

The questioner : And they called for the prayer, so I prayed with them, then I completed the tawaf. So what is the correct thing for a person... in this situation, who enters the mosque and the mu'adhdhin of 'Asr has the right to combine, does he pray two rak'ahs of Zuhr or four first in al-Masjid al-Haram?

The Shaykh : Four, why?

The questioner : On the basis that in al-Masjid al-Haram you remain in the state of shortening?

The Shaykh : What is the difference...? He stays for days and shortens the prayer.

The questioner : There is another thing, is there no greeting of the mosque?

The Shaykh : How can there be none? It is more deserving of the greeting than any other.

The questioner : Is the tawaf a substitute...?

The Shaykh : This statement is not correct, but this applies to the one who arrives and enters the mosque and immediately performs tawaf. As is known, after finishing the tawaf, he prays two rak'ahs at the Maqam. So the phrase that is said: "The greeting of the mosque is the tawaf," is first of all not a hadith traced to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), but rather the saying of some jurists from the Hanafis. And what is intended by it is this arriving person who performs the tawaf of arrival, and after the tawaf he goes to the Maqam of Ibrahim and prays two rak'ahs. So he performed tawaf and prayed two rak'ahs. This is better than the one who comes to the mosque and prays two rak'ahs as the greeting of the mosque, because this one has an additional act of worship, which is the tawaf. But it is not the completion of the greeting of the mosque for the resident of Makkah or for the non-resident who stays, even for days. For example, you or others who come to perform the 'Umrah of Hajj, you perform tawaf and sa'y and shave or cut your hair, and take off what? Your clothes. This completes the 'Umrah. Then he starts to frequent al-Masjid al-Haram for the remaining prayers. So when he enters, it is not prescribed for him, based on the previous phrase "the greeting of the House is the tawaf," to perform tawaf and pray two rak'ahs.
... ... ...

The questioner : So is it a choice, or is it absolutely better to do it directly?

The Shaykh : No, it is undoubtedly not part of the tawaf, but it may not be feasible for him, as happened with Abu Muhammad and as happened with you. He did not start with the tawaf because the time was tight. You started one or two laps, you couldn't complete it, so between completing the tawaf and performing the two rak'ahs at the Maqam, you prayed the obligatory prayer.
The point is that it is not befitting for us to differentiate between al-Masjid al-Haram in the issue that the greeting of al-Masjid al-Haram is the two rak'ahs, but the two rak'ahs for the arriving 'umrah performer or pilgrim naturally come after the tawaf.

The questioner : In my case, where I was praying the two rak'ahs of the obligatory prayer before the time of 'Asr?

The Shaykh : Here there is no need for you to pray the greeting of the mosque, unless you have time and want to gain more reward. So undoubtedly you pray two rak'ahs as the greeting, you say the taslim, and then you come to the obligatory prayer if you have time with you.

The questioner : Well, if, by Allah, I may have done this. Now I don't remember if I prayed two rak'ahs then two rak'ahs; maybe. But if we attach the intention, if I missed the time, with the intention of the greeting to the obligatory prayer?

The Shaykh : The intention of the greeting to the obligatory prayer does not work. It becomes an intention upon an intention, both of which are non-obligatory.

The questioner : Both are recommended.

The Shaykh : Yes, that is right. I mean, now imagine the one who enters the mosque at a time that has a pre-prayer recommended practice. So he must intend the greeting with the recommended practice, not the recommended practice with the greeting, because the greeting is stronger than the recommended practice. Clear?

The questioner : I prayed the greeting with the recommended practice. If the greeting is stronger, it should be the recommended practice with the greeting, on the basis that the greeting is the stronger one.

The Shaykh : What am I saying?

The questioner : If you said the opposite.

The Shaykh : I am repeating what I said: The one who enters the mosque at a time when there is a pre-prayer recommended practice intends the greeting, because the greeting is stronger than the recommended practice, then he adds the intention of the recommended practice. See? He adds the intention of the recommended practice, because since the greeting is stronger than the recommended practice, the reward is naturally more than the reward of the recommended practice. So if you reversed it, you lost. Clear?

The questioner : So he adds the pre-prayer recommended practice to the greeting.

The Shaykh : Yes, to the greeting.