We went for 'Umrah at the end of last Ramadan and entered the state of ihram from the miqat, then we headed to Jeddah for the purpose of leaving some family members there, and before

The questioner : We went for 'Umrah at the end of last Ramadan and entered the state of ihram from the miqat, then we headed to the city of Jeddah for the purpose of leaving some family members there. Before we headed to perform the 'Umrah, news reached us of the death of one of our relatives in the region we had come from. At that point, we could not control ourselves and we removed the ihram and immediately headed to where we went to attend the funeral and the condolences. Therefore, we would like your Excellency to give the ruling in this matter and what is obligatory upon us?

The Shaykh : The reality is that this questioner made a great error by breaking the ihram without asking the scholars. And Allah the Exalted said: This man broke the ihram without necessity, for if one of their relatives died in their village, would he return to life if they went to him? No, he will not return to life. So what is the benefit? The matter is a few hours, or less than an hour. They would head from Jeddah to their place, or to their country, passing through Makkah, because he came from the southern region. And the 'Umrah, we estimate, took two hours due to the crowd. So why did they not remain in their ihram, pass through Makkah, perform tawaf and sa'y, and shorten their hair while walking? The obligatory thing for these people is that when the news of the death of a relative, friend, or someone they wanted to attend the funeral of reached them, it is obligatory for them to continue in their rites and complete them and leave. It is nothing but tawaf, sa'y, and shortening the hair. As for breaking the 'Umrah, they are sinful for it, and they must now wear the clothes of ihram and avoid all the prohibitions of ihram, and go to Makkah to make up the 'Umrah with tawaf, sa'y, and shortening the hair, because they are still in ihram now. Also, the fact that this questioner sent the question to "Light on the Path" is also a mistake, because "Light on the Path" has questions that only Allah can count. When will his question come up? Perhaps it will be lost. So it was more appropriate, better, and more absolving of the conscience to ask one of the scholars in his country or elsewhere so that the matter is concluded quickly. We do not know now how long this question has been around, and there is no mention of a date in it. Perhaps he sent it immediately after 'Id al-Fitr, and we do not know. And his turn did not come until now!

The questioner : Correct, O Shaykh.

The Shaykh : And I hope that this man has now gotten rid of this problem and asked the scholars, and they issued a ruling for him with what we hope Allah the Exalted will accept.

The questioner : May Allah bless you.