What is the ruling on what some people do of repeating the 'Umrah more than once?
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The questioner : We see some people in Ramadan repeating the 'Umrah more than once. Is there any harm in that, O honorable Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Yes, there is harm in that, because it contradicts the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) conquered Makkah on the twentieth of Ramadan and remained in Makkah safe and secure. Neither he nor his Companions, nor any one of them, went out to al-Tan'īm to perform an 'Umrah, even though the time was Ramadan and it was the Year of the Conquest. It is not known that any of the Companions ever performed an 'Umrah from al-Tan'īm, except 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) for a specific reason. 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) came from al-Madinah with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) during the Farewell Pilgrimage, and she was in the state of ihram for 'Umrah. She started menstruating before she reached Makkah, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) ordered her to enter the state of ihram for Hajj so that she would be a qarin (one combining 'Umrah and Hajj). She did so. It is known that a qarin does not perform the complete acts of 'Umrah, but the acts of 'Umrah are included within the acts of Hajj. When the people finished Hajj, 'A'ishah asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) to allow her to perform 'Umrah. He ordered her to go out with her brother 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr to al-Tan'īm and enter the state of ihram for 'Umrah, and she did so. Since this reason did not exist for her brother 'Abd al-Rahman, he did not enter the state of ihram for 'Umrah, but he came back. This is the most relied-upon evidence for those who say it is permissible to perform 'Umrah from al-Tan'īm for one who is in Makkah. As you heard, there is no evidence for this, because it was specific to a certain situation in which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) permitted 'A'ishah to do so. As for repeating it, the Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) reported that it is disliked (makruh) by the consensus of the Salaf. He was truthful (may Allah have mercy on him) in saying it is disliked, because an act that the Messenger (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him) did not perform, nor did his Companions, and which is an act of worship, how can it be sought? If it had been good, they would have preceded us to it. If it had been prescribed, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would have made it clear that it is prescribed, either by his saying, or by his doing, or by his approval. None of this occurred. If these people had stayed in Makkah and circled the House, that would have been better for them than going out and performing an 'Umrah. There is no difference between performing the 'Umrah for themselves or for others, such as their fathers and mothers. As for the original matter of performing 'Umrah for a father or mother, we say: the best is to make supplication for them if they are dead, based on the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family): Thus, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) guided to making supplication for the father and mother, and did not guide to performing an 'Umrah or Hajj or any other obedience for them.
In summary, repeating the 'Umrah in Ramadan or outside of Ramadan is not from the practice of the Salaf, but rather it is from the actions of people who have not looked into what the Sunnah of the Prophet (may Allah pray upon him and grant him peace) and his Companions requires.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : Yes, there is harm in that, because it contradicts the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) conquered Makkah on the twentieth of Ramadan and remained in Makkah safe and secure. Neither he nor his Companions, nor any one of them, went out to al-Tan'īm to perform an 'Umrah, even though the time was Ramadan and it was the Year of the Conquest. It is not known that any of the Companions ever performed an 'Umrah from al-Tan'īm, except 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) for a specific reason. 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) came from al-Madinah with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) during the Farewell Pilgrimage, and she was in the state of ihram for 'Umrah. She started menstruating before she reached Makkah, so the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) ordered her to enter the state of ihram for Hajj so that she would be a qarin (one combining 'Umrah and Hajj). She did so. It is known that a qarin does not perform the complete acts of 'Umrah, but the acts of 'Umrah are included within the acts of Hajj. When the people finished Hajj, 'A'ishah asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) to allow her to perform 'Umrah. He ordered her to go out with her brother 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr to al-Tan'īm and enter the state of ihram for 'Umrah, and she did so. Since this reason did not exist for her brother 'Abd al-Rahman, he did not enter the state of ihram for 'Umrah, but he came back. This is the most relied-upon evidence for those who say it is permissible to perform 'Umrah from al-Tan'īm for one who is in Makkah. As you heard, there is no evidence for this, because it was specific to a certain situation in which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) permitted 'A'ishah to do so. As for repeating it, the Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) reported that it is disliked (makruh) by the consensus of the Salaf. He was truthful (may Allah have mercy on him) in saying it is disliked, because an act that the Messenger (may the prayer and peace of Allah be upon him) did not perform, nor did his Companions, and which is an act of worship, how can it be sought? If it had been good, they would have preceded us to it. If it had been prescribed, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would have made it clear that it is prescribed, either by his saying, or by his doing, or by his approval. None of this occurred. If these people had stayed in Makkah and circled the House, that would have been better for them than going out and performing an 'Umrah. There is no difference between performing the 'Umrah for themselves or for others, such as their fathers and mothers. As for the original matter of performing 'Umrah for a father or mother, we say: the best is to make supplication for them if they are dead, based on the saying of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family):
When a person dies, his deeds are cut off except for three: ongoing charity, knowledge that is benefited from, or a righteous child who prays for him.
إذا مات الإنسان انقطع عمله إلا من ثلاث: صدقة جارية، أو علم ينتفع به، أو ولد صالح يدعو لهاIn summary, repeating the 'Umrah in Ramadan or outside of Ramadan is not from the practice of the Salaf, but rather it is from the actions of people who have not looked into what the Sunnah of the Prophet (may Allah pray upon him and grant him peace) and his Companions requires.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.