May the one performing 'Umrah who is not from Makkah — that is, the traveler — pray the rawatib?

The questioner : Regarding the traveler for Hajj or 'Umrah, may he pray if he stays in Makkah for the entire period of Hajj or 'Umrah? May he pray voluntary prayers or the rawatib sunnah?

The Shaykh : As for the voluntary prayers, he may pray as much of them as he wishes. As for the rawatib, he should not pray any of them; because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), as reported in the two Sahihs from the hadith of Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him), that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) departed from Madinah in the year of the Farewell Pilgrimage and did not cease praying two rak'ahs, two rak'ahs, until he returned to it. It was not his custom (peace and blessings be upon him) to pray the rawatib sunnah in all his travels, including his travel for his Hajj. The only exception to this rule is two sunnahs only: the sunnah of Fajr and the sunnah of Witr. He (peace and blessings be upon him) used to maintain them whether resident or traveling. He (peace be upon him) used to pray the sunnah of Fajr even while traveling. Likewise, standing in night prayer, of which Witr is a part; he (peace be upon him) used to stand in night prayer and pray Witr even while traveling and while on his mount.
As for the absolute voluntary prayers, and the absolute voluntary prayers are certainly those other than the rawatib, which are considered from the emphasized sunnahs, a person is free to perform as many rak'ahs of voluntary prayer as he wishes. As for the rawatib sunnahs, it is a sunnah to leave them. Therefore, some scholars who are precise in their expression in certain matters say: "It is a sunnah to leave a sunnah," "It is a sunnah to leave a sunnah." Here, there is a sunnah that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) used to persist in, but he left it in a certain state. In this state, it is a sunnah to leave the sunnah. The example is before you; the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not pray the pre-Zuhr sunnah, nor the post-Zuhr sunnah, nor any sunnah other than the two previously mentioned: the sunnah of Fajr and the sunnah of Witr. So all the other rawatib sunnahs, he (peace and blessings be upon him) left them in his travels. Here, their saying is true: "It is a sunnah to leave a sunnah."