Does 'Umrah in Ramadan suffice for the obligatory Hajj?

The questioner : May Allah reward you. The questioner says: It is reported that 'Umrah in Ramadan is equivalent to Hajj, so does it suffice?

The Shaykh : Hajj or 'Umrah?

The questioner : 'Umrah.

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner : So, does it suffice for the obligatory one?

The Shaykh : This is a question that is fine to raise. He says that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: So, does it suffice for the obligatory one? That is, if a person performs 'Umrah in Ramadan, does it suffice for the obligation of Islam, which is Hajj? Be patient, it is not yet [decided], because it is equivalent to Hajj. We say: No. And it does not follow from equivalence that the equivalent suffices for the thing it is equivalent to. The evidence for this is the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) regarding Surat al-Ikhlas: : So, if a person repeats it three times in prayer, does it suffice for Surat al-Fatihah? Answer.

The questioner : No.

The Shaykh : It does not suffice. And if the equivalent sufficed for the thing it is equivalent to, then if one recited it three times, it would be as if he had recited the entire Qur'an, and that would suffice for Surat al-Fatihah. Now, secondly: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) informed us that whoever says: ten times, it is as if he had freed four slaves from the descendants of Isma'il. If a person had to free a slave as an expiation and he said this dhikr ten times, would it suffice for him? It would not suffice for him. So, the fact that 'Umrah in Ramadan is equivalent to Hajj does not mean that it suffices for Hajj. Yes.