Ibn al-Qayyim’s hesitation regarding the superiority of 'Umrah between 'Umrah in Ramadan or 'Umrah in the months of Hajj, and Ibn Uthaymeen’s preference for the superiority of 'Umrah in Ramadan.

The Shaykh : For this reason, Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) said: "I hesitate as to which is better: 'Umrah in Ramadan or 'Umrah in the months of Hajj?". See how the scholars are. He means he hesitates, he pauses. Why? He said because the 'Umrah in the months of Hajj is the one the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) was consistent in performing. And the 'Umrah in Ramadan, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned it to a woman who had missed the 'Umrah with him, and he said: It seems he is addressing this woman, and there is a possibility in that. But the correct view is the general one, that 'Umrah in Ramadan is equivalent to a Hajj. So the matter remains: do we prioritize the guidance of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) that he performed himself, or the one he encouraged his Ummah to follow? The correct view in my opinion, and I do not hesitate in it, is to prioritize the guidance he encouraged, which is that 'Umrah in Ramadan is better than in Dhul-Qa'dah or Shawwal or Dhul-Hijjah. So that is my purpose with this.