Principle: All righteous acts of worship for which excellence and reward are established are valued for their perfection, not merely for their outward form.

The Shaykh : Furthermore, all righteous acts for which excellence and reward are established are only valid when they are complete, not merely a form that brings no benefit. They must be complete. I will give you an example with prayer, which is the greatest of bodily acts. Allah the Exalted said regarding it: How many obligatory and voluntary prayers do we perform in a day, yet we find our hearts remain the same? We do not find that our prayer restrains us from indecency and wrongdoing. Is this a contradiction of Allah’s promise? No, by Allah, Allah is truthful in His promise. We testify that prayer restrains from indecency and wrongdoing, but not the prayer that is merely a form. The prayer that is prayer in both outward appearance and inward reality. The 'Umrah in Ramadan, which is like Hajj, is not merely a form. Rather, it is the 'Umrah performed in a manner that pleases Allah and His Messenger, with tranquility and humility before Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and establishing His remembrance, not merely a form. It is not enough that one says, “I performed 'Umrah in Ramadan.” By Allah, O brothers, do not let emotion and desire lead you to perform acts that you may not be obligated to do, or that may not be in the manner required of you. If Allah the Exalted grants someone wealth and facilitates his journey to the House, let him do so on days other than the crowded days at the beginning of Ramadan. Because 'Umrah in Ramadan, whether at its beginning, middle, or end, is equivalent to Hajj. Let him come at the beginning of Ramadan, perform 'Umrah for one, two, or three days, then leave and make room for others. He will obtain the reward and return to his country to perform fasting with tranquility and standing in night prayer with tranquility. He will attain the pleasures that people used to attain in times past. People in their countries, in times past, would find joy in Ramadan and comfort and happiness for their souls because they performed their worship with tranquility and humility. But if the matter is like this, such as fighting and jihad without being obligated to do so, and praise be to Allah, if this were imposed on us, a person would seek an exit from this obligation.