It is recommended to say, “O Allah, I intend to perform such-and-such a ritual, so make it easy for me. And if something prevents me, then my place of completion is where I am prevented.”

The Shaykh : He said, “It is recommended to say, ‘O Allah, I intend to perform such-and-such a ritual, so make it easy for me. And if something prevents me, then my place of completion is where I am prevented.’” This statement encompasses two issues:
The first issue is his statement, “It is recommended to say, ‘O Allah, I intend to perform such-and-such a ritual.’” Recommendation requires evidence, and there is no evidence for this. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not say, “O Allah, I intend to perform ‘Umrah” or “O Allah, I intend to perform Hajj” when he intended to enter the state of ihram. It is well known that acts of worship are based on following what has been transmitted. Since the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) performed ‘Umrah four times and Hajj once, and did not say this nor guide to it, it should not be considered recommended. Therefore, the correct view in this issue is that uttering this phrase is like uttering, “O Allah, I intend to pray, so make the prayer easy for me,” or “I intend to perform ablution, so make the ablution easy for me.” This is a religious innovation (bid'ah). Likewise, in the context of the pilgrimage rituals, do not say this; rather, say what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) guided to when Subay’ah bint al-Zubayr consulted him, as she intended to perform Hajj while suffering from an illness. He said, Al-Nasa'i narrated it. He said, “Say, ‘Labbaik, O Allah, Labbaik. And if something prevents me, then my place of completion is where I am prevented.’” He did not say, “Say, ‘O Allah, I intend to do such-and-such.’”
Now, the second issue is his statement, “And if something prevents me, then my place of completion is where I am prevented.” His statement, “if something prevents me,” is general, or if you wish, you may say it is absolute, encompassing both the one who is afraid and the one who is not. That is, it includes the one who fears an obstacle that would prevent him from completing his ritual, such as illness, loss of funds, breakdown of a vehicle, fear for his life, or the like. The important point is that he is afraid of not completing the ritual. And the one who is not afraid—this is the author’s statement, because he did not qualify it by saying, “Say, ‘If something prevents me,’ if you fear that something will prevent you.” The scholars differed on this issue. Some said it is a recommended practice (sunnah) absolutely to say, “If something prevents me, then my place of completion is where I am prevented.” Some said it is not a recommended practice absolutely. Some qualified it, saying it is a recommended practice for the one who fears an obstacle to completing the ritual, and it is a recommended practice to leave it out for the one who does not fear. This view is the correct one, and it is the one that reconciles the evidence. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) entered the state of ihram without making a condition; he did not say, “If something prevents me,” throughout his life, even at Hudaybiyyah. He entered the state of ihram and did not say, “If something prevents me,” and he was prevented. Likewise, in the ‘Umrah of Qada, and in the ‘Umrah of al-Ja’ranah, and in the Farewell Pilgrimage, it is not narrated from him that he said, “If something prevents me,” nor did he command his Companions to do so absolutely. Rather, he commanded the woman who came to consult him because she was ill and feared her illness would worsen so that she would not complete the ritual. Accordingly, the stronger view in this issue is that there is no absolute recommendation and no absolute condemnation. Rather, we tell the one who fears an obstacle that prevents him from completing the ritual to make a condition, following the guidance of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him). And we tell the one who does not fear not to make a condition, as the sunnah is not to make a condition. This is the choice of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him). If someone asks, “Accidents are numerous nowadays. Accidents happen frequently; there is often a collision, and often a crowd forms in which a person dies. Does this not make the condition prescribed?” We say, no, because if you counted the pilgrims and the accidents that occur, you would find the ratio very small and insignificant compared to the number of vehicles and the number of accidents. In the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), accidents occurred. At ‘Arafah, the camel of one of the companions knelt, and he fell from it and died. This was an accident—a car accident or a camel accident? A camel accident, but it resembles a car accident. So, accidents existed in the time of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and yet he did not command his Companions to make a condition as a general rule.
The summary of the second issue is that it is recommended to make a condition for the one who has an obstacle that prevents him from completing the ritual. As for when things are normal, the sunnah is not to make a condition. This reconciles the evidence. If someone asks, “What is the benefit of this condition?” We say that some scholars claimed it has no benefit and is merely a phrase used for worship. This view is undoubtedly very weak.