Clarification on Performing Multiple Umrahs in One Trip – Travel Guide Seeking Insights

Wa alaykum as-salām wa raḥmatullāh, dear brother Shahrukh,


First of all, apologies for the delay in responding. May Allah bless you for your care in guiding pilgrims correctly. This is a very important question that often comes up during journeys for ʿUmrah and Ḥajj.

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Is there a limit to how many ʿUmrahs one can do in one trip?​

1. The Qur’ānic Basis​

Allah ﷻ commands:

“And complete the Ḥajj and ʿUmrah for Allah…”
(Sūrah al-Baqarah 2:196)

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This establishes the obligation and virtue of ʿUmrah, but the Qur’ān does not specify repetition in one journey.

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2. The Prophetic Example​

• The Prophet ﷺ performed four ʿUmrahs in his lifetime, all at different times, and never repeated multiple ʿUmrahs in a single stay in Makkah (Bukhārī 1778, Muslim 1253).
• He stayed in Makkah 13 years after revelation, yet not once did he leave the Ḥaram to re-enter for another ʿUmrah.

This is why Ibn al-Qayyim رحمه الله wrote in Zād al-Maʿād (2/89–90):

“All the Prophet’s ﷺ ʿUmrahs were done while entering Makkah, not by leaving it as many people do today… The ʿUmrah he legislated was the ʿUmrah of the one entering Makkah.”

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3. The Case of ʿĀ’ishah (RA)​

The only exception was ʿĀ’ishah (RA). She began Hajj in menstruation and was unable to complete a separate ʿUmrah. After Hajj, she felt saddened that the other wives had done both Hajj and ʿUmrah separately. Out of compassion, the Prophet ﷺ told her brother to take her to Tanʿīm (Masjid ʿĀ’ishah) so she could do an extra ʿUmrah (Bukhārī 1780, Muslim 1211).


Importantly: Neither the Prophet ﷺ nor any other companion did this, showing it was a concession for ʿĀ’ishah’s unique situation, not a general Sunnah.

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4. Views of the Scholars​

• Majority view (Ḥanafīs, Mālikīs, many Shāfiʿīs):
  Repeating ʿUmrah in one trip is permissible but not Sunnah, since the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions never did so. The aṣl (principle) is: Each ʿUmrah is for a separate journey.
• Shāfiʿīs & Ḥanbalīs:
  They allow multiple ʿUmrahs even in one stay, especially if someone has traveled far and wishes to maximize reward. They cite the hadith:
  
  

  “ʿUmrah to ʿUmrah is an expiation for what is between them.” (Bukhārī 1773, Muslim 1349)
  However, even they note that it should not be overdone, as it was not the Prophet’s ﷺ practice.

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• Imām Mālik (al-Muwaṭṭaʾ 1/282):
  Preferred that ʿUmrah be made from the boundaries the Prophet ﷺ set (the miqāt), and said virtue is greater when intending from farther points than Tanʿīm.
• Ibn Bāz رحمه الله:
  Allowed repeating ʿUmrah (for oneself or on behalf of others), provided one leaves the Ḥaram to assume ihrām from outside. But he stressed this is permissible, not Sunnah.

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5. Practical Guidance for Pilgrims​

• One ʿUmrah per journey is the Sunnah and sufficient for full reward.
• Extra ʿUmrahs are permissible (as ʿĀ’ishah’s case shows), but not the general Sunnah.
• If one wishes to do a second ʿUmrah (e.g., on behalf of a deceased parent), he must leave the Ḥaram boundary (Tanʿīm, Jiʿrānah, etc.) before re-entering.
• Better alternatives in Makkah:
  
  • Frequent ṭawāf (which equals a form of ʿUmrah in reward).
  • Ṣalāh in al-Ḥaram (100,000 times the reward).
  • Qur’ān recitation, dhikr, duʿā’, and helping other pilgrims.