Scholarly Difference on the Most Virtuous Form of Hajj
The scholars have differed greatly on which type of Hajj is the most virtuous — Tamattuʿ, Qirān, or Ifrād.
1. View: Qirān is Best
- Imām Abū Ḥanīfah, Isḥāq, a group of the Ṣaḥābah and Tābiʿīn, Imām Nawawī, Ibn al-Mundhir, al-Muzanī, and al-Marwazī held this view.
- Evidence:
- Allah ﷻ chose this type for His Prophet ﷺ.
- It involves more effort and acts of worship.
- The hadith: دخلت العمرة في الحج إلى يوم القيامة
“ʿUmrah has been incorporated into Hajj until the Day of Resurrection.”
[Aḥmad: 4/175, Ibn Mājah: 2977]
- Imām al-Amīr al-Ṣanʿānī also preferred this view.
[Subul al-Salām: 2/941]
2. View: Tamattuʿ is Best
- Imām Mālik, Imām Aḥmad, and a group of Ṣaḥābah and Tābiʿīn held this opinion.
- Evidence:
- The Prophet ﷺ said:
لو استقبلت من أمرى ما استدبرت ما سقت الهدى ولجعلتها عمرة
“If I had known earlier what I came to know later, I would not have brought the sacrificial animals and would have made it an ʿUmrah.”
[Aḥmad: 3/148, Ṭabarānī al-Awsaṭ: 1850] - The Prophet ﷺ would only wish for the most virtuous deed, and this type is easier for people.
- The Prophet ﷺ said:
- Shawkānī and Ṣiddīq Ḥasan Khān: Tamattuʿ is best.
[Nayl al-Awṭār: 3/317, al-Rawḍah al-Nadiyyah: 1/594] - Ibn Qudāmah and al-Albānī also adopted this view.
[Tuḥfat al-Aḥwadhī: 3/646, al-Taʿlīqāt al-Raḍiyyah: 2/64]
3. View: Ifrād is Best
- Some scholars considered Ifrād superior to both Tamattuʿ and Qirān.
- Evidence: The Rāshidūn Caliphs performed Ifrād and continued upon it.
- Note: The narration mentioning this is not reliable.
[Daʿīf: Daʿīf Tirmidhī: 826, Tirmidhī: 820]
