❀ How Many Times Are Hajj and ʿUmrah Obligatory in a Lifetime? ❀
Question:
If a person has already performed Hajj once, and later gets an opportunity to perform ʿUmrah, does that make Hajj obligatory on him again? Also, what is the ruling regarding performing ʿUmrah for the first time?
Answer:
Hajj is obligatory only once in a lifetime.Performing ʿUmrah after Hajj does not make Hajj obligatory again, and there is no evidence to suggest otherwise.
Evidence from Hadith:
Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه narrated:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ delivered a sermon and said:
“O people! Indeed, Allah has made Hajj obligatory upon you, so perform Hajj.”
A man asked: “O Messenger of Allah! Is it every year?” The Prophet ﷺ remained silent. The man repeated the question three times, then the Prophet ﷺ said:
“Had I said ‘yes,’ it would have become obligatory, and you would not have been able to do it.”
Then he said:
“Leave me as long as I leave you. Verily, those before you were destroyed due to excessive questioning and differing with their prophets. So, when I command you to do something, do it as much as you are able, and when I prohibit something, then refrain from it.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Kitāb al-Ḥajj, Bāb Farḍ al-Ḥajj Marrah fī al-ʿUmr, ḥadīth 1337]
This ḥadīth clearly establishes that Hajj is obligatory only once in a person’s lifetime. What About ʿUmrah?
❖ ʿUmrah is also obligatory once in a lifetime for those who have the means.
Abdullāh ibn ʿUmar رضي الله عنهما said:
“There is no one but that Hajj and ʿUmrah are both obligatory upon him.”
Ibn ʿAbbās رضي الله عنهما said:
“The Book of Allah mentions ʿUmrah alongside Hajj,”
as in the verse:
﴿وَأَتِمُّوا الْحَجَّ وَالْعُمْرَةَ لِلَّهِ﴾
“And complete the Hajj and ʿUmrah for Allah.”
[Al-Baqarah: 196]
🖋 Imām al-Bukhārī رحمه الله dedicated a chapter in his Ṣaḥīḥ titled:
“The Chapter on the Obligation and Virtue of ʿUmrah”
(Kitāb al-ʿUmrah, Bāb Wujūb al-ʿUmrah wa Faḍliha)
In it, he recorded the above-mentioned narrations to support the view that ʿUmrah is obligatory.
