Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

As salaamoalaikum,

We stay in Riyadh and our meeqat is Taif. Last time we performed two umrah in the span of 3 days. For the first umrah we said our intentions and put on our ihram in the Taif meeqat, but for the second umrah we just went outside Makkah border to a meeqat mosque for the intentions and ihram. Someone told us that our second umrah is invalid because it is not proper to perform two umrah in one journey as our beloved Prophet performed one umrah in one journey. secondly even if we did perform it we should have gone back to Taif for the umrah neeyat since we were from Riyadh. Is this correct? We wanted to utilise the time and perform umrah on behalf of our deceased relative. Should we avoid this in future? 

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Answer:

Two Umrah in one visit

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

Q-1: Someone told us that our second umrah is invalid because it is not proper to perform two umrah in one journey as our beloved Prophet performed one umrah in one journey.

It is indeed true that the Messenger of Allah (saws) and his noble companions never ever performed two Umrahs on one visit to the Sacred House; thus it would best and purest for the believers to follow the Sunnah and perform only one Umrah pilgrimage during the visit to the Sacred House of Allah.

Some believers try to use the incident of Hadrat Aisha’s Umrah during the Hajj-al-Wida of the Prophet (saws) as evidence that one can perform two Umrahs during one visit; but according to the majority of the scholars that permission was given under special circumstances and not as a general concession. During the Hajj-al-Wida, Hadrat Aisha could not perform the Umrah pilgrimage with the believers due to her being in her natural state of menstruation. When she purified herself from her state of menstruation, the Messenger of Allah (saws) told her that she must go outside the boundaries of Makkah (to what is today known as Masjid-Aisha), adorn the ehram, and perform the Umrah she missed due to her state of menstruation.

Q-2: secondly even if we did perform it we should have gone back to Taif for the umrah neeyat since we were from Riyadh. Is this correct?

Firstly, because there is no evidence in the Sunnah that one is permitted to perform more than one Umrah pilgrimage during one visit to the Sacred House, it is best and purest to abstain from doing something which is not endorsed by the Messenger of Allah (saws).

In light of the above quoted incident of Hadrat Aisha (r.a.), if one has already entered the precincts of Makkah and then wishes to perform the Umrah, their place of intention and ‘ehram’ would be outside the boundaries of Makkah or what is known today as ‘Masjid-Aisha’. There is no need for them to go back to Taif to make their intention and ‘ehram’, as their making the intention from ‘Masjid-Aisha’ would suffice.

Q-3: We wanted to utilise the time and perform umrah on behalf of our deceased relative

If one wishes to perform the pilgrimage for their deceased loved ones, they should undertake the journey to the Sacred House for that purpose only; it is expected that Allah Subhanah will give the person the full reward of their efforts without diminishing the rewards of the one who actually performs it.

It is not in accordance of the guidance and teachings of the Messenger of Allah (saws) to visit the Sacred House and perform the Umrah pilgrimage multiple times during the same visit.

Q-4: Should we avoid this in future? 

Visit the Sacred House of Allah and perform the Umrah pilgrimage as much as you wish and is easy for you; and it would be best to follow the example and Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws) and perform only one pilgrimage during each visit.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan