Narrated ‘Urwah ibn al-Zubayr: `Aaishah (raa) said, "O Allah's Messenger (ﷺ)! The people are returning after performing Hajj and `Umrah, but I am returning with one only?" He said, "Wait till you become clean from your menses and then go to al-Tan`eem, assume Ihraam (and after performing `Umrah) join us at such-and-such a place. But it (i.e., the reward of `Umrah) is according to your expenses or the hardship (which you will undergo while performing it).
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Commentary :
The Hajj is the fifth pillar of Islam, and the Messenger of Allah ﷺdemonstrated the rites of the Pilgrimage by his words and actions. The Companions (ras) have narrated them to us - so that we may be able to live, abide, and implement them on our own observance of Hajj.
In this hadeeth, The Mother of the Believers - ‘Aa’ishah (raa) - reports on some of what happened during the Farewell Pilgrimage. The text of this hadeeth is a part of a longer narration in which she (raa) had narrated about the time when they (i.e., the Companions) departed with the Messenger of Allah ﷺwithout any intention to do anything else, except for performing the Hajj. So, when they arrived at Makkah, he ﷺ ordered that whoever did not bring along a sacrificial offering from outside of Makkah and its Sacred Precinct to release themselves from the state of ihraam (which is the hallowed mode of being that a pilgrim enters when embarking on the Hajj or ‘Umrah) after: circumambulating the Ka‘bah, performing the ritual walk between al-Safaa and al-Marwah, and shaving or cutting their hair when performing an ‘Umrah (rather than only a Hajj) to the eighth of Thoo al-Hijjah which is the Day of Quenching Thirst (Tarwiyah). Thereafter, they entered into the state of Ihraam for Hajj. As for ‘Aa’ishah (raa), the onset of her menses which occurred at night while they were at Saraf - which is the name of an area situated about ten miles from Makkah - had prevented her from entering Makkah. She was in a state of ihraam for ‘Umrah, while also initially entering this state with the intention of performing the Hajj as well, thus becoming a pilgrim who performs the Holy Pilgrimage by combining the Hajj and ‘Umrah with a single intention and state of sanctity throughout the whole pilgrimage. Thus, she (raa) didn’t perform the circumambulations for ‘Umrah around the Ka‘bah, due to the onset of her menses which had prevented her from doing so. As for the Farewell Circumambulation, she performed it on the Day of Sacrifice [i.e. the 10th day of ThooHijjah]. So, she (raa) complained to The Messenger of Allah ﷺ and explained that the reason for her sadness was due to the people returning with the completion of two separate rites of worship - namely, Hajj and ‘Umrah - while evidently she was returning with only one. She (raa) highly desired for both, due to her desire to increase her actions of worship - as was the case for all of the Mothers of the Believers (raa) and other Companions (ras). Thereafter, The Prophet ﷺ said to her (raa): “Wait until you are ritually pure from your menses, then set out to al-Tan‘eem”, which is a place about three or four miles from Makkah and is the closest non-sacred area near the Holy Masjid of Makkah. It was called that because the mountain, Jabal Nu’aym, is to its right. And to its left is another mountain named Jabal Naa’im; and the valley’s name therein is Na‘maan. Then he ﷺsaid to her: “Assume the state of a pilgrim’s sanctity”, meaning: “Enter into the state of ihraam, recite the Talbiyah (a prayer that is uttered by the pilgrim as a statement that they are intending to perform the Holy Pilgrimage for Allah alone) and perform the ‘Umrah.” Then, The Prophet ﷺsent her (raa) with her brother, ‘Abd al-Rahmaan ibn Abee Bakr (ra). Thereafter, he ﷺsaid to Lady ‘Aa’ishah (raa): ‘Then proceed and join us at such and such a place’; intending al-‘Abtah by this statement, which is the place where the Messenger of Allah ﷺstayed after departing from Minaa; and set off, returning to al-Madeenah. It is called al-Muhassib, and it is an expansive place which spans between: Makkah, Minaa, and the Two Mountains; as well as to the cemeteries in the area. It was called this because of the gravel that collected there due to the strong torrents depositing them there. Now, it is called al-Ja‘fariyyah, and is a dependent region subsumed under the Jummayzah district. Then, The Prophet ﷺ said to her: “However, it is in proportion to your expenses, or hardship.” That is to say: that the reward regarding the performance of ‘Umrah is commensurate with the hardship, toil, fatigue, and struggles faced; along with the expenses incurred during it. So, the more money that is spent and effort expended; the greater the reward, which is then given from Allah, The Almighty. Some of the other benefits that we can conclude from this hadeeth is that it highlights that the rewards for worship are multiplied by the exertion that one puts forth and expenses spent during it. And lastly, it shows the permissibility of performing ‘Umrah during the months of Hajj..
Hadiths
