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The Three Ways: Tamattu', Qiran and Ifrad
There are three ways to perform hajj, and all three are valid. 'A'ishah (رضي الله عنها) said that on the Farewell Pilgrimage some of the Companions entered ihram for 'umrah only, some for hajj and 'umrah together, and some for hajj alone.
Tamattu' is to perform 'umrah in the months of hajj, leave ihram, and then enter ihram again for hajj on the 8th of Dhul-Hijjah. Qiran is to enter ihram for 'umrah and hajj together and stay in it until the Day of Sacrifice. Ifrad is to enter ihram for hajj alone. The one performing tamattu' or qiran owes a sacrificial animal; the one performing ifrad does not. Allah says: ﴿فَمَن تَمَتَّعَ بِٱلْعُمْرَةِ إِلَى ٱلْحَجِّ فَمَا ٱسْتَيْسَرَ مِنَ ٱلْهَدْىِ﴾ (“Whoever combines 'umrah with hajj must offer whatever sacrificial animal is easy for him.”)
The Prophet ﷺ had brought his sacrificial animals with him and stayed in ihram until the Day of Sacrifice. At Marwah he told the Companions who had no animals with them to make their ihram an 'umrah and leave it, saying that had he known beforehand what he came to know afterwards, he would not have brought the animals. He said that 'umrah had entered into hajj, for ever.
On reaching Makkah, the one performing ifrad or qiran makes a tawaf of arrival (tawaf al-qudum), as the Prophet ﷺ did, and may make the sa'i of hajj after it. The way to enter ihram, the talbiyah, the tawaf and the sa'i are explained in detail in the Umrah guide.
The four schools differ on some details. Show them
Each school's ruling, with the schools that share it named together.
Which of the three ways of hajj is best?
The schools are split two and two.
Show each school
- Qiran is bestHanafi
- Ifrad is bestMaliki
- Ifrad is best, if 'umrah is made the same yearShafi'i
- Tamattu' is bestHanbali
- Hanafi
- Qiran joins both rites in one ihram, and the school holds that the Prophet ﷺ performed qiran, as Anas reported hearing him make the talbiyah for both.
- Maliki
- Ifrad is best because the school holds that the Prophet ﷺ performed hajj alone, as 'A'ishah and Jabir reported.
- Shafi'i
- Ifrad is best provided the pilgrim also performs 'umrah in the same year; otherwise tamattu' is better, and qiran comes after both.
- Hanbali
- Tamattu' is best because the Prophet ﷺ commanded his Companions to change to it and said he would have done it himself had he not brought his animals.
What is the ruling on the tawaf of arrival (tawaf al-qudum) for one performing ifrad or qiran?
3 of 4 schools agree. Differing: Maliki.
Show each school
- SunnahHanafi · Shafi'i · Hanbali
- Obligatory (wajib)Maliki
- Hanafi
- It is a sunnah for pilgrims coming from outside Makkah, and leaving it brings no penalty.
- Maliki
- It is obligatory for one who entered ihram for hajj from outside the sacred precinct and has time for it, and leaving it without excuse calls for a sacrifice.
- Shafi'i
- It is a sunnah, the greeting of the House for whoever arrives in Makkah.
- Hanbali
- It is a sunnah for the one performing ifrad or qiran on arriving in Makkah.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 1562 Sahih · in the two Sahihs
- Sahih Muslim 1211Sahih · in the two Sahihs
- Qur'an 2:196
- Sahih Muslim 1218Sahih · in the two Sahihs
- Sahih Muslim 1232Sahih · in the two Sahihs
What the hadith grades mean
- Sahih (authentic): an unbroken chain of trustworthy, precise narrators, free of hidden flaws or contradiction. It is acted upon.
- Hasan (good): like sahih, but a narrator's precision is slightly lighter. It is also accepted and acted upon. "Hasan sahih" means it reaches sahih by its routes.
- Da'if (weak): a break in the chain or a narrator who is not reliable enough. It is not used to establish beliefs or rulings.
- Very weak (munkar, matruk): a seriously flawed chain or a narrator accused of lying. It is not relied on at all.
- Mawdu' (fabricated): falsely attributed to the Prophet ﷺ. It may not be narrated as his words except to warn against it.
- The two Sahihs: every hadith with a full chain in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim is accepted as sahih by the scholars of hadith.
- Historical report: biographies and histories (Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Sa'd, al-Tabari) record events with chains that are often incomplete. They are used for the story, not for rulings.
- Hadith scholars grade a narration; the four madhhabs do not. Where a hadith carries a ruling, the page shows which schools act on it.
The positions of the four schools are summarised from their standard references and are pending review by a qualified scholar. Follow the school you were taught, and for your own situation, ask a scholar.
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