How Many Umrahs Did Nabi صلى الله عليه وسلمPerform?

After the migration (Hijrah), the number of Umrahs performed by the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلمis four. That is, during His blessed (Apparent) lifetime, the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلمperformed a total of four Umrahs. All of them were performed in the month of Dhul-Qaʿdah, except for the Umrah that He صلى الله عليه وسلمperformed along with his Hajj, as recorded in Saheeh Muslim Shareef:

Translation: Hazrat Sayyiduna Anas RadiAllahu Anhu narrates that the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلمperformed four Umrahs, all of them in DhulQaʿdah, except the one that he performed along with his Hajj. One was the Umrah of Hudaybiyyah, performed during the time of the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah in Dhul-Qaʿdah. The second was performed the following year in Dhul-Qaʿdah. The third was the Umrah of Jiʿraanah, when the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلمdistributed the spoils of the Battle of Hunayn, and this too was in Dhul-Qaʿdah. The fourth Umrah was the one He صلى الله عليه وسلمperformed along with his Hajj. (Saheeh Muslim Shareef) Imam Nawawi Alaihir Rahmah writes:

Translation: There is consensus in the narrations of Hazrat Sayyiduna Anas and Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar RadiAllahu Anhuma that the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلمperformed four Umrahs. One was in the 6th year after Hijrah, in the year of the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah. On that occasion, the disbelievers of Makkah prevented the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وسلمand the Companions from performing the Umrah, so they exited the state of Ihraam; nevertheless, the scholars of hadith have counted this as an Umrah. The second Umrah was performed in the

7th year after Hijrah in Dhul-Qaʿdah, which the scholars refer to as Umratul-Qada. The third was in the 8th year after Hijrah, in the year of the Conquest of Makkah, again in Dhul-Qaʿdah. The fourth was performed in the 10th year after Hijrah on the occasion of the Farewell Pilgrimage; its Ihraam was assumed in Dhul-Qaʿdah, while its performance took place in Dhul-Hijjah. He further writes:

Translation: The correct and sound position is that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلمperformed four Umrahs, as explicitly and decisively stated by Hazrat Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar and Hazrat Sayyiduna Anas RadiAllahu Anhuma. It is therefore not permissible to reject their narrations without definitive proof. (Saheeh Muslim Shareef with the commentary of Imam Nawawi, Volume 8, Page 235) Now, as for the question of whether it is established that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلمperformed an Umrah in the month of Rajab, the answer is that it is not proven that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلمperformed an Umrah in Rajab. This is clearly supported by the narrations found in Saheeh Bukhari and Saheeh Muslim Shareef.

In Saheeh Muslim, it is reported:

Translation: Hazrat Urwah bin Zubair RadiAllahu Anhuma narrates: I and Ibne Umar RadiAllahu Anhuma were sitting leaning against the room of Hazrat Sayyidah Aaʾishah RadiAllahu Anha. She was using a tooth-stick, and we could hear its sound. I asked, “O Abu AbdurRahman! Did the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلمperform an Umrah in Rajab?” He replied, “Yes.” I then said, “O my mother! Do you not hear what Abu Abdur-Rahman is saying?” She asked, “What is he saying?” I said, “He is saying that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلمperformed an Umrah in Rajab.” Hazrat Sayyidah Aaʾishah RadiAllahu Anha said, “May Allah Almighty forgive Abu Abdur-Rahman. By my life, The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلمnever performed any Umrah in Rajab. Whenever he performed an Umrah, Ibne Umar was with him.” Urwah says that Ibne Umar heard all of this but neither affirmed nor denied it; he remained silent. (Saheeh Muslim Shareef)

Imam Nawawi Alaihir Rahmah writes in his commentary on Saheeh Muslim Shareef:

Translation: As for Ibne Umar’s statement that one Umrah was performed in Rajab, which was rejected by Hazrat Sayyidah Aaʾishah RadiAllahu Anha and upon which Ibne Umar remained silent, the scholars state that this indicates that the matter became unclear to him, or that he forgot, or that he became doubtful. This is why he remained silent when Hazrat Sayyidah Aaʾishah RadiAllahu Anha denied it. (Sharh Saheeh Muslim Shareef, Volume 8, Page 235) In the narration of Saheeh Bukhari Shareef, Urwah bin Zubair reports that he asked Hazrat Sayyidah Aaʾishah RadiAllahu Anha, and she said:

Translation: The Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلمdid not perform any Umrah in Rajab. Hazrat Sayyiduna Ibne Abbaas RadiAllahu Anhuma and Hazrat Sayyidah Aaʾishah RadiAllahu Anha firmly maintain that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلمdid not perform any Umrah in Rajab, whereas Hazrat

Sayyiduna Ibne Umar RadiAllahu Anhuma is reported to have said that he did. Allamah Aini Alaihir Rahmah, in Umdatul-Qari, declares the view of Hazrat Sayyidah Aaʾishah RadiAllahu Anha to be stronger, more correct, and preferable. He writes:

Translation: The position held by Hazrat Sayyidah Aaʾishah RadiAllahu Anha, supported by Hazrat Sayyiduna Ibne Abbas RadiAllahu Anhuma, is stronger than that of Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar, who is alone in asserting his view. Therefore, it is necessary to accept the statement of Hazrat Sayyidah Aaʾishah RadiAllahu Anha. (Umdatul-Qaari, Volume 10, Page 160) Allamah Shaikh Ali bin Sultaan Muhammad Qaari Alaihir Rahmah writes in Al-Adab fee Rajab:

Translation: The silence of Ibne Umar RadiAllahu Anhuma indicates that he was under a misconception, whether or not he formally retracted his statement, because he was alone in holding this view. His statement is a rare and rejected one, with which none of the

Companions or distinguished leading Imams agreed. (Al-Adab fee Rajab, Page 50–51) The commentator of Saheeh Bukhari Shareef, Allamah Mufti Muhammad Shareeful-Haq Amjadi Alaihir Rahmah, writes in his explanations of the Hadiths of Bukhari Shareef: "From these narrations and from a study of other books of Hadith and Seerah, it is firmly established that the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلمperformed four Umrahs: one in the year of Hudaybiyyah, the second the following year as Umratul-Qada, the third from Jiʿraanah the time of distributing the spoils of Hunayn, and the fourth along with Hajj. He صلى الله عليه وسلمperformed one Hajj. Of these four Umrahs, three were before the Hajj and one was with it. The correct view is that all three Umrahs performed before the Hajj were in Dhul-Qaʿdah. He صلى الله عليه وسلمdid not perform any Umrah in Rajab or Shawwaal. The claim that He صلى الله عليه وسلمperformed an Umrah in Rajab is reported from Ibne Umar RadiAllahu Anhuma, but this was due to forgetfulness on his part. In Saheeh Muslim Shareef, when the Mother of the Believers RadiAllahu Anha refuted him, he remained silent and neither affirmed nor denied it. Similarly, those who claimed Shawwaal were also under a misunderstanding. The Umrah of Jiʿraanah was performed in the early days of Dhul-Qaʿdah, which some mistakenly described as Shawwaal. Although at Hudaybiyyah the Umrah could not be completed and they returned from there, they had set out with the intention of Umrah, and therefore it was counted as one. (Nuzhatul-Qaari, Volume 4, Page 423–425)

The Summary: The total number of Umrahs performed by the Holy Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلمis four, and according to authentic narrations, it is not established that He صلى الله عليه وسلمperformed an Umrah in the month of Rajab. However, it should be remembered that performing Umrah in itself is a Sunnah, and just as in other months, it is permissible to perform Umrah in Rajab as well. Performing Umrah in this month is also reported from the Companions and the righteous predecessors, as mentioned by Allamah Ibne Rajab Hambali in Lataaʾiful-Maʿaarif Page 232–233. Moreover, performing Umrah in Rajab is virtuous since it is one of the sacred months. Nevertheless, the special excellence of performing Umrah in the month of Ramadaan is established in the Hadiths, as reported in Saheeh Muslim Shareef: “An Umrah performed in Ramadaan is equal in reward to a Hajj.”