Q.1. I did the Umrah in the month of the pilgrimage, not intending to do the pilgrimage, but I was told that since I did the Umrah at this time, I had to do the pilgrimage.
R. Khan
A.1. This is a very common but mistaken notion. People think that if you do the Umrah in any of the pilgrimage months, you have to do the pilgrimage in the same year. It is absolutely incorrect. The Prophet did four Umrahs, and all were in the month of Dhul-Qaadah, which is one of the pilgrimage months, but he did the pilgrimage only once. Had this notion been true, he would have done the pilgrimage four times, which he did not. The confusion arises from the fact that if you do the Umrah in the pilgrimage months and then you do the pilgrimage in the same season, your pilgrimage is deemed to be in the tamattu’ method, even though you do not intend to be so. But this is a totally different issue.
Arab News Islam 27 June 2003