Q.1. I am told that if a person performs the Umrah after the end of Ramadan, then it becomes obligatory that he must perform the pilgrimage that year. Is it true?
Q.2. When my parents came for pilgrimage, I traveled to meet them in Makkah, where I performed the Umrah. After a couple of days, I returned to my place of work in Dammam. I did not do a tawaf of farewell. Should I have done?
M. Ahmad
A.1. This is a very confused notion which people bring up time after time, although they do not have any basis for it. The Prophet did the Umrah four times, all of which were in the month of Dul-Qaadah, but he performed the pilgrimage only once. Had what you mentioned been true, he would have done the pilgrimage four times. The Umrah may be offered at any time during the year, and it is independent of the pilgrimage. It is the pilgrimage that may be associated with an Umrah, not the other way round.
People get confused when they are told that if they do the Umrah in the pilgrimage months, not intending to do the pilgrimage, then they decide to do the pilgrimage in the same year, their pilgrimage is automatically in the tamattu’ method.
A.2. No tawaf of farewell is required for the Umrah. It is only needed at the end of the pilgrimage.
Dividend or Interest and Zakah
Q. In a reply to a reader you said that he should pay zakah on the dividends he receives from his bank. I think this money is interest. How can it be zakahable when it is unlawful?
R. Islam
A. I have to answer people’s questions as they put them, without trying to interpret their words in any way other than what they mean. If a person asks about zakah on dividends, I cannot assume that it is interest or some other thing. I reply according to the question. So, if your investment gives you dividends, such proceeds are liable to zakah as I have already explained, because a dividend is a share of profits made by the agent, which is the bank in this case. As for interest, scholars agree that it should be given to the poor or put into projects that benefit the Muslim community. As such, it is not liable to zakah.
Arab News Islam 18 April 2003
