How many times did Prophet Muhammad ﷺ perform Hajj and Umrah?
Hajj is one of the pillars of Islam. Every believer who has the opportunity is obliged to perform Hajj and Umrah at least once in his life. However, if possible, it is desirable to perform the pilgrimage as many times as one can.
Hajj was known to the Arabs before Islam. Since the time of the prophets Ibrahim and Ismail (peace be upon them), they performed Hajj and this continued until the advent of Islam. This Hajj, of course, differed from the Muslim Hajj but in many ways it was similar.
The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him), who was born and lived in Mecca before the beginning of the prophetic mission and the Hijra, performed the rites of the religion of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) but at the same time was wary of the changes and innovations introduced by the Arabs.
Imam Al-Qurtubi writes the following about this in his tafsir Al-Jami’ li-ahkam Al-Qur’an: “Performing Hajj was a well-known custom among the Arabs. Pilgrimage was also an attractive event for them, because it included not only praise and worship but also trade and profitable markets.”
The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) performed Hajj even before it was made obligatory. When the Quraysh stood on Al-Ma’shar Al-Haram, saying that they were the inhabitants of the Haram and would not go beyond its boundaries, he stood on Mount Arafat and did not do anything that the Arabs had introduced into the religious rites of Ibrahim (peace be upon him).”
For Muslims, Hajj became obligatory in the sixth year of the Hijra. After this, the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) performed only one Hajj – Hajj al-Wada’ (Farewell Hajj).
Having performed this Hajj, the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) fulfilled the pillar of Islam and responded to the call of the Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him). The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) did not perform another Hajj.
Imam Ibn Hajar Al-‘Asqalani writes the following about this in his book “Fath Al-Bari”: “The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) performed Hajj several times before the Hijrah. Moreover, I have no doubt that while in Mecca, he never missed a Hajj, because the Quraysh performed Hajj every year before the advent of Islam.
The only persons who did not perform Hajj were the Quraysh who were absent from Mecca during the Hajj season or who were unable to perform the pilgrimage due to weakness. If even the Quraysh who were not true to the religion tried to perform Hajj every year and considered it a matter of honour, how can one even think that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) did not thus perform it?
In a hadith narrated by Jubayr ibn Mut’im (may God be pleased with him), it is reported that he saw the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) standing on Mount Arafat during the time of Jahiliyyah.”
As for the number of minor Hajjs (Umrah) that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) performed, there were four. From ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Umar (may God be pleased with both of them) it is narrated: “The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) performed four Umrahs. These were the Umrah in the year of Hudaybiyyah, the Umrah of restitution, the Umrah of Ji’ran and the Umrah that the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) performed along with the Farewell Hajj.” (Narrated by Imam Ahmad, 2954; Abu Dawud, 1993; Ibn Majah, 3003; At-Tirmidhi, 816)
It was also narrated from Anas (may God be pleased with him): “The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) performed four Umrahs, all of which, except for the one that was performed with the farewell Hajj, he performed in the month of Dhul-Qa’dah: the Umrah of Hudaybiyyah in the month of Dhul-Qa’dah, the Umrah of compensation in the following year in the month of Dhul-Qa’dah, the Umrah of al-Ji’ran, where the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) divided the spoils of Hunayn in Dhul-Qa’dah and the Umrah that he performed with the Hajj.” (Narrated by Al-Bukhari, 4148; Muslim, 1253)
Imam An-Nawawi, in his book “Al-Minhaj Sharh Sahih Muslim ibn Al-Hajjaj”, commenting on this hadith, writes the following: “The scholars said that the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) performed Umrah in the month of Dhul-Qa’dah, because Umrah performed at this time has special virtue. It was also through a desire to go against the customs of the times of Jahiliyyah. In the pre-Islamic era, performing Umrah at this time was considered one of the worst sins.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) performed Umrah in this month in order to more clearly indicate its permissibility at this time and to abolish the customs that were practiced during the times of Jahiliyyah.
As for the words of Anas, according to which the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) performed only one Hajj, they mean that he performed only one Hajj after the Hijrah and this was the Farewell Hajj (Hajj al-Wada’), which he performed in the tenth year of the Hijrah.”
As a result, the first Hudaybiyyah Umrah was performed in the 6th year of the Hijrah, after the Hudaybiyyah peace treaty. That year, the Meccan tribes united and opposed the Muslims who were heading to Mecca with the intention of performing Umrah.
The Meccan pagans concluded a truce with them this time. And this became a great victory for the Muslims, thanks to which the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and his companions (may God be pleased with them all) performed their first pilgrimage - Umrah.
The second Umrah - the compensatory one - took place the following year of the Hijrah. The next, third Umrah - from Ji’ran - the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) performed in the 8th year of the Hijrah after returning from the Battle of Hunayn.
The fourth Umrah of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) was performed in the year 10 Hijrah along with the farewell Hajj. In the same year, the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) performed the pilgrimage, which became known as Hajj al-Wada – the farewell Hajj.
