Opinion
The Virtues of performing Umrah in Ramadan
Imam Murtadha Gusau
In The Name Of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all creation—may He extol the Messenger in the highest company of Angels and send His peace and blessings upon him—likewise upon his family, Companions, and true followers.
Abdullah Ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated that:
“When the Prophet (Peace be upon him) returned after performing Hajj (major pilgrimage), he asked Ummu Sinan Al-Ansariyyah, ‘Why did you not perform Hajj?’ She replied, ‘The father of so-and-so [i.e., her husband] had two camels and he went on pilgrimage on one of them, and the second is used for the irrigation of our land.’ The Prophet said [to her]: ‘An Umrah (minor pilgrimage) in Ramadan is akin to Hajj with me [in terms of reward].’” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
According to another narration, he told her:
“When Ramadan comes, do Umrah as [the reward for] it then is equivalent to Hajj.”
The above quoted narrations is indeed accepted as authentic by the absolute majority of the scholars and jurists (Fuqaha) in Islam.
Likewise, it was reported by Ummu Ma‘aqil, may Allah be pleased with her, that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said to her:
“Perform Umrah in Ramadan, as it is equal to Hajj.” [Abu Dawud]
Similar Hadiths were also narrated on the authority of Jabir, Anas, Abu Hurairah and Wahb Ibn Khanbash, may Allah be pleased with them all.
Imam Ibn Battal commented on the aforementioned Hadiths, saying:
“The sentence that Umrah “then is equivalent to Hajj”, proves that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was actually encouraging her to perform a voluntary Hajj (Umrah), as the whole Ummah (Muslim nation) has unanimously agreed that the Umrah can never be a substitute for the obligatory Hajj. Moreover, what he meant is that they are like each other in reward, but virtues cannot truly be perceived through analogy; and Allah The Almighty bestows His Bounty upon whom He Wills.”
Benefits and rulings derived from these Hadiths:
1. The mercy and bounty bestowed by Allah The Almighty upon His servants is great, as He granted them huge rewards in return for small good deeds; so, we praise Him abundantly for that.
2. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) was keen on ensuring the welfare of his Ummah and would ask after those under his rule. Just as he was the sincerest confidant to all people, any servant whom Allah The Almighty puts in charge of subjects should treat them leniently, advise them, check on their conditions and serve their worldly and religious benefits.
3. Umrah done during the month of Ramadan cannot be a substitute for the obligatory Hajj, i.e., they are equal in reward, but the former does not replace the latter as a fulfillment of the obligation that is unanimously agreed upon by the scholars.
4. The reward of good deeds increases in proportion to the virtue of the time they are performed in, as well as one’s heartfelt devotion and dedication.
5. This Hadith is similar to the narration that says:
“The Chapter Al-Ikhlas is equals to one third of the Qur’an.”
It indicates that it is equivalent in terms of the reward of recitation, not that reciting it could, or should, substitute actually reciting [that much or] the whole of the Qur’an.
6. The Umrah here is considered equal to the Hajj in reward, when it is performed during the month of Ramadan, which is a great season for good deeds. Hence, whoever performs it then, enjoys the virtue of the place [i.e., the Sacred Mosque in Makkah] and time [i.e., Ramadan]; this is also the case with one who performs Hajj, as he is also in the same noble place and in a blessed time [i.e., months of Hajj].
In addition, doing Umrah in the month of Ramadan is more difficult. That is because one may be fasting while performing it or break his fast due to the traveling involved, and then have to make up for it. This is not the case when one performs Umrah during any other month. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said to Aisha may Allah be pleased with her, once, when he ordered her to perform Umrah:
“It [i.e., its reward] is according to your effort.”
Or, as per another narration:
“According to your expenditure.” [Muslim]
7. This great reward is granted to whoever performs the Umrah during the month of Ramadan, even if he [or she] returns immediately thereafter and does not prolong his [or her] stay in Makkah.
8. These Hadiths do not mean that it is recommended for one to perform Umrah many times in the month of Ramadan or in a single day of it. This practice, which has become common today, differs from the Sunnah and traditions of the honourable Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, as it was not reported that any of them used to perform many Umrahs during the same journey to Makkah.
9. Whoever performs Umrah in Ramadan and intends to stay at the Noble Mosque during the whole month or its last ten nights, should guard himself against committing any prohibition, because evil deeds are more sacrilegious in Makkah than in any other place, not to mention, during the month of Ramadan.
10. Whoever takes his family to stay at the Noble Mosque during the month of Ramadan, should take care that they, too, do not fall into committing any forbidden act; otherwise, he may return with sins that exceed the reward he came to earn, due to his negligence towards his wife and children.
11. If one entered the state of Ihram (ritual consecration) with the intention of performing Umrah and reached Makkah while fasting, he has the choice of either breaking his fast to be able to do it immediately or waiting to do it until after sunset. It is better for him to break his fast during the daytime and perform Umrah upon arrival, since doing Umrah right after reaching Makkah, is what the Prophet (Peace be upon him) did.
Allah, The Almighty, urged His servants to race to do good deeds, which may bring them closer to Him in an attempt to gain His reward and forgiveness. This is indicated by the verses:
“So race to [all that is] good. To Allah is your return all together.” [Qur’an, 5:48]
“And hasten to forgiveness from your Lord.” [Qur’an, 3:133]
And among the greatest arenas for this race is visiting Al-Bait Al-Haram (Sacred House in Makkah) to perform Umrah (Minor Pilgrimage), owing to the great reward and the expiation of sins involved in doing that. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:
“Performing two Umrahs expiates the sins committed in the interval between them.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
And he (Peace be upon him) said:
“Alternate between Hajj and Umrah, for they exterminate poverty and sins as the (blacksmith’s) bellows removes impurities from iron, gold and silver.” [Ahmad and others]
The Umrah that is performed in Ramadan has a special merit over that which is performed in any other month. There are narrations encouraging Muslims to perform it in this month (Ramadan), showing its merit and reward and clarifying that it incurs a reward equal to that of performing Hajj.
This was the practice of the righteous predecessors (As-Salafus Salih) who used to perform Umrah in the month of Ramadan. It was authentically reported that:
“Sa’id Ibn Jubair and Mujahid used to perform Umrah in the month of Ramadan (and observe Ihram for it) from Al-Ji‘irranah (a place 10 miles from Makkah). It was also narrated that Abdul-Malik Ibn Abu Sulaiman said that he and Ata’ set out in Ramadan (to perform Umrah) and observed Ihram from Al-Ji‘irranah.”
This discloses the secret behind the Muslim’s race towards the Sacred House to do this act of worship in the month of Ramadan. With that great scene, one feels as if in a major season of Hajj.
Lastly, I urge all of you to remember the whole Ummah in your precious Du’as, especially in this blessed month of Ramadan.
Allah knows best and he is the Lords of the universe and May His peace and blessing be on His Messenger, his family, his companions and those who follow them.
I ask Allah, the Most High to grant us success and enable us to be correct in what we say and write, Ameen.
Murtadha Muhammad Gusau is the Chief Imam of Nagazi-Uvete Jumu’ah and the late Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Okene’s Mosques, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. He can be reached via: gusauimam@gmail.com or +2348038289761.
My Dear Khalifa
It has been seven years, yet it feels like yesterday since you departed. Our memories of you remain vivid, priceless, and are deeply rooted in our hearts. The moments we shared, your teachings and your selfless example continue to shape us daily, to the admiration of many.
Your legacy, especially your deep devotion to Islam and its propagation, still echoes across generations and geographies. Through your life of service, you inspired countless others to embrace kindness, humility, and compassion. You lived not just for yourself but in service to others, and this principle continues to guide our path.
In honour of your memory, we will remain steadfast in our commitment to selfless service. We will continue to support noble causes and charitable undertakings that reflect the values you lived by, regardless of race, gender, or background.
May the Almighty Allah, in His infinite mercy, keep granting you Al Jannah Firdaus. May your soul continue to rest in the eternal peace and light of His divine presence.
Abdul Samad Rabiu, CFR, CON
For the Family
08.05.2025.
Isyaku Ibrahim
There is no doubt whenever you talk about Enyimba of Aba in Nigeria’s top flight who won the competition nine time, the next team that will come to your mind is Kano Pillars that lifted the trophy on four good occasions. But nowadays,it seems the Kano darling is losing its prestige, recognition and above all popularity in the local league.
This was as a result of lack of total commitment, determination, tenacity, patriotism,diligence and seriousness which the side was known for in the past.
To say the fact, the pyramid City lad was previously rated among the traditional teams in the top flight as they have established and tested players that would not disappoint their teeming fans no matter where they are playing.
It was based on this late Rashidi Yekini while watching the team at Adamasingba Stadium now Lekan Salami Stadium in Ibadan said if he was to play for a local team he would prefer to lace his boot for Kano Pillars ahead of others.
The reason he Said was simply due to excellent free flow football of the team but now it seems that has gone for bad.
When the club was established as early as 1990 among the objectives behind was to boost the name of the state through football and beside that win trophies with a view to competing favourably with others.
While those behind the idea should be commended to a large extent for their foresight in that respect in view of how the team is now a household name in the round leather game countrywide but there is the need for a collaborative effort with a view to normalising things in the ancient city side as the club has now stepped down from its aforementioned aims and objectives.
It is painful that the team’s main priority nowadays was not to lift the league as the case was previously but to survive relegation which was baseless,laughable and nothing to write home about considering their past experience particularly when they were based at Sabongari Stadium.
Definitely,this season is almost over as Remo Stars are as good as being crowned the winners of the event
The best option for Sai Masu Gida is to start early preparation for the upcoming season through putting their house in order aimed at restoring their winning culture as the teeming fans are tired of flimsy excuses on the reason behind their lack lustre performance year in year out.
Honestly, what they are basically hoping for is to see the club matches theory with practice through grabbing the trophy or at least earning one of the three continental tickets in the country.
optimistically this is achievable with the full support of Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf coupled with that of his laborious and submissive Deputy Comrade Aminu Abdulsalam, good management, superb technical crew and the support of ardent fans who are always with the side in either thick or thin.
Ibrahim is a Director Public Enlightenment at Kano State Ministry of Special Duties.
Prof. Ibrahim Bello-Kano (IBK)
Double Professor Uba Abdallah Adamu has angered many non-Kano people resident in Kano by his famous, widely circulated quip, an aphoristic description of Kano in which says the anyone tired of (living in) Kano is tired of life. Prof Adamu’s appraisal of Kano is based on a sound premise and a powerful emotional logic. Prof. Adamu’s comment has a powerful pedigree. On the arguments of the highly acclaimed French sociologist and space theorist, Henri Lefebre in “The Production of Space” (1974), it can be shown that Kano, especially the city and the metropolitan area, has three characteristics, typical of the greatest cities in the world since Antiquity:
1. It is a conceived space (an urban area, complete with a series of interlacing and interloping and interlocking urban designs since the 9th century). Kano was already a city and an urban space well before 1903. It’s one of the oldest urban areas in the Sudan.
2. It is a lived space, complete with the everyday experiences of its inhabitants and their emotional identification with it. Hence the many “quarters of the city”— from Alkantara, Alfindiki, Ayagi, to Mubi and Gwangwazo and beyond those.
3. Kano is also a practiced/practised space, with its inhabitants, visitors, and emigré population working to “practice up” the city in their daily lived experiences and within its urban and emotional spaces. That’s the truth of Prof. Abdallah Uba Adamu’s hyperbolic reference to Kano as a barometer of happiness or depression.
Prof Adamu is also correct in that most immigrants to the city never leave it, even if their last name may indicate other towns or cities. Already, Kano is one of the most truly cosmopolitan cities in Nigeria, surpassed only by New York, London, and Abidjan. In 1958, almost a decade before Lefebre’s book, the philosopher of science and urban studies, Gaston Bachelard published “The Poetics of Space” in which he argues that to live, or to choose to live, in a place, say the Kano metropolis, is already to enact an emotional act, and an existential event, in and for which Kano is already a resonant space of intimacy, or an intimate place of lived subjectivity. This is the case because one cannot live in Kano, even for a brief period, without (seeking to) creating a home, a nest, and an intimate space of “Kano beingness” or a Kano-based “being- in-the world”. That’s why Kano evokes and resonates with a strong emotional identification with it. When I was about 8 years old, I was told, on visiting the Dala Hill, that God had planned to create a holy city in Kano, but a dog urinated on the hallowed ground, and that’s how the divine plan was moved elsewhere. Of course, that story is clearly apocryphal, yet it shows how the Kano people are intensely proud of their places and spaces. So, Prof. Abdullah Uba Adamu’s hyperbolic and surreal description of Kano is essentially correct and pleasingly poignant. Many emigré groups are unhappy with his remarks, but if you live in a place, earn a living in it, or draw opportunities of all kinds from it, then you have got to love Kano, the most romantic of cities, a city full of dreams, aspirations, emotional highs and lows, and learn to identify with its fortunes. Kano, the city of gold and piety, recalcitrance and hope, modern politics and ideological contestations; the city of majestic royalty; the city of women and cars, as Shata once described it. Kano… the great Entreport. Kano, your name will endure through the ages. Cheers.
Ibrahim Bello-Kano (IBK) is a Professor of English at Bayero University, Kano.
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