Nafl Tawaf is better than Umrah?

Salaam,

I have a question regarding Umrah and ihram.

Can a male go to masjid-e-taneem and put on the ihram from there and perform umrah. (this is for a non resident who will only be in Makkah for 1 week).

If the wife needs to go to masjid-e-taneem, the mahram must go with her, but does he also perform umrah as he has to accompany her during the tawaf and sai?

When I went for Hajj 13 years ago, we had performed to umrahs from the Miqat, however, after Hajj we (just the men) went to masjid-e-taneem and put on the ihram and performed umrah, where as our room mates who were salafi said that this was for ladies only and that they were allowed to put on the ihram from the hotel room and perform umrah.

I have come across some fatwas that say that if you are a resident within the miqat, you do not need to travel to the miqat or masjid-e-taneem, but to make intention from the place you are residing and then perform Umrah. This makes sense. But what is the ruling for non residents.

Can you please let me know what the situation is regarding this.[/quote]



[quote="Mufti Abdur Rahman ibn Yusuf"]Assalamu 'alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu

Absolutely, it is the same for men and women. You could also go out toward Jidda by the old road and make umra from the miqat there.
However, ulama generally recommend that it is superior to make more nafl tawafs than perform whole umras.

Wassalam
Imam Abdur-Rahman

I originally intended to perform Umrah a day[/quote]



Are you intending to leave the boundaries (meeqat) or go to Masjid e Taneem every day? Taneem is the easier option since you are not a resident (according to Hanafi fiqh). Either way, the Fatwa from Daul Uloom Deoband also states "It is better to perform tawaf excessively than performing umrah". This is the same verdict from any other school of thought, including the Salafi.


[quote]Comparing state of Tawaf with state of Salat shows how important Tawaf is; it is an Ibadah in itself and brings great rewards for the one who performs Tawaf. The rewards associated with performing Tawaf are explained in following narration:

It was narrated that Abdullah bin Umar رضي الله عنه said: I heard Allah’s Messenger say, “Whoever performs Tawaf around the House and prays two raka’at, it is as if he freed a slave.”

(Hadith No. 2956, Chapters on Hajj Rituals, Sunan Ibn Majah, Vol. 4).

Therefore, Tawaf should be performed as much as one can. It is seen that many pilgrims going to Makkah perform one Umrah after another, an act which was not done by our beloved Prophet . Prophet Muhamamd performed more than one Umrah (four in all), but he arranged separate trips for each. Therefore we should follow his Sunnah, and instead of performing one Umrah after another in a single journey, we should concentrate on performing as many Tawafs as possible. This shall Insha’Allah bring great rewards from Allah.

And Allah knows best.