What are tamattu', qiran and ifrad?

What each one is

Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen رحمه الله explained the three types in his fatwas on the rites of Hajj, and the distinction rests on what you enter ihram for and when you leave it.

Tamattu'

You enter ihram for umrah alone during the months of Hajj — the first of which is Shawwal — then perform it fully: tawaf, sa'i, and cutting the hair. You then leave ihram completely and live normally until the eighth of Dhul-Hijjah, when you enter ihram again for Hajj.

It is called tamattu' because the pilgrim enjoys, between the umrah and the Hajj, what Allah has made lawful for him. The two rites remain entirely separate: the umrah has its own tawaf, sa'i and cutting, and the Hajj has its own.

Qiran

You enter ihram for umrah and Hajj together, saying at the start of your ihram: "Labbayk 'umratan wa hajjan." Alternatively, you may enter ihram for umrah first and then bring the Hajj into it before beginning the tawaf of umrah.

The practical consequence is that you do not leave ihram between the two — you remain in ihram until the Day of Sacrifice. The actions performed are those of Hajj, with the umrah folded into them. As Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen put it, the acts belong to the Hajj and the umrah enters into the acts of Hajj.

Ifrad

You enter ihram for Hajj alone, saying "Labbayk Allahumma hajjan" at the miqat, with no umrah alongside it. You remain in ihram until you leave it after the stoning of Jamrat al-'Aqabah on the Day of Eid.

How they differ in practice

The hady required of the one performing tamattu' and qiran is not a compensation for a fault — it is a sacrifice of gratitude, which is why the person may eat from it, give some away and give some in charity. If he cannot afford it, he fasts three days during Hajj and seven when he returns.

Qiran and ifrad are identical in actions, as Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen noted; the one in qiran is distinguished only by having attained two rites — umrah and Hajj — and by the hady being due on him.

Which is best

Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen held that tamattu' is the most virtuous, then qiran, then ifrad. His reasoning is that the Prophet ﷺ commanded his Companions to do it and was emphatic about it, even becoming angry when they hesitated. He added that a person who has entered ihram as qarin or mufrid should still, if possible, convert his ihram to umrah so as to become one performing tamattu'.

The exception he named is the one who has brought the sacrificial animal with him (sāqa al-hady): for him qiran is better, because the Prophet ﷺ performed qiran when he had his hady with him and forbade anyone who had brought a hady from leaving ihram.

The schools differ here, and the difference is real. Al-Mughni records that Imam Ahmad chose tamattu', then ifrad, then qiran — and that this was also the view of Ibn 'Umar, Ibn 'Abbas, Ibn al-Zubayr, 'A'ishah and others. Malik and Abu Thawr chose ifrad, and it is the apparent position of al-Shafi'i, based on reports that the Prophet ﷺ performed ifrad. Al-Thawri and the people of opinion chose qiran. Ibn 'Abd al-Barr likewise reports that ifrad was the view of Malik, who held it superior to both qiran and tamattu'.

Al-San'ani notes that the reports of the Companions differ on whether the Prophet's ﷺ Farewell Hajj was qiran, ifrad or tamattu', and that al-Nawawi reconciled them by saying he was mufrid first and then became qarin. Ibn al-Qayyim, he says, examined the question at length and concluded the Prophet ﷺ was qarin.

Key takeaways

• All three are valid — tamattu', qiran and ifrad — and performing any one of them discharges the obligation of Hajj.
• Tamattu' is the one in which you leave ihram completely between the umrah and the Hajj; in qiran and ifrad you stay in ihram until the Day of Sacrifice.
• The hady is due on the one performing tamattu' and qiran, not on the one performing ifrad, and it is a sacrifice of gratitude from which you may eat.
• Qiran and ifrad are identical in actions; the qarin is distinguished by attaining two rites and by the hady.
• The scholars genuinely differ on which is best — Ibn 'Uthaymeen and the Hanbali school preferred tamattu', except for one who has brought the hady, for whom qiran is better; Malik and al-Shafi'i preferred ifrad.

Further reading

• Al-Mughni, Ibn Qudamah — the chapter on the types of ihram
• Al-Iqna', al-Hajjawi — the chapter on choice between tamattu', ifrad and qiran
• Subul al-Salam, al-San'ani — the chapter on ifrad, qiran and tamattu'

And Allah knows best.