Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: We set out with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) reciting the talbiyah for Hajj. Women and children were also with us. When we reached Makkah, we performed the Tawaf of the House (Ka'bah) and the Sa'i between Safa and Marwah. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to us: Whoever does not have a sacrificial animal with him should come out of ihram. We asked: To what extent should we become halal? The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Completely. When the day of talbiyah (i.e., the day of Hajj) came, we put on the ihram for Hajj. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to us: You should share in a camel and a cow. One sacrifice is for seven people. The narrator says: Sayyiduna Suraqah bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) came and said: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! What is your opinion about this Umrah of ours? Is it specific to this year or forever? The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: No, rather it is forever. He said: O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Please explain the religious rulings to us as if we have just been born. What is your opinion about actions, has the pen dried and the decree been decided regarding what a person does, or is something new happening? The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: No, rather the pens have dried and the decree has been decided. I asked: Then why should one act? The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: You should act, for each person is facilitated for that which he was created. (Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him, says:) The narrations that we have mentioned include mention of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) performing Hajj Ifrad, or Hajj Tamattu', or Hajj Qiran. There has been a difference of opinion among the Imams from the blessed time of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) until today regarding this. The people of the Mu'attila sect and other people of innovation criticize our Imams in this regard, saying: You have narrated three contradictory reports about the same action, the same person, and the same situation, and you believe that all three narrations are authentic in terms of transmission, even though reason does not accept your position, because it is impossible that at the time of the Farewell Hajj, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) performed Hajj Ifrad, Hajj Qiran, and Hajj Tamattu' all at once. So when it is correctly established that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did not perform Hajj Qiran, Tamattu', and Ifrad all in one state, then it is also established that it is necessary to accept those narrations which are in accordance with reason. Sometimes it is permissible for you not to adopt a sahih hadith, not to act upon it, or to give preference to another narration over it, just as you have done regarding these three narrations. Then it will also be permissible for your opposing party to adopt the narration you have abandoned and to abandon the narration you have adopted. (Ibn Hibban says) If a person who holds this view were to weep in seclusion before his Lord and pray to Him to guide him to the truth and guidance, so that he may, by the grace of the One and Dominant (God), seek guidance to reconcile between the narrations and to negate contradiction in the reports, (then he would realize) that there is no contradiction or difference in the narrations transmitted from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Nor does any of them belie another, as long as it is authentically established in terms of transmission, which the experts of hadith are aware of, and those who refute the false statements attributed to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and the objections raised against his Sunnah (i.e., the hadith scholars), who give preference to the authentically transmitted hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) over the statement of any other person of his Ummah who came after him. The way to reconcile between these narrations is as follows: When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) put on ihram, he began reciting the talbiyah for Umrah. Imam Malik narrated from Zuhri, from 'Urwah, from Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) in this way: When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) set out, he continued to recite the talbiyah for Umrah only, until when he reached the place of Sarif, he gave his companions the command which we have mentioned in the narration transmitted from Aflah bin Humaid. At that time, some of the Companions began reciting the talbiyah for Hajj Ifrad, some remained on their talbiyah for Umrah (without any change). At this point, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) recited the talbiyah for both (Hajj and Umrah) together, until he entered Makkah. The same was the case for those of his companions who had brought sacrificial animals with them. The narrations regarding the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) performing Hajj Qiran are about the time when the Companions saw the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) combining Hajj with Umrah and reciting the talbiyah for both together, until the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) entered Makkah. When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) entered Makkah, he performed the Tawaf (of the Ka'bah) and the Sa'i (between Safa and Marwah), so those who had not brought sacrificial animals and had continued reciting the talbiyah for Umrah, he commanded them a second time to perform Tamattu' and come out of ihram. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) expressed regret that, due to bringing the sacrificial animal, his talbiyah remained (i.e., he could not come out of ihram), until some of the Companions who had not brought sacrificial animals did not come out of ihram because they saw that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had not come out of ihram. This situation continued until the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came to Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) in a state of anger, as we have mentioned. When the day of Tarwiyah came, those who had performed Tamattu' put on ihram (again for Hajj), and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) set out towards Mina. At that time, he was reciting the talbiyah for Hajj only; the talbiyah for Umrah which he had been reciting at the beginning had been completed after his arrival in Makkah, performing the Tawaf of the Ka'bah and the Sa'i between Safa and Marwah. What Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar and Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with them) have narrated, that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) recited the talbiyah for Hajj only, refers to the time when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) set out from Makkah towards Mina. In this way, there remains no contradiction or difference in these narrations. May Allah grant us the ability to do that which brings us closer to His presence and nearness. (That is,) when the ahadith are authentically established, we should submit to them and bow our heads in acceptance, and when we are not granted the ability to perceive the correct reality, we should blame ourselves and consider the fault to be our own, rather than objecting to the ahadith or following wrong opinions and analogies. Indeed, He (Allah) is the best to be asked.