Shawwal, Dhu al-Qa‘dah, and Dhu al-Hijjah—these three are the months of Hajj. Performing ‘Umrah first and then Hajj separately during the months of Hajj is called Tamattu‘ Hajj. That is, at any time from the 1st of Shawwal until before the standing at ‘Arafah (9 Dhu al-Hijjah), one performs ‘Umrah and exits the state of ihram, then enters into a new state of ihram for Hajj before the standing at ‘Arafah and performs all the rites of Hajj. For those who do not travel to Makkah with a hady—and currently none of the pilgrims coming from abroad brings a hady animal with them—Tamattu‘ Hajj is preferable. According to some, Tamattu‘ Hajj is preferable under all circumstances. This is because, during the Farewell Hajj, Rasulullah (ﷺ) advised all those among his Companions who were with him and had not brought hady animals with them to perform Tamattu‘. He himself also expressed the wish, saying that if this matter had become apparent to him earlier, he would not have brought the hady animal; and if the hady had not been with him, he would have exited the state of ihram.[1]
Tamattu‘ Hajj may be performed in three ways
a) Enter into ihram for ‘Umrah from the miqat, travel to Makkah, perform tawaf and sa‘i, shave or shorten the hair, exit the state of ihram, and remain in Makkah until Hajj. On 8 Dhu al-Hijjah, enter into a new state of ihram for Hajj and perform the rites of Hajj.
b) Enter into ihram from the miqat with the intention of ‘Umrah, travel to Makkah, and exit the state of ihram after completing the rites of ‘Umrah—tawaf, sa‘i, and shaving or shortening the hair. Complete the visit to Madinah before Hajj, and on the way from Madinah to Makkah, enter into ihram with the intention of ‘Umrah at a place called Abyar ‘Ali and travel to Makkah. Perform ‘Umrah and exit the state of ihram. On 8 Dhu al-Hijjah, enter into a new state of ihram for Hajj and perform Hajj.
c) Travel directly to Madinah without entering into ihram. After completing the visit to Madinah, enter into ihram with the intention of ‘Umrah at a place called Abyar ‘Ali on the way to Makkah. Upon reaching Makkah, perform tawaf, sa‘i, and shave or shorten the hair, then exit the state of ihram. On 8 Dhu al-Hijjah, enter into a new state of ihram for Hajj.
[1] - لو استقبلت من أمري ما استدبرت ما أهديت ولولا أن معي الهدي لأحللت (Bukhari: Hadith no. 1660) In the explanation of this hadith, it is stated: لو ظهر لي هذا الرأي الذي رأيته الآن لأمرتكم به في أول الأمر وابتداء خروجي - That is, if the view I have now expressed had become apparent to me earlier, I would have instructed you to do this from the outset, when beginning the journey.