Question:
You said that if a person performs Umrah, he becomes like a newborn child. If all sins are forgiven by performing Umrah, then why is there a hadith saying that the sins committed between one Umrah and the next Umrah are forgiven? Don’t these two statements give different meanings?
Answer:
What is the source of this question? The Messengerﷺ said in a hadith — and based on that hadith this question is being asked. In Sahih al-Bukhari, hadith no. 1773, it says: One Umrah to the next Umrah is expiation for whatever sins occur between them. That means, if someone performs one Umrah and later performs another, the sins committed in the period between the two are forgiven.
On the other hand, there is another hadith that says: Whoever performs Hajj properly at the House of Allahﷻ will return like a newborn child. This meaning is also mentioned regarding Umrah — that a person returns free of sins.
So, the question arises: if he returns completely free of sins, why specify that only the sins between one Umrah and the next are forgiven? Isn’t that a contradiction? There is no contradiction at all.
When we go for Hajj or Umrah and return, are we going to die immediately after returning? No. When it is said that he returns free of sins, it refers to the past sins. Suppose you perform Umrah and return like a newborn. After coming back, will you live without committing any mistakes? Won’t a person commit sins after returning from Hajj or Umrah? Of course, he may.
Those new sins remain. So, if he performs another Umrah, the sins committed in between are wiped out. That is why the Prophetﷺ said that one Umrah to the next is expiation for what is between them.
When does the first meaning apply completely? If someone performs Umrah and dies immediately after returning, then there are no further sins. But if he lives after returning, as a human being he may commit sins. For those sins, there must be expiation. So, there is no contradiction. The Prophetﷺ’s words address these two different situations: forgiveness of past sins, and expiation for sins committed between two Umrahs.