Q1. I came for Umrah in Ramadan and now I want to perform Haj. Will my Haj be tamatu and do I have to offer hady (sacrifice)? A1. Ramadan is not included as one of the months of Haj, and the meaning of tamatu is to perform Umrah in the Haj months [Shawwal,Dhul Qadah and DhulHijjah (10th,11th and 12th months of the Islamic calendar)] and then you can perform Haj in the same trip. Q2. I joined the congregation with the Imam for Isha prayers with the intention of Maghrib prayer in the second raka'ah. Is my salah correct? A.2 Yes, your salah is correct. Q3. Is it better to offer Salat-ul Witr right after Isha prayers, or should one offer it later before going to bed? A3. It is better to delay Witr prayers and do it late at night unless you are afraid that you may not be able to get up for Witr prayers if you sleep. In that case, one can do it before going to bed. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever fears that he will not get up at the end of the night, let him pray Witr at the beginning of the night, but whoever thinks that he will be able to get up at the end of the night, let him pray Witr at the end of the night, for prayer at the end of the night is witnessed (by the angels) and that is better.” (Muslim) Q4.Can I perform Haj with my sister and her husband? Is her husband considered mahram for me? A4. No, your sister's husband isn't mahram (guardian) for you. The woman's mahram is the male that is not allowed for him to marry her forever like her father or brother, but the woman's husband may marry her sister if she died or divorced. So, he is not your mahram. Q5. Some people believe that their Haj will not be complete unless they visit Madinah. Is it right? A5. No, there is no relation between rituals of Haj and visiting the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah. Some people have this assumption because they see many pilgrims visit Madinah before or after Haj. Q6. If someone performs Umrah in the months of Haj, is it obligatory for him to perfom Haj? A6. No, it's not obligatory for him to perform Haj in this case. The Prophet (peace be upon him) performed Umrah in the month of Dhul Qadah and did not perform Haj, which indicates that one can perform Umrah even in the months of Haj, without actually performing Haj. __
