If I had formerly known what I came to know lately, I would not have brought the sacrificial animal with me. Had there been no sacrificial animal with me, I would have ended my state of lhrām

Explanation

Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh (may Allah be pleased with him) describes the Hajj of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessing be upon him) saying that he and his Companions assumed Ihrām for Hajj. None of them brought sacrificial animals except the Prophet and Talhah ibn ‘Ubaydullāh. ‘Ali ibn Abi Tālib was in Yemen, so he came for Hajj, and out of his profound religious understanding, he assumed his Ihrām and made his intention for Ihrām the same as that of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him). When they reached Makkah, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) ordered them to dissolve their Ihrām for Hajj and make it for ‘Umrah, and make their Tawāf and Sa‘i for ‘Umrah, then shorten their hair and end their Ihrām. This was for those who did not bring a sacrificial animal. As for the ones who brought a sacrificial animal with them –and the Prophet was one of them – they had to keep their Ihrām after making Tawāf and Sa‘i. The ones who were ordered to alter their Ihrām from Hajj to ‘Umrah said out of astonishment and their sense of the seriousness of the matter: How can we end our Ihrām and have sexual intercourse with our wives then head to Mina for Hajj while we had recently been ritually impure (after intercourse). This reached the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) and the fact that they found it difficult, so he calmed them by saying: If I had known what I know now, I wouldn’t have brought the sacrificial animal that prevented me from ending my Ihrām like you all have. So they were satisfied and reassured by his words. ‘Ā'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) got her menses when they approached Makkah, so she became Qārinah (performing Hajj Qirān), because her menses prevented her from making Tawāf. She performed all the Hajj rituals except Tawāf and Sa‘i. Then when she became pure after her menses ended, and she made Tawāf for her Hajj, she felt sad because the majority of the Companions –including the wives of the Prophet– performed the rituals of ‘Umrah separately and the rituals of Hajj while she had to merge her ‘Umrah with her Hajj. So she said: O Messenger of Allah, you all are leaving after having performed both Hajj and ‘Umrah, and I am leaving with Hajj only. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) consoled her and ordered her brother ‘Abdur-Rahmān to take her to Tan‘īm, and she performed ‘Umrah after Hajj.

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