On the authority of Umm Maʿqil al-Asadiyyah that her husband had designated a young camel of hers for the cause of Allah. She wished to perform ʿUmrah and asked her husband for the camel, but he refused. Therefore, she came to the Prophet—may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him—and mentioned that to him. Thereupon, he instructed him to give it to her, and the Prophet—may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him—said: “Ḥajj and ʿUmrah are among the causes undertaken in the way of Allah” And he said: “An ʿUmrah in Ramaḍān is equivalent to a Ḥajj,” or “it suffices for a Ḥajj.” And Ḥajjāj said: “It is equivalent to a Ḥajj,” or “it suffices in place of a Ḥajj.”

Narrated by Aḥmad (no. 27286), Ibn Khuzaymah (no. 3075), and al-Ḥākim (no. 1774).
Authenticated in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Jāmiʿ (no. 1599), and in Irwāʾ al-Ghalīl (no. 869), it is graded ṣaḥīḥ without mention of ʿUmrah; as for the wording including it, it is irregular (shādh).

Brief Explanation of the Hadith

This ḥadīth indicates the greatness of the avenues of goodness, among them ʿUmrah—especially in the month of Ramaḍān—for its reward is magnified to the extent that it equals Ḥajj in recompense.
In this narration, Umm Maʿqil al-Asadiyyah relates that her husband had designated a camel in the cause of Allah—that is, for acts of obedience and jihād. When she wished to perform ʿUmrah, she asked him to give her that camel, but he refused, assuming that it was not permissible to use what had been designated for the cause of Allah for Ḥajj or ʿUmrah. Thus, she went to the Prophet—may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him—and mentioned the matter to him. Thereupon, he instructed her husband to give it to her, clarifying that Ḥajj and ʿUmrah are included within the cause of Allah. Then the Prophet—may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him—informed her: “An ʿUmrah in Ramaḍān is equivalent to a Ḥajj,” and in another wording: “equivalent to a Ḥajj with me,” meaning that whoever performs ʿUmrah in Ramaḍān receives the reward of one who performs Ḥajj in terms of recompense, not in fulfilling the obligatory duty. Its reward is magnified in Ramaḍān due to the nobility of the time, for when an act of worship occurs in a virtuous season, its reward is increased.
In the ḥadīth there is evidence that Ḥajj and ʿUmrah are among the causes undertaken in the way of Allah; that performing ʿUmrah in Ramaḍān carries special virtue; and that the nobility of time increases the reward of an act of worship. The ḥadīth also demonstrates the vastness of Allah’s bounty and generosity in multiplying rewards, and the permissibility of dedicating wealth or a riding animal for purposes of obedience.