The status of hadith suggesting Umrah is voluntary (Nafl)

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The hadith stating that Umrah is voluntary is considered weak and insufficient for establishing a ruling. Al-Shafi'i stated that the evidence for Umrah being voluntary is not firmly established. Ibn Abd al-Barr noted that the narrations supporting this view have invalid chains of transmission. These narrations are interpreted as referring to the Umrah performed during the incident of being prevented at al-Hudaybiyyah, or the Umrah performed alongside the Hajj with the Prophet, which was not obligatory upon those who performed it, or as referring to acts beyond the single obligatory Umrah.