The time of At-Tamattu' and the ruling on assuming Ihram for Hajj before the day of At-Tarwiyyah (the 8th of Thul-Hijjah)

Question :

Does the Mutamatti' have a limited time during which he can consider himself performing At-Tamattu"? Can he assume Ihram for Hajj before the day of At-Tarwiyyah?

Answer:

Yes, assuming Ihram for Hajj At-Tamattu' has a time limit, which is Shawwal, Thul-Qa'dah and the first 10 days of Thul-Hijjah. These are the months of Hajj. He cannot assume Ihram for At-Tamattu' before Shawwal or after the night of the 'Eid (ie., the night before the 10th day of Thul-Hijjah). However, it is better for him to assume Ihram for 'Umrah alone, then after he completes 'Umrah he assumes Ihram for Hajj alone. This is the complete At-Tamattu'. If he assumes Ihram for them (Hajj and Umrah) together, he is called a Mutamatti' and he is also called a Qarin. In both situations he is required to sacrifice an animal, which is called the sacrifice of At-Tamattu. This is slaughtering a single animal that is suitable for sacrifice or sharing in a seventh of the sacrifice of a camel or a seventh of a cow. This is due to Allâh's Statement:
"So, whoever combines 'Umrah with Hajj (i.e., as Hajjut- Tamattu' or Hajjul-Qiran), then he must slaughter a Hady (a sacrificial animal) such as he can afford."

If he is unable to perform the sacrifice, he fasts ten days-three days during the Hajj and seven days when he returns to his land -and the period of time (for the fasting) is not restricted as was mentioned earlier.

If the person assumes Ihram for 'Umrah at the beginning of Shawwal and then removes his Ihram after completing the 'Umrah, then the period of time between the 'Umrah and the Ihram for Hajj becomes long. It lasts until the 8th of Thul- Hijjah, as the Companions of the Prophet assumed Ihram like that due to the order of the Prophet. He ordered them to remove their Ihram when they had originally come to perform Hajjul-Ifrad (Hajj only) and some of them had come performing Hajjul-Qiran, combining Hajj and Umrah (without removing Ihram). Thus, the Prophet ordered them to remove their Ihram except for whoever had brought his sacrificial animal with him. They performed Tawaf and Say, got their hair cut, removed their Ihram and by that they became Mutamatti'un (pilgrims performing Hajjut-Tamattu"). Then, when it was the day of At-Tarwiyyak, which is the 8th day (of Thul-Hijjah), he ordered them to assume Thram for the Hajj from where they were staying (in Makkah). This is what is best. If the person assumes Ihram for Hajj before that (the 8th), during the beginning of Thul-Hijjah or before that even, that suffices him and it is correct. However, it is better that his Ihram for Hajj be on the 8th (of Thul-Hijjah) as the Prophet's Companions did according to his command.

Source:
Ash-Shaykh Ibn Baz
Fatawa Islamiyah, Vol. 4 Pages 101-102-103