Is Umrah obligatory like Hajj, or is it only recommended?

Allah says, "And complete the Hajj and the 'Umrah for Allah" (Quran 2:196), and the scholars differ over whether 'Umrah is a lifetime obligation. The Shafi'is and Hanbalis hold that it is obligatory once upon whoever is able, arguing from this verse and from the hadith of 'Aishah, who asked, "O Messenger of Allah, is there jihad upon women?" and he (ﷺ) — the Prophet (ﷺ) — replied, "Yes, upon them is a jihad in which there is no fighting: Hajj and 'Umrah" (Sunan Ibn Majah 2901, graded sahih). The Hanafis and Malikis hold that it is a stressed sunnah, since the famous hadith of Jibril, in enumerating the pillars of Islam, mentioned Hajj alone. Both are recognised positions of the four madhhabs, and all agree that 'Umrah is a great act of worship: the Prophet (ﷺ) said, "One 'Umrah to the next is an expiation for what is between them, and an accepted Hajj has no reward but Paradise" (Sahih al-Bukhari 1773; Sahih Muslim 1349). So one who is able should not neglect it — performing it is the safer and more virtuous course.

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