Tafseer of The Cow · Al-Baqara · 2:158
Indeed, as-Safa and al-Marwah are among the symbols of Allah. So whoever makes Hajj to the House or performs 'umrah - there is no blame upon him for walking between them. And whoever volunteers good - then indeed, Allah is appreciative and Knowing.
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
Indeed, al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah are among the sacred symbols of Allah
Exposition of the interpretation of His word, exalted is He: Indeed, al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah are among the sacred symbols of Allah . Al-Ṣafā is the plural of ṣafāt, which is the smooth rock. To this testifies the saying of al-Ṭirimmāḥ: "The Possessor of might and benevolence has forbidden me that the hoof should ever cause my rocks to dry up." Some have said that al-ṣafā is singular, that its dual is ṣafwān and its plurals are aṣfāʾ, ṣufiyy, and ṣifiyy; and they cited as evidence for this the saying of the rajaz-poet: "As though its two flanks, from the recoiling, are the places where the birds alight upon the rock (al-ṣafiyy)." And they said: it is like ʿaṣā (staff) and ʿuṣiyy, and raḥā (millstone), ruḥiyy, and arḥāʾ.
As for al-marwah: it is the small pebble. A small quantity of them is gathered together as marawāt, and a large quantity of them as al-marw, just as tamrah (date), tamarāt, and tamr. Al-Aʿshā Maymūn ibn Qays said: "And you see upon the earth a light hoof that slips, but as soon as it strikes the marw, it shatters." By al-marw he means: the small rocks. To this also belongs the saying of Abū Dhuʾayb al-Hudhalī: "Until it was as though the vicissitudes of fate have a marwah at the ṣafā of al-Mashriq, struck every day." It is also said "al-Mushaqqar."
Allah, exalted be His mention, intended by His word Indeed, al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah in this place: the two mountains designated by these two names and located within His sacred precinct, and not the rest of the ṣafā and marw. For this reason He inserted in both the definite article (alif and lām), so that His servants would know that He thereby intended the two mountains known by these two names, and not the rest of the ṣafā and marw.
As for His word among the sacred symbols of Allah : He means: among the landmarks of Allah which He, exalted be His mention, has made for His servants a marker and a sign, by which they worship Him, whether through supplication (duʿāʾ), or through remembrance (dhikr), or through performing the act which He has imposed upon them at those places. To this belongs the saying of al-Kumayt: "We kill them, generation after generation; you see them as sacrificial marks by which nearness is sought."
Mujāhid used to say concerning the "sacred symbols" (al-shaʿāʾir) what:
1935 - Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, on the authority of ʿĪsā, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: Indeed, al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah are among the sacred symbols of Allah he said: among that which He has informed you of. * - Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Abū Ḥudhayfah related to us, saying: Shibl related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, the like of it.
It appears that Mujāhid held that al-shaʿāʾir is merely the plural of shaʿīrah, derived from Allah's notifying (ishʿār) His servants concerning the matter of al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah and concerning what has been imposed upon them in circumambulating (ṭawāf) between the two; its meaning is thus the making them aware of that. And that is an interpretation far removed from what is understood.
Allah, exalted be His mention, by His word Indeed, al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah are among the sacred symbols of Allah merely informed His believing servants that the running (saʿy) between the two is among the rites of the pilgrimage (ḥajj) which He has instituted for them, and which He commanded His friend Ibrāhīm, peace be upon him, when the latter asked Him to show him the rites of the pilgrimage. And although its form is the form of a statement, what is intended by it is the command, for Allah, exalted be His mention, commanded His Prophet Muḥammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to follow the creed of Ibrāhīm, peace be upon him, and said to him: Then We revealed to you: Follow the creed of Ibrāhīm, pure in faith (16:123). And Allah, exalted be His mention, made Ibrāhīm a leader (imām) for those who came after him. Thus, when it is established that the circumambulation and the running between al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah are among the sacred symbols of Allah and among the rites of the pilgrimage, then it is known that Ibrāhīm, peace be upon him, performed it and instituted it for those who came after him, and our Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, commanded his community to follow him; it is thus incumbent upon them to act according to that in accordance with what the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, expounded.
Whoever then performs the pilgrimage to the House or performs the ʿumrah
Exposition of the interpretation of His word, exalted is He: Whoever then performs the pilgrimage to the House or performs the ʿumrah . Allah, exalted be His mention, means: Whoever then performs the pilgrimage to the House , that is: whoever visits it and returns to it after a first time. Likewise everyone who frequently goes to something and comes back is "ḥājj" (pilgrim) to it. To this belongs the saying of the poet: "And I am witness to numerous established groups among ʿAwf who make pilgrimage to the saffron-colored house of al-Zibriqān." By his words "who make pilgrimage" he means: who travel back and forth to it frequently on account of his eminence and leadership. The pilgrim is called "ḥājj" only because he comes to the House before the standing at ʿArafa, then returns to it for the circumambulation on the day of sacrifice (yawm al-naḥr) after the standing at ʿArafa, then departs from it to Minā, and then returns to it for the farewell circumambulation (ṭawāf al-ṣadr). On account of his repeated return to it, time after time, he is called "ḥājj."
As for al-muʿtamir (the one who performs the ʿumrah): he is called "muʿtamir" only because, when he has gone around it, he departs from it after his visit to it. Allah, exalted be His mention, means by His word or performs the ʿumrah : or visits the House. By al-iʿtimār He means the visit; everyone who intends something is thus "muʿtamir" toward it. To this belongs the saying of al-ʿAjjāj: "Indeed, the son of Maʿmar rose high when he intended a distant destination, from afar and with effort." By his words "when he intended" he means: when he set it as a goal and directed himself toward it.
Then there is no blame upon him in going around the two
Exposition of the interpretation of His word, exalted is He: Then there is no blame upon him in going around the two . Allah, exalted be His mention, means by His word Then there is no blame upon him in going around the two , He says: then there is no objection and no sin upon him in his going around the two.
If someone were to say: What is the import of this statement, when you have told us that His word Indeed, al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah are among the sacred symbols of Allah , though outwardly it has the form of a statement, is in meaning a command to go around the two? How then can it be a command to go around, and then it be said: there is no blame upon whoever performs the pilgrimage to the House or the ʿumrah in going around the two? For blame is removed only from whoever performs something in which blame and objection lie by performing it; and the command to go around the two and the permission (tarkhīṣ) to go around the two cannot coexist simultaneously in one and the same state? The answer is: it is otherwise than what he has supposed. Its meaning, according to some groups, is merely that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, when he performed the ʿumrah of the treaty (ʿumrat al-qaḍiyyah), some groups were apprehensive—groups who in the time of ignorance (jāhiliyyah), before Islam, used to go around the two for the sake of two idols that were upon them, out of veneration for them—and they said: how can we go around the two, while we know that the veneration of idols and all that was worshipped besides Allah is the ascribing of partners to Allah (shirk)? In our going around these two stones there lies something of that, for the going around the two in the time of ignorance was only for the sake of the two idols that were upon them, and Allah has today brought Islam, and there is no way to venerate anything alongside Allah in the sense of worshipping it. Then Allah, exalted be His mention, revealed concerning that, regarding their matter: Indeed, al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah are among the sacred symbols of Allah —that is: the going around the two; the mention of the going around the two was omitted, because the mention of the two sufficed for it. And since it was known among those addressed that its meaning is: among the landmarks of Allah which He has made a marker for His servants, by which they worship Him by walking back and forth between the two and remembering Him upon them and at them with the remembrance that is due to Him—thus it holds: whoever performs the pilgrimage to the House or the ʿumrah, let him not fear going around the two on account of what the people of the time of ignorance did, who went around the two for the sake of the two idols that were upon them; for the idolaters went around them in unbelief (kufr), while you go around them in faith and affirmation of My Messenger and in obedience to My command. Then there is no blame upon you in going around the two.
And al-junāḥ is sin. As:
1936 - Mūsā ibn Hārūn related to me, saying: ʿAmr related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: Then there is no blame upon him in going around the two , he says: there is no sin upon him, but rather he attains reward.
In agreement with what we have said concerning that, the transmission of the predecessors among the companions of the Prophet ﷺ and the Successors (tābiʿūn) is unanimous.
Mention of the reports transmitted concerning that:
1937 - Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Malik ibn Abī al-Shawārib related to us, saying: Yazīd ibn Zurayʿ related to us, saying: Dāwūd related to us, on the authority of al-Shaʿbī: that in the time of ignorance there was an idol upon al-Ṣafā called Isāf, and an idol upon al-Marwah called Nāʾilah; and when the people of the time of ignorance went around the House, they would stroke the two idols. When Islam came and the idols were shattered, the Muslims said: al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah—they were only gone around for the sake of the two idols, and going around the two is not among the sacred symbols. He said: Then Allah revealed: indeed, they both are among the sacred symbols: Whoever then performs the pilgrimage to the House or performs the ʿumrah, then there is no blame upon him in going around the two .
1938 - Muḥammad ibn al-Muthannā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Wahhāb related to us, saying: Dāwūd related to us, on the authority of ʿĀmir, he said: there was an idol upon al-Ṣafā called Isāf, and an idol upon al-Marwah called Nāʾilah. Then he mentioned something in the manner of the transmission of Ibn Abī al-Shawārib, and he added, he said: al-Ṣafā was named in the masculine on account of the idol that was upon it, and al-Marwah was put in the feminine on account of the idol that was upon it, which was feminine.
1939 - Yaʿqūb ibn Ibrāhīm related to me, saying: Ibn ʿUlayyah related to us, on the authority of Dāwūd ibn Abī Hind, on the authority of al-Shaʿbī, and he mentioned something in the manner of the transmission of Ibn Abī al-Shawārib, on the authority of Yazīd, and he added, he said: Allah made it a voluntary good deed.
1940 - Yaʿqūb related to me, saying: Ibn Abī Zāʾidah related to us, saying: ʿĀṣim al-Aḥwal informed me, saying: I said to Anas ibn Mālik: did you used to dislike walking back and forth between al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah, until this verse was revealed? He said: yes, we used to dislike walking back and forth between the two, because they were among the sacred symbols of the time of ignorance, until this verse was revealed: Indeed, al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah are among the sacred symbols of Allah . * - ʿAlī ibn Sahl al-Ramlī related to me, saying: Muʾammal ibn Ismāʿīl related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of ʿĀṣim, he said: I asked Anas about al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah, and he said: they were among the sacred symbols of the time of ignorance, and when Islam came, they refrained from the two, whereupon it was revealed: Indeed, al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah are among the sacred symbols of Allah .
1941 - ʿAbd al-Wārith ibn ʿAbd al-Ṣamad ibn ʿAbd al-Wārith related to me, saying: Abū al-Ḥusayn al-Muʿallim related to me, saying: Sinān Abū Muʿāwiyah related to us, on the authority of Jābir al-Juʿfī, on the authority of ʿAmr ibn Ḥubshī, he said: I said to Ibn ʿUmar: Indeed, al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah are among the sacred symbols of Allah; whoever then performs the pilgrimage to the House or performs the ʿumrah, then there is no blame upon him in going around the two . He said: go to Ibn ʿAbbās and ask him, for he is the most knowledgeable of those still living concerning what was revealed to Muḥammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace! So I went to him and asked him, and he said: there were idols at the two, and when those were forbidden, they refrained from walking back and forth between the two, until it was revealed: Indeed, al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah are among the sacred symbols of Allah; whoever then performs the pilgrimage to the House or performs the ʿumrah, then there is no blame upon him in going around the two .
1942 - Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṣāliḥ related to us, saying: Muʿāwiyah ibn Ṣāliḥ related to me, on the authority of ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭalḥah, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, his word: Indeed, al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah are among the sacred symbols of Allah —and that was because some people found an objection in walking back and forth between al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah, whereupon Allah informed them that they both are among His sacred symbols, and that walking back and forth between the two is more pleasing to Him; and thus the transmitted custom (sunnah) of walking back and forth between the two was instituted.
1943 - Mūsā related to me, saying: ʿAmr related to us, saying: Asbāṭ related to us, on the authority of al-Suddī: Indeed, al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah are among the sacred symbols of Allah; whoever then performs the pilgrimage to the House or performs the ʿumrah, then there is no blame upon him in going around the two , he said: Abū Mālik claimed, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, that in the time of ignorance there were devils (shayāṭīn) who throughout the night made sounds resound between al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah, and that between the two there were idols. When Islam came and was victorious, the Muslims said: O Messenger of Allah, we do not walk back and forth between al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah, for that is the ascribing of partners (shirk) that we used to do in the time of ignorance! Then Allah revealed: Then there is no blame upon him in going around the two .
1944 - Yaʿqūb ibn Ibrāhīm related to me, saying: Ibn ʿUlayyah related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning His word: Indeed, al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah are among the sacred symbols of Allah , he said: the Helpers (al-Anṣār) said: walking between these two stones is among the matter of the time of ignorance. Then Allah, exalted be His mention, revealed: Indeed, al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah are among the sacred symbols of Allah . * - Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, the like of it.
1945 - Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His word Then there is no blame upon him in going around the two , he said: the people of the time of ignorance had placed upon each of the two an idol which they venerated; and when the Muslims converted to Islam, they disliked going around al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah on account of the place of the two idols. Then Allah, the Exalted, said: Indeed, al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah are among the sacred symbols of Allah; whoever then performs the pilgrimage to the House or performs the ʿumrah, then there is no blame upon him in going around the two , and he recited: And whoever honors the sacred symbols of Allah—indeed, that is from the piety of hearts (22:32); and the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, instituted going around the two as a custom (sunnah). * - Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Jarīr related to us, on the authority of ʿĀṣim, he said: I said to Anas: al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah—did you used to dislike going around the two on account of the idols that were forbidden to you? He said: yes, until it was revealed: Indeed, al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah are among the sacred symbols of Allah . * - Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Jarīr related to us, saying: ʿĀṣim informed us, saying: I heard Anas ibn Mālik say: indeed, al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah were in the time of ignorance among the sacred symbols of Quraysh, and when Islam came, we abandoned the two.
Others said: Allah, exalted be His mention, revealed this verse rather concerning a people who in the time of ignorance did not walk back and forth between the two, and who, when Islam came, feared to walk between the two, just as they had feared it in the time of ignorance as well.
Mention of those who said that:
1946 - Bishr ibn Muʿādh related to us, saying: Yazīd related to us, on the authority of Saʿīd, on the authority of Qatādah, his word: Indeed, al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah are among the sacred symbols of Allah , the verse—there was in the time of ignorance a tribe from Tihāmah that did not walk back and forth between the two, whereupon Allah informed them that al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah are among the sacred symbols of Allah, and going around the two was among the transmitted custom (sunnah) of Ibrāhīm and Ismāʿīl. * - Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of Qatādah, he said: there were people from Tihāmah who did not walk back and forth between al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah, whereupon Allah revealed: Indeed, al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah are among the sacred symbols of Allah .
1947 - Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ṣāliḥ related to us, saying: al-Layth related to me, saying: ʿUqayl related to me, on the authority of Ibn Shihāb, he said: ʿUrwah ibn al-Zubayr related to me, he said: I asked ʿĀʾishah and said to her: what is your judgment concerning Allah's word: Indeed, al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah are among the sacred symbols of Allah; whoever then performs the pilgrimage to the House or performs the ʿumrah, then there is no blame upon him in going around the two ? And I said to ʿĀʾishah: by Allah, there is no blame upon anyone if he does not go around al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah! Then ʿĀʾishah said: how evil is what you have said, O son of my sister! Indeed, if this verse were as you interpret it, then it would read: there is no blame upon him in not going around the two. But it was revealed only concerning the Helpers (al-Anṣār); they used to pronounce the talbiyah for Manāt, the tyrannical idol which they worshipped at al-Mushallal, and whoever pronounced the talbiyah for her found an objection in walking back and forth between al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah. When they asked the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, about that and said: O Messenger of Allah, we found an objection in walking back and forth between al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah, Allah, exalted be His mention, revealed: Indeed, al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah are among the sacred symbols of Allah; whoever then performs the pilgrimage to the House or performs the ʿumrah, then there is no blame upon him in going around the two . ʿĀʾishah said: then the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, instituted walking back and forth between the two as a custom (sunnah), and it is not permitted for anyone to omit walking back and forth between the two.
1948 - Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, saying: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of al-Zuhrī, on the authority of ʿUrwah, on the authority of ʿĀʾishah, she said: there were men among the Helpers (al-Anṣār) who in the time of ignorance pronounced the talbiyah for Manāt—and Manāt was an idol between Mecca and Medina—they said: O Prophet of Allah, we did not walk back and forth between al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah out of veneration for Manāt; is there then an objection upon us if we go around the two? Then Allah, exalted be His mention, revealed: Indeed, al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah are among the sacred symbols of Allah; whoever then performs the pilgrimage to the House or performs the ʿumrah, then there is no blame upon him in going around the two . ʿUrwah said: then I said to ʿĀʾishah: it does not trouble me if I do not walk back and forth between al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah; Allah said: then there is no blame upon him . She said: O son of my sister, do you not see that He says: Indeed, al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah are among the sacred symbols of Allah ? Al-Zuhrī said: then I mentioned that to Abū Bakr ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn al-Ḥārith ibn Hishām, and he said: this is true knowledge! Abū Bakr said: I have heard men among the people of knowledge say: when Allah revealed the going around the House and did not reveal the walking back and forth between al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah, it was said to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace: we used to walk back and forth between al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah in the time of ignorance, and Allah has mentioned the going around the House but did not mention the walking back and forth between al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah; is there then an objection upon us if we do not go around the two? Then Allah, exalted be His mention, revealed: Indeed, al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah are among the sacred symbols of Allah , the entire verse. Abū Bakr said: thus I understand that this verse was revealed concerning both groups: both those who did go around the two and those who did not.
1949 - Al-Ḥasan ibn Yaḥyā related to us, saying: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of Qatādah, he said: there were people from Tihāmah who did not walk back and forth between al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah, whereupon Allah revealed: Indeed, al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah are among the sacred symbols of Allah .
The correct judgment concerning that, according to us, is that one says: Allah, exalted be His mention, has made the walking back and forth between al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah one of the sacred symbols of Allah, just as He made the going around the House one of His sacred symbols. As for His word then there is no blame upon him in going around the two : it is possible that it was said to both groups—those among whom some feared going around the two on account of the two idols that al-Shaʿbī mentioned, and some on account of their dislike of going around the two in the time of ignorance, in accordance with what is transmitted from ʿĀʾishah. Whichever of the two cases it was, in Allah's word, exalted be His mention, then there is no blame upon him in going around the two , the verse, there lies no indication that He thereby intended the removal of the objection from whoever went around the two on the grounds that going around the two was impermissible because Allah forbade it and then made it a permitted dispensation (rukhṣah)—on account of the consensus of all that Allah, exalted be His mention, never forbade that at any time so as to then permit it with His word then there is no blame upon him in going around the two .
The disagreement concerning that among the people of knowledge proceeds along various lines. Some of them held that whoever omits the walking back and forth between the two omits one of the rites of his pilgrimage for which nothing suffices except the specific making up (qaḍāʾ) of it, just as for whoever omits the circumambulation which is the circumambulation of pouring forth (ṭawāf al-ifāḍah), nothing suffices except the specific making up of it; and they said: they are two circumambulations—Allah commanded the one around the House and the other between al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah. Some of them held that for whoever omits the going around the two, a ransom (fidyah) suffices as a substitute for his omission, and they held that the ruling of going around the two is like the ruling of throwing some of the stone pillars (jamarāt), the standing at al-Mashʿar, the farewell circumambulation, and the like, for which whoever omits it may suffice with a ransom as a substitute for his omission, without being obligated to return for the specific making up of it. Others held that going around the two is a voluntary act (taṭawwuʿ): if the one who performs it does it, he acts well, and if someone omits it, he owes nothing by his omission. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.
Mention of those who said: the walking between al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah is obligatory, a ransom does not suffice as a substitute for it, and whoever omits it is obligated to return:
1950 - Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Wakīʿ related to us, on the authority of Hishām ibn ʿUrwah, on the authority of his father, on the authority of ʿĀʾishah, she said: by my life, he has not performed a valid pilgrimage who has not walked back and forth between al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah, for Allah has said: Indeed, al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah are among the sacred symbols of Allah .
1951 - Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Mālik ibn Anas said: whoever forgets the walking back and forth between al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah until he departs from Mecca, let him return and perform the walking; and if he has had intercourse with women, he owes a ʿumrah and a sacrificial animal (hady). And al-Shāfiʿī used to say: upon whoever omits the walking between al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah until he has returned to his land, there rests the obligation to return to Mecca until he walks back and forth between the two; nothing else suffices for him. Al-Rabīʿ related that to us on his authority.
Mention of those who said: a blood sacrifice (dam) suffices as a substitute for it, and he is not obligated to return for the making up of it: Al-Thawrī said what: 1952 - ʿAlī ibn Sahl related to me concerning that, on the authority of Zayd ibn Abī al-Zarqāʾ on his authority—and Abū Ḥanīfah, Abū Yūsuf, and Muḥammad: if whoever omits the circumambulation between the two returns for the making up of it, that is good, and if he does not return, he owes a blood sacrifice (dam).
Mention of those who said: going around the two is a voluntary act and nothing rests upon whoever omits it, and of those who used to recite: then there is no blame upon him in not going around the two : 1953 - Muḥammad ibn Bashshār related to us, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: Ibn Jurayj related to us, saying: ʿAṭāʾ said: if a pilgrim performed the circumambulation of pouring forth after he had pelted the stone pillar of al-ʿAqabah and went around the House but did not walk between the two, and he then had intercourse with her—that is, with his wife—then nothing rested upon him, neither a pilgrimage nor a ʿumrah; on account of Allah's word in the codex (muṣḥaf) of Ibn Masʿūd: "Whoever then performs the pilgrimage to the House or performs the ʿumrah, then there is no blame upon him in not going around the two." Then I came back to him later and said: but he has omitted the custom (sunnah) of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. He said: do you not hear Him saying: and whoever voluntarily does good —He thus refused to impose anything upon him. 1954 - Yaʿqūb ibn Ibrāhīm related to me, saying: Hushaym related to us, saying: ʿAbd al-Malik informed us, on the authority of ʿAṭāʾ, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, that he used to recite: Indeed, al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah are among the sacred symbols of Allah , the verse, then there is no blame upon him in not going around the two . 1955 - ʿAlī ibn Sahl related to me, saying: Muʾammal related to us, saying: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of ʿĀṣim, he said: I heard Anas say: going around the two is a voluntary act. * - Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Ḥajjāj related to us, saying: Ḥammād related to us, saying: ʿĀṣim al-Aḥwal informed us, saying: Anas ibn Mālik said: they both are a voluntary act. 1956 - Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, the like of it. 1957 - Al-Muthannā related to me, saying: Abū Ḥudhayfah related to us, saying: Shibl related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: Indeed, al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah are among the sacred symbols of Allah; whoever then performs the pilgrimage to the House or performs the ʿumrah, then there is no blame upon him in going around the two , he said: thus whoever did not go around the two committed no transgression. 1958 - Al-Muthannā related to us, saying: Ḥajjāj related to us, saying: Aḥmad related to us, on the authority of ʿĪsā ibn Qays, on the authority of ʿAṭāʾ, on the authority of ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Zubayr, he said: they both are a voluntary act. * - Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, saying: Jarīr related to us, on the authority of ʿĀṣim, he said: I said to Anas ibn Mālik: is the walking between al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah a voluntary act? He said: a voluntary act.
The correct judgment concerning that, according to us, is that going around the two is an obligatory ordinance (farḍ wājib), and that upon whoever omits it—forgetfully or deliberately—there rests the obligation to return for the making up of it, for nothing else suffices for him, on account of the mutually reinforcing reports from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, that he performed the pilgrimage with the people and that one of the pilgrimage rites which he taught them was going around the two.
Mention of the transmission on his authority concerning that: 1959 - Yūsuf ibn Salmān related to me, saying: Ḥātim ibn Ismāʿīl related to us, saying: Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad related to us, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Jābir, he said: when the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, during his pilgrimage drew near to al-Ṣafā, he said: " Indeed, al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah are among the sacred symbols of Allah —begin with that with which Allah began to mention it." Thereupon he began with al-Ṣafā and ascended it. 1960 - Abū Kurayb related to us, saying: Maḥmūd ibn Maymūn Abū al-Ḥasan related to us, on the authority of Abū Bakr ibn ʿAyyāsh, on the authority of Ibn ʿAṭāʾ, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: Indeed, al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah are among the sacred symbols of Allah , and he came to al-Ṣafā and began with it and stood upon it; then he came to al-Marwah and stood upon it, and he performed the circumambulation and the walking.
Thus, when it is established, with the consensus of the entire community, that going around the two rests upon the instruction by the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to his community concerning their rites and upon his own action during his pilgrimage and ʿumrah, and when his exposition, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, to his community of the whole that Allah has laid down in His Book and prescribed and commanded in His revelation—an exposition the knowledge of which can be attained only through his explanation—is binding upon his community to act by, as we have expounded in our work "The Book of Exposition concerning the Foundations of Legislation" when the community disagrees over its obligatoriness, and when there was then disagreement over going around the two—whether it is obligatory or not—then the obligatoriness of its ordinance is clear for whoever performs the pilgrimage or the ʿumrah, on account of what we have described. Likewise the obligation to return for the making up of the circumambulation between al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah is clear, because there was—with the consensus of all of them that this is among what the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, did and taught his community during their pilgrimage and ʿumrah when he taught them the rites of their pilgrimage, just as he went around the House and taught it to his community during their pilgrimage and ʿumrah when he taught them the rites of their pilgrimage and ʿumrah—disagreement over what rests upon whoever omits it. And all of them agreed that for the going around the House no ransom (fidyah) and no substitute suffices, and that for whoever omits it nothing suffices except the return for the making up of it; like to it is the going around al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah: for it no ransom and no compensation suffices, and for whoever omits it nothing suffices except the return for the making up of it, since they both are circumambulations—the one around the House and the other around al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah.
Whoever makes a distinction between the ruling of the two, the statement turns against him, and he is then asked for the proof for distinguishing between the two. If he relies on the recitation of whoever recited: "then there is no blame upon him in not going around the two," it is said: that contradicts what is in the codices of the Muslims; it is not permitted for anyone to add to their codices what is not in them. And it is all the same whether a reciter recites that so, or a reciter recites: Then let them remove their filth and fulfill their vows and go around the ancient House (22:29)—"then there is no blame upon them in not going around it." Thus if one of the two additions that are not in the codex were to come, then the other would be its counterpart; otherwise whoever permits the one while forbidding the other would be acting arbitrarily, and arbitrariness is something to which no one is incapable.
And the rejection of this recitation, and the denial that the revelation reads with it, is transmitted from ʿĀʾishah. 1961 - Yūnus ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Mālik ibn Anas informed me, on the authority of Hishām ibn ʿUrwah, on the authority of his father, he said: I said to ʿĀʾishah, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and I was at that time young in age: what is your judgment concerning the word of Allah, mighty and exalted is He: Indeed, al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah are among the sacred symbols of Allah; whoever then performs the pilgrimage to the House or performs the ʿumrah, then there is no blame upon him in going around the two ? For we hold that there is nothing upon anyone if he does not go around the two? Then ʿĀʾishah said: by no means! If it were as you say, then it would read: "and there is no blame upon him in not going around the two." This verse was revealed only concerning the Helpers (al-Anṣār); they used to pronounce the talbiyah for Manāt, and Manāt stood at the level of Qudayd, and they found an objection in walking back and forth between al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah. When Islam came, they asked the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, about that, and Allah revealed: Indeed, al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah are among the sacred symbols of Allah; whoever then performs the pilgrimage to the House or performs the ʿumrah, then there is no blame upon him in going around the two .
It is also possible that in the recitation of whoever recited: then there is no blame upon him in not going around the two , the "lā" (not) that stands beside "an" (that) is a mere connective addition (ṣilah) in the sentence, since a negation preceded it in the words before it, namely His word then there is no blame upon him ; it would then be like the word of Allah, exalted be His mention: He said: what prevented you from prostrating when I commanded you? (7:12), in the meaning of: what prevented you from prostrating? And as the poet said: "The Messenger of Allah would not have been pleased with the deed of the two of them, nor the two excellent ones, Abū Bakr and ʿUmar." But even if the written text of the codex were so, there would be in it no valid argument for an advocate—given the possibility that the words mean what we have described—on account of what we have demonstrated, namely that this is among what the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, taught his community concerning their rites, in accordance with what we have mentioned, and on account of the indication of analogy (qiyās) for its correctness. In any case, it contradicts the written text of the codices of the Muslims, and it is among that which, if a reciter were to recite it today, would make him deserve punishment, on account of his addition to the Book of Allah, mighty and exalted is He, of what does not belong to it.
And whoever voluntarily does good—indeed, Allah is appreciative and all-knowing
Exposition of the interpretation of His word, exalted is He: And whoever voluntarily does good—indeed, Allah is appreciative and all-knowing . The reciters disagreed over the recitation of that. The majority of the reciters of the people of Medina and Basra recited: wa-man taṭawwaʿa khayran in the past-tense form with the tāʾ and the fatḥah on the ʿayn. And the majority of the reciters of the Kūfans recited: wa-man yaṭṭawwaʿ khayran with the yāʾ, the jazm on the ʿayn, and the doubling of the ṭāʾ, in the meaning of: and whoever voluntarily exerts himself (yataṭawwaʿ). It was mentioned that in the recitation of ʿAbd Allāh it reads "wa-man yataṭawwaʿ." Thus the reciters of the people of Kūfah recited it as we have described, after the example of what we have mentioned of the recitation of ʿAbd Allāh—except for ʿĀṣim, for he agreed with the Medinans—and they doubled the ṭāʾ in order to effect the assimilation (idghām) of the tāʾ into the ṭāʾ. Both recitations are well-known and correct, and their meanings agree without differing from one another, for the perfect verb together with the conditional particles has the meaning of the future tense; with whichever of the two recitations a reciter recites that, he is correct.
Its meaning is: and whoever voluntarily performs the pilgrimage and the ʿumrah after fulfilling his obligatory pilgrimage, indeed, Allah is appreciative to him for his voluntary act, for what he voluntarily performed therein in seeking His countenance, and rewards him for it; all-knowing concerning what he intended and desired with his voluntary act to which he voluntarily devoted himself.
We have said only that the correct view concerning the meaning of His word and whoever voluntarily does good is that which we have described, and not the statement of whoever claimed that what is intended by it is: and whoever voluntarily performs the walking and the going around between al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah; for the one who walks between the two can only voluntarily walk between the two in a voluntary pilgrimage or a voluntary ʿumrah, on account of what we have described earlier. And since that is so, it is known that by the voluntary act therein is intended only the voluntary performance of that pilgrimage or ʿumrah in which one performs it. As for those who claimed that going around the two is a voluntary act and not obligatory, for them it is correct that the interpretation of it, in accordance with their view, reads: and whoever voluntarily goes around the two, indeed, Allah is appreciative; for according to their view it is permitted for the pilgrim and the muʿtamir to go around the two if he wishes, or to omit the going around. The meaning of the words according to their interpretation is thus: and whoever voluntarily goes around al-Ṣafā and al-Marwah, indeed, Allah is appreciative for that voluntary act of his, all-knowing concerning what the one who thus goes around the two intended and purposed. As:
1962 - Muḥammad ibn ʿAmr related to me, saying: Abū ʿĀṣim related to us, saying: ʿĪsā related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid: And whoever voluntarily does good—indeed, Allah is appreciative and all-knowing , he said: whoever voluntarily does good, that is better for him; the Messenger of Allah performed it voluntarily, and thus it became one of the established customs (sunan).
Others said: its meaning is: and whoever voluntarily does good by performing the ʿumrah.
Mention of those who said that: 1963 - Yūnus related to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: Ibn Zayd said concerning His word: And whoever voluntarily does good—indeed, Allah is appreciative and all-knowing : whoever voluntarily does good and performs the ʿumrah, indeed, Allah is appreciative and all-knowing; he said: the pilgrimage is an obligation (farīḍah), and the ʿumrah is a voluntary act; the ʿumrah is not obligatory upon anyone of the people.
