7. Hajj Q and A:

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاتة 

بِسْمِ ٱللَّٰهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِٱلرَّحِيمِ

7. Why Allah revealed the verse "there is no blame upon him for performing sa'i between Safa and Marwa"?

Answer: Before Islam, an idol called Isaf was on As-Safa, while another idol Na'ilah was on Al-Marwah, and they used to touch (or kiss) them. Some assume lhram for worshipping an idol called "Manat" at a place called Al-Mushallal.

After Islam when many embraced Islam they omitted the walking between the two mounts, due to two reasons:

1. Hesitant to follow the old practice,

2.Allah revealed the ayath only about the tawaf of Kaba and nothing mentioned about sa’i.

When the Prophet ﷺ did Umrah he performed sa’i. And Allah also revealed the above ayath (2:158). So it becomes the part of ritual of Hajj.

The full ayath is: “Verily! As-Safa and Al-Marwah (two mountains in Makkah) are of the Symbols of Allah. So it is not a sin on him who perform Hajj or ‘Umrah of the House (the Ka’bah at Makkah) to perform the going between them (As-Safa and Al-Marwah). And whoever does good voluntarily, then verily, Allah is All-Recognizer, All-Knower.” [2:158].

This is evident from following long Hadhees:

Narrated 'Urwa (RA); I asked Ayesha (RA): "How do you interpret the statement of Allah: Verily! (the mountains) As-Safa and Al-Marwa are among the symbols of Allah, and whoever performs the Hajj to the Ka'ba or performs 'Umra, it is not harmful for him to perform Tawaf between them (Safa and Marwa.) (2.158). By Allah! (it is evident from this revelation) there is no harm if one does not perform Tawaf between Safa and Marwa."

Ayesha (RA) replied, "O, my nephew! Your interpretation is not true. Had this interpretation of yours been correct, the statement of Allah should have been, 'It is not harmful for him if he does not perform Tawaf between them.' But in fact, this divine inspiration was revealed concerning the Ansar who used to assume lhram for worshipping an idol called "Manat" which they used to worship at a place called Al-Mushallal before they embraced Islam, and whoever assumed Ihram (for the idol), would consider it not right to perform Tawaf between Safa and Marwa.

When they embraced Islam, they asked Allah's Apostle ﷺ regarding it, saying, "O Allah's Apostle ﷺ! We used to refrain from Tawaf between Safa and Marwa." So Allah revealed: 'Verily; (the mountains) As-Safa and Al-Marwa are among the symbols of Allah.' " Ayesha (RA) added, "Surely, Allah's Apostle set the tradition of Tawaf between Safa and Marwa, so nobody is allowed to omit the Tawaf between them." Later on I ('Urwa [RA]) told Abu Bakr bin 'Abdur-Rahman (of 'Ayesha's  (RA) narration) and he said, 'I have not heard of such information, but I heard learned men saying that all the people, except those whom 'Ayesha (RA) mentioned and who used to assume lhram for the sake of Manat, used to perform Tawaf between Safa and Marwa.

When Allah referred to the Tawaf of the Ka'ba and did not mention Safa and Marwa in the Quran, the people asked, 'O Allah's Apostle! We used to perform Tawaf between Safa and Marwa and Allah has revealed (the verses concerning) Tawaf of the Ka'ba and has not mentioned Safa and Marwa. Is there any harm if we perform Tawaf between Safa and Marwa?' So Allah revealed: "Verily As-Safa and Al-Marwa are among the symbols of Allah." Abu Bakr said, "It seems that this verse was revealed concerning the two groups, those who used to refrain from Tawaf between Safa and Marwa in the Pre-lslamic Period of ignorance and those who used to perform the Tawaf then, and after embracing Islam they refrained from the Tawaf between them as Allah had enjoined Tawaf of the Ka'ba and did not mention Tawaf (of Safa and Marwa) till later after mentioning the Tawaf of the Ka'ba.' Sahih Bukhari, Hadith 2:706

Ibn Khathir’s explanatinon:

Ibrahim (AS) left his wife Bibi Hajar and their son (Isma`il [AS] with little water and food in a barren valley Makkah, where there was no human habitation. When the water is over her child was crying out of thirsty.  She ran between As-Safa and Al-Marwah seeking water. When Hajar feared that her son would die, she stood up and begged Allah for His help and kept going back and forth in that blessed area between As-Safa and Al-Marwah. She was meek and humble before Allah. Allah answered her prayers, relieved her anxiety, bring forth Zamzam water for her. Therefore, whoever performs Sa`i between As-Safa and Al-Marwah should remember her meekness, humbleness and call Allah sincerely to guide his heart, lead his affairs to success and forgive his sins.

Allah will accept dua at Safa and Marwa:

After reaching the top of Safa, which is located at the vicinity of Kaba, one should face the Sacred Kaba and recite the following three times before asking for whatever it is they wish for:

“Allah is the Greatest; Allah is the Greatest; Allah is the Greatest, and to Allah belongs all praise. There is no deity except Allah, alone without a partner. To Him belongs the Dominion, and to Him belongs all praise. He gives life and death, and He has power over everything. There is no deity except Allah alone. He fulfilled His promise, supported His slave, and defeated the confederates alone. “

الحمدلله