52.1. CHAPTER ENTERING MAKKAH
It is Sunnah to enter it from the highest point and the masjid from the door of Bani Shaybah. As soon as the House is visible, one raises his hands and recites the supplications that have been authentically reported.
“Chapter: Entering Makkah”: This chapter addresses the etiquettes that are legislated when entering Makkah for those who arrive there after a journey. When one desires to enter Makkah, there are a few recommended etiquettes:
Firstly: “It is Sunnah to enter it from the highest point”: That is, from the direction of al-Abtah as the Prophet(pbuh) entered Makkah from its highest point. (Reported by al-Bukhari (2/178) and Muslim (4/62) from the narration of ‘Aishah.)
Secondly: “And the masjid from the door of Bani Shaybah”: When one has arrived at al-Masjid al-Haram, it is mustahabb that he enters it from the easterly door of Bani Shaybah which is opposite the multazam (the door of the Ka’bah). This is so that he enters facing the front of the Ka’bah. However, it is permissible to enter al-Masjid al-Haram from any of its doors.
Thirdly: “As soon as the House is visible, one raises his hands and recites the supplications that have been authentically reported”: Similar to entering any other masjid, one should place his right foot first and say: “Bismillah wa salatu wa salam ‘ala rasulillah, allahumma aghfir li dhnubi, wa aftah li abwaba rahmatika.” (In the name of Allah, blessings and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, forgive me my sins and open for me the door of Your mercy.)
Or he may say: “A’udhu bi’llahi al-a’zim wa biwajibi al-karim, wa bisultanihi al-qadim min al-shaytani al-rajim, allahumma aghfir li dhunubi wa aftah li abwaba rahmatika.” (I seek refuge in Allah, the Magnificent, and in His noble face, and in his eternal domain, from the accursed Devil. O Allah, forgive me my sins and open for me the door of Your mercy.)
Fourthly: He begins by making tawaf as it serves as a greeting for al-Masjid al-Haram for those who just arrived at Makkah.
He performs the tawaf whilst doing idtiba’. Those performing ‘Umrah start by performing the tawaf al-umrah while those performing the qiran and ifrad forms of Hajj start by performing tawaf al-qudum. He must align himself well with al-hajar al-aswad and then touch it and kiss it. If this is difficult, he may touch it and then kiss his hand. If touching it is difficult, he may give a sign in its direction. He then says at this juncture what has been authentically reported. The House must be on his left side throughout.
This is an explanation of the rulings related to tawaf of the Ka’bah.
“He performs the tawaf whilst doing idtiba”‘. As soon as he reaches the mataf (circumference around the Ka’bah where tawaf is performed), it is mustahabb that he adopts the idtiba’ i.e., to wrap the middle of the upper garment (rida) of ihram under his right armpit and wrap its end over the left shoulder. Now, his left shoulder will be covered while his right shoulder will be exposed. This is idtiba which one adopts before beginning to perform tawaf. He may cover both shoulders once he has completed the tawaf. The practice of adopting idtiba’ as soon as one assumes ihram at the miqat, which is done by many people nowadays, is contradictory to Sunnah.
“Those performing ‘Umrah start by performing the tawaf al-‘umrah while those performing the qiran and ifrad forms of Hajj start by performing tawaf al-qudum”: Those performing al-tamattu should have an intention of ‘Umrah when performing tawaf. Those who have embarked on combining Hajj and ‘Umrah (qiran) or just Hajj alone (ifrad) should have an intention of performing tawaf al-qudum (the arrival tawaf. This is the Sunnah.
“He must align himself well with al-hajar al-aswad and then touch it and kiss it. If this is difficult, he may touch it and then kiss his hand. If touching it is difficult, he may give a sign in its direction. He then says at this juncture what has been authentically reported. The House must be on his left side throughout”: He starts the circling of the Ka’bah (tawaf from al-hajar al-aswad (the black stone). If he commences the tawaf after the black stone, then that particular cycle is nullified as the tawaf was incomplete. Therefore, he must start at the black stone and this is a condition for the validity of tawaf. If he is able to reach the black stone, he should touch it with his right hand and follow this up by kissing it. If it is difficult for him to kiss the black stone, he can kiss his right hand which touched the black stone. If it is difficult for him to even touch the black stone with his hand, it is permissible to touch it with the aid of a staff. This is provided that he does not harm anyone in the process of doing so. He may then kiss the part of the staff that made contact with the black stone. If he is not able to reach the black stone to touch or kiss it, he may give a sign in its direction while being aligned with it. One should not force his way through people expressly to kiss the black stone as it will cause much harm to others and he can become weakened due to the effort. This action of his will cause him to jostle with women as he barges his way through them. Hence, he may give a sign in the direction of the black stone even if he is at the edge of the mataf. However, he must align himself with the black stone. Once aligned, he raises his right hand and says, “Allahu akbar (Allah is the Greatest) and starts circling the Ka’bah for tawaf.
He makes seven rounds: At arrival, one walks briskly the first three rounds and walks at a normal pace the other four.
“He makes seven rounds: At arrival, one walks briskly the first three rounds and walks at a normal pace the other four”: He circles the Ka’bah seven times. This is a condition to validate tawaf. If a person misses one round or even a partial round, his tawaf is nullified. One full circle is from the black stone until the black stone. He must perform it in an anti-clockwise direction such that the Ka’bah is always on his left side. If he did it in a reverse direction, tawaf performed as a pilgrimage rite is nullified. It is mustahabb for those who came on a journey to Makkah and have just arrived at the House to walk briskly (al-raml) the first three rounds by quickening the pace. However, he should walk normally the distance between the Yemeni corner and the black stone. After the first three rounds, he walks at a normal pace to complete the seven units of tawaf. If one cannot walk briskly due to overcrowding in the mataf he may walk at normal pace as al-raml is not wajib. He is pardoned for not performing this Sunnah due to the overcrowding.
He touches the black stone and the Yemeni corner in each round.
“He touches the black stone and the Yemeni corner in each round”: The Yemeni corner should only be touched. It should not be kissed. If one is unable to touch it, then he should not make a sign in its direction. Therefore, he who performs tawaf may touch the Yemeni corner. He should neither kiss it nor make a sign in its direction. On the contrary, one may touch the black stone and kiss it. If he is unable to do so, he should make a sign in its direction. The other corners of the Ka’bah should neither be kissed nor touched. He should not make a sign in their direction either.
Whoever leaves off any part from the tawaf, did not make an intention to perform it or the pilgrimage itself, performs it around the Shadharwan or the Hijr wall, and performs it naked or whilst he was stained with filth, the tawaf is nullified.
“Whoever leaves off any part from the tawaf did not make an intention to perform it or the pilgrimage itself, performs it around the Shadharwan or the Hijr wall, and performs it naked or whilst he was stained with filth, the tawaf is nullified”: The following conditions (shurut) validate tawaf.
Firstly: Completion of seven rounds around the Ka’bah.
Secondly: Maintaining cleanliness and taharah. If he is in an impure state or his body or clothes are stained with najasah, his tawaf is invalid.
Thirdly: He must make an intention to perform tawaf as it is an act of worship. Acts of worship are invalid without an intention. The Prophet(pbuh) said, “Verily all actions are by their intention and verily for each person is what he intended.” (Reported by al-Bukhari (1/2) and Muslim (6/48) from the narration of ‘Umar.) The place of the intention is the heart. So, one should not articulate his intentions and doing so is an innovation in Islam. For example, you should not say, “O Allah, I make an intention to perform tawaf of this House seven rounds.” Allah knows what is in your heart and so you are not required to inform Him what is in your heart. Furthermore, neither the Messenger of Allah(pbuh) nor his Companions articulated the intention. Therefore, doing so is an innovation in Islam.
Fourthly: Tawaf must be performed inside Masjid al-Haram. If a person performs tawaf from outside the masjid’, from the place where he did sa’i for example, his tawaf Is invalid.
Fifthly: Tawaf must be performed around the Ka’bah. If a person makes tawaf around the walls of al-Hijr or he circles on the inside of al-Hijr, then his tawaf is invalid. This is because al- Hijr is part of the Ka’bah. Since he did not circumambulate the Ka’bah, the tawaf is incomplete. Similarly, if he makes tawaf around Shadharwan or the stone that was laid as a foundation for the Ka’bah, his tawaf is nullified as it cannot be considered as a performance of tawaf of the Ka’bah.
Sixthly: Covering of the awrah. If a person performs tawaf whilst being naked, his tawaf is nullified. This is because tawaf is like the prayer. Circling the Ka’bah whilst naked was the practice of the people from the days of ignorance. The Prophet(pbuh) forbade this saying, “Do not perform tawaf around the House while naked.” (Reported by al-Bukhari (1/103), (2/188), (4/124), (5/212) and (6/81) and Muslim (4/106- 107) from the narration of Abu Hurairah.)
Seventhly: Seven rounds should be performed completely. Each round starts at the black stone and ends at the black stone.
Then he prays two rakat behind al-Maqam. “Then he prays two rakat behind al-Maqam ”: After completing tawaf, it is mustahabb for him to perform the prayer for tawaf which consists of two rakat. It is best to do so at Maqami Ibrahim; that is, he stands such that the Maqam is between him and the Ka’bah. Allah says: {And take, [O believers], from the standing place of Ibrahim a place of prayer.} (Al-Baqarah: 125) Maqami Ibrahim is actually the stone on which Ibrahim stood when building the Ka’bah. He used to climb up and down the stone. Allah made this stone a symbol from amongst His symbols and ordained prayer at this spot as worship to Him. If a person has difficulty in performing the prayer at the Maqam, he may do so at any other place within the Haram.
By Shaykh Salih ibn Fawzan al-Fawzan
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