Tawaaf (Circumambulation)

05/09/2010| IslamWeb

Ibn ‘Umar said, “Enjoy this House, the Ka‘bah; it was destroyed twice, but the third time, it will be lifted [i.e. it will never be rebuilt again].” [Ibn Hibbaan in his Saheeh, and Al-Haakim in his Mustadrak. Al-Haakim ranked it as Saheeh (authentic) according to the conditions stipulated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Furthermore, Ibn ‘Umar reported that the Prophet said: “He who performs circumambulation around the Ka‘bah and two Rak‘ahs [units of prayer], his reward shall be equivalent to that of freeing a slave.” [Ibn Maajah, Al-Albaani: Saheeh]

‘Ali said, “Perform plenty of Tawaaf around the Ka‘bah before you cannot do so - before a man with a small head and small ears will demolish it with his shovel.” [‘Abd Ar-Razzaaq in his Al-Musannaf]

Abu ‘Ubayd reported in his book Ghareeb Al-Ahadeeth that ‘Ali said, “Perform plenty of Tawaaf around the Ka‘bah before you cannot do so. It is as if I am looking at him - an Abyssinian man with a bald head [or he may have said, with small ears] and lean legs, sitting by it while it is being demolished.”

These narrations are proven true by the authentic Ahadeeth that were reported on the thin legged man who would demolish the Ka‘bah. Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet said: “Thu As-Suwayqatayn [literally: one with two lean legs], from Abyssinia will demolish the Ka‘bah.”  [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]

Other Ahadeeth on destroying the Ka‘bah were reported but this is not the place to cite them. Al-Bukhari allocated a whole chapter of his Saheeh titled Hadm Al-Ka‘bah (the Destruction of the Ka‘bah) where he cited these narrations.

Scholars stated that it is recommended for Muslims who go to Al-Masjid Al-Haraam (the Sacred Mosque) to perform Tawaaf as much as they can and to the best of their abilities, and some of them were of the view that performing voluntary Tawaaf is better than performing a voluntary prayer in Al-Masjid Al-Haraam.

Ibn Taymiyyah said, “Tawaaf is the Hajj ritual that involves the most work; it is prescribed for the person arriving at Al-Masjid Al-Haraam to perform the Arrival Tawaaf. It is also prescribed for the pilgrim to perform the Farewell Tawaaf, apart from the obligatory Ifaadhah [Return from Mina] Tawaaf after staying in ‘Arafah. It is also recommended to go to Makkah to perform Tawaaf during one’s stay in Mina, and in general. Tawaaf is recommended throughout the year.”

He also said, “It is far more beneficial and virtuous for a person to circumambulate around the Ka‘bah than any other walking possible.”

Thus, it can be concluded that circumambulation around the Ka‘bah is one of the best acts of worship and righteous deeds for Muslims heading for Al-Masjid Al-Haraam, whether he is a pilgrim performing Hajj or ‘Umrah (lesser pilgrimage) or a visitor. However, the person who performs a voluntary Tawaaf should avoid the times when people are more likely to crowd during Tawaaf, such as the Day of An-Nahr (the 10th day of Thul-Hijjah) and the days of Tashreeq (the 12th, 13th and 14th of Thul-Hijjah) so as not to crowd others who are performing obligatory Tawaaf, and he shall be rewarded for such an intention, if Allah wills.