Penalties for a tawaf, saʿy or rami done incorrectly
What is owed if tawaf was made without wudu, saʿy was left incomplete, or the stoning of the Jamarat was missed.
A few of the rites of hajj must be done in a particular way. If they are done incorrectly, or missed, something is owed to put it right.
Things that can go wrong, and what is owed
- Doing the Tawaf of Ziyarah without wudu, or missing the Farewell Tawaf altogether: an animal must be sacrificed (a sheep or goat).
- Doing the Tawaf of Ziyarah in a state where ghusl is needed (not just wudu): a bigger animal must be sacrificed (a camel or a cow).
- Doing the Arrival Tawaf, the Farewell Tawaf, or any voluntary tawaf without wudu: give food to the poor instead of a sacrifice. Doing that tawaf again properly, with wudu, removes the need to pay anything.
- Doing the Tawaf of Umrah without wudu, while you are still in Makkah: simply do it again properly. If you have already left Makkah, a sacrifice is needed instead.
- Leaving out the saʿy between Safa and Marwah with no good reason: your hajj still counts, but a sacrifice is owed. Missing one, two or three of the seven trips only needs a smaller gift of food for each one missed.
- Not doing Ramal (the brisk walk) or Idtiba in tawaf, or not running between the markers in saʿy: nothing is owed for this; it is only that a sunnah was missed.
- Doing saʿy before tawaf in Umrah: this does not count. Tawaf must always come first, then saʿy.
- Missing the stoning of all three Jamarat on any one day, or missing the stoning of Jamarat al-Aqabah on the 10th: a sacrifice (a goat) is owed. Missing fewer than all the pebbles at one Jamarah only needs a small gift of food for each pebble missed.
A number of specific lapses in tawaf, saʿy, and the stoning of the Jamarat each carry their own, separately stated penalty.
| What happened | What is owed |
|---|---|
| Tawaf al-Ziyarah performed without wudu, or the Farewell Tawaf missed altogether, or both the Farewell Tawaf and the Arrival Tawaf performed in janabah | One sheep or goat |
| Tawaf al-Ziyarah performed in janabah (major ritual impurity) | A camel or a cow |
| Tawaf al-Qudum, Tawaf al-Wada, or a voluntary tawaf performed without wudu | Sadaqah of one ṣāʿ of dates or half a ṣāʿ of wheat, waived if the same tawaf is repeated in a state of wudu |
| Tawaf of Umrah performed without wudu or in janabah, while still in Makkah | The tawaf must simply be repeated |
| The same, but Makkah has already been left | A sacrifice: a goat suffices whether the cause was lack of wudu or janabah |
| Saʿy between Safa and Marwah abandoned with no valid excuse | The Hajj remains valid, but a sacrifice is owed |
| One to three of the seven trips of saʿy missed | Sadaqah equal to Sadaqat al-Fitr for each trip missed |
| Ramal or Idtiba omitted in tawaf, or the run between the two green markers omitted in saʿy | No penalty: a sunnah was simply missed |
| Saʿy performed before tawaf in Umrah | It does not count; tawaf must be performed first, then saʿy |
| The stoning of all three Jamarat missed on a single day, or the stoning of Jamarat al-Aqabah missed on the 10th | A goat |
| Fewer than a full round of pebbles missed at one Jamarah | Half a ṣāʿ of wheat in charity for each pebble missed |
Where the total value of several small charities would equal the price of a sacrifice, the pilgrim may reduce the amount given instead of paying the full sacrifice price.
Wājibmust do
Tawaf must always precede saʿy. A saʿy performed before tawaf in Umrah is not valid; tawaf has to be performed, and then the saʿy repeated afterwards.
Beyond the general jināyāt of ihram, several defects specific to Tawaf, Saʿy, and Ramy al-Jamarāt carry their own stated kaffārah, distinct from the perfume-and-covering schedule.
| Defect | Kaffārah |
|---|---|
| Tawaf al-Ziyārah performed without wuḍūʾ; or Tawaf al-Wadāʿ omitted entirely; or both Tawaf al-Wadāʿ and Tawaf al-Qudūm performed in janābah | One sheep or goat |
| Tawaf al-Ziyārah performed in janābah | A camel or a cow |
| Tawaf al-Qudūm, Tawaf al-Wadāʿ, or any nafl tawaf performed without wuḍūʾ | Sadaqah of one ṣāʿ of dates or half a ṣāʿ of wheat, per tawaf, nullified if the same tawaf is repeated in wuḍūʾ |
| Tawaf of ʿUmrah performed without wuḍūʾ or in janābah, while still resident in Makkah | The tawaf is simply repeated; no kaffārah attaches |
| The same, after departing Makkah | A sacrifice is due; a goat discharges it whether the defect was the absence of wuḍūʾ or janābah |
| Saʿy abandoned without a valid excuse | The Ḥajj remains valid (saʿy being wājib, not rukn), but damm is owed |
| One, two, or three of the seven shawṭs of saʿy omitted | Sadaqat al-Fiṭr equivalent per shawṭ omitted; if the aggregate equals the price of a sacrifice, the pilgrim may choose between the aggregate charity and the sacrifice |
| Ramal or iḍṭibāʿ omitted during tawaf, or the running (harwalah) between the two green markers omitted during saʿy | No kaffārah: these are sunan, and their omission, while blameworthy, carries no atonement |
| Saʿy performed before tawaf in ʿUmrah | Invalid as saʿy; tawaf must be performed, then saʿy repeated in its proper order |
| The stoning of all three Jamarāt missed on a given day, or the stoning of Jamrat al-ʿAqabah missed on the 10th | A goat |
| Fewer than the full complement of pebbles at a single Jamrah missed | Half a ṣāʿ of wheat per pebble, in charity, unless the aggregate equals the price of a goat, in which case the pilgrim may reduce it accordingly |
The distinction between janābah and the mere absence of wuḍūʾ tracks the general rule that Tawaf al-Ziyārah, being the rukn of Ḥajj, carries the heavier kaffārah of the two when compromised, while the lesser tawāf carry the lighter one.
Wājibmust do
Tawaf must precede saʿy in every case; a saʿy performed ahead of tawaf during ʿUmrah does not fulfil the requirement, and the pilgrim must perform tawaf and then repeat the saʿy in its correct order.
Related
- The fard, wajib and sunnah acts of Hajj and Umrah, at a glance The five acts Hajj cannot be valid without, the thirty-one wajib acts, the emphasised sunnahs, and what invalidates Hajj or Umrah outright.
- Tawaf al-Ziyarah, the pillar of Hajj When Tawaf al-Ziyarah is performed, why it is the rukn of Hajj, and what follows it in Makkah before returning to Mina.
- The seven kinds of tawaf, and its fard, wajib and sunnah acts The seven named tawafs of Hajj and Umrah, their timing, and which of tawaf's acts are fard, which wajib, and which sunnah.
- How a woman's ihram differs from a man's The points where a woman's ihram, tawaf, saʿy, and hair-cutting differ from a man's, and what menstruation or post-natal bleeding change.