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.
There is more than one kind of tawaf. Each has its own name and its own time.
The seven kinds of tawaf
- Tawaf al-Qudum: the arrival tawaf, done as soon as you reach the mosque. It is sunnah, and it is not done by someone doing Tamattu, or by someone who lives in Makkah.
- Tawaf al-Ziyarah: the tawaf of visiting, done between the 10th and 12th of Dhul-Hijjah. This one is a pillar of Hajj; Hajj is not complete without it.
- Tawaf al-Wada: the farewell tawaf, done just before leaving Makkah for good, for anyone who does not live in Makkah.
- The Tawaf of Umrah: done as part of Umrah; Umrah is not complete without it.
- A voluntary tawaf: done any time you like, just for extra reward.
- The greeting tawaf: like the two rakats you pray on entering any other mosque, entering Masjid al-Haram is greeted with tawaf instead.
- A vowed tawaf: done because someone promised Allah they would do it.
| Part of tawaf | How important | What happens if you miss it |
|---|---|---|
| Doing the tawaf itself | Fard (a pillar) | Hajj or Umrah is not valid without it |
| Walking around the Hijr, not through it | Wajib | A sacrifice is owed |
| Having wudu during tawaf | Wajib | A sacrifice or gift of food is owed, depending on which tawaf |
| Covering your private parts and wearing clean clothes | Wajib | The tawaf is not correct without this |
| Walking, not riding, if you are able to | Wajib | A sacrifice is owed if skipped without a reason |
| Praying two rakats after tawaf | Fard | You should still pray them, though missing them is not paid for like other wajib acts |
| Ramal (the brisk walk) in the first three rounds | Sunnah | No payment owed, but a reward is missed |
| Doing the Tawaf of Arrival when you first reach Makkah | Sunnah | No payment owed, but a reward is missed |
Tawaf is named differently depending on when and why it is performed. Seven kinds are recognised.
| Name | When performed | Ruling |
|---|---|---|
| Tawaf al-Qudum (also al-Tahiyyah, al-Liqa) | On first entering the Haram | Sunnah for an Afaqi Mufrid or Qarin; not performed by someone doing Tamattu or by a Makkan. (Imam Malik holds it obligatory.) |
| Tawaf al-Ziyarah (also al-Rukn, al-Wajib, Yawm al-Nahr) | From Fajr on the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah to the end of the 12th | Obligatory: the rukn (pillar) of Hajj. Delaying it past this window makes a sacrifice necessary. |
| Tawaf al-Wada (also al-Rukhsah, al-Sadr, al-Ifadah, Akhir al-Ahd) | Any time after Tawaf al-Ziyarah, ideally just before leaving | Obligatory for an Afaqi (Mufrid, Qarin or Mutamatti alike), but not for a Makkan or for someone who only performed Umrah |
| Tawaf of Umrah | During Umrah | Obligatory; Umrah is not valid without it |
| Nafl tawaf | Any time | Voluntary, open to Afaqi and Makkan alike |
| Tawaf al-Tahiyyat al-Masjid | On entering Masjid al-Haram | Recommended: hadith describes tawaf as the greeting of this particular mosque |
| Tawaf al-Nadhr | Whenever vowed | Obligatory, because it was vowed |
| Act | Level | If it is left out |
|---|---|---|
| Performing the tawaf itself | Fard | Hajj (Tawaf al-Ziyarah) or Umrah is not valid at all |
| Walking around the Hijr (Hateem), not through it | Wajib | A sacrifice (damm) is owed |
| Being in a state of wudu during tawaf | Wajib | A sacrifice or charity is owed, depending on which tawaf it was |
| Covering the private parts, in clean clothing that fully covers them | Wajib | The tawaf is defective; put right as described in the penalties section |
| Walking on foot, without a valid excuse | Wajib | A sacrifice is owed if there was no excuse |
| Praying two rakats after tawaf | Fard (Hanafi) | They should still be prayed; unlike most wajib acts, no penalty is described for missing them |
| Performing Tawaf al-Ziyarah within the days of Nahr (10th–12th) | Wajib | A sacrifice is owed for delaying past this window |
| Performing Tawaf al-Wada for an Afaqi before leaving | Wajib | A sacrifice is owed if it is missed |
| Ramal (brisk walking) in the first three circuits of a tawaf followed by saʿy | Sunnah mu'akkadah | No penalty; a reward and a sunnah are missed |
| Idtiba (baring the right shoulder) during that same tawaf | Sunnah | No penalty |
| Istilam of the Black Stone at each circuit | Sunnah | No penalty; doing it only at the first and last circuit is also valid |
| Tawaf al-Qudum on first arrival, for an Afaqi Mufrid or Qarin | Sunnah mu'akkadah | No penalty, though many other sunnahs of the day are lost by skipping it without necessity |
According to Abu Lais, four acts of Hajj are singled out as especially emphasised sunnahs: Tawaf al-Qudum, ramal in tawaf, saʿy between Safa and Marwah, and staying overnight in Mina.
The seven named ṭawāfs differ in occasion and ruling, though the method described in the previous section applies, with the qualifications given there, to each of them.
| Name | Occasion | Ruling | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tawaf al-Qudūm (al-Taḥiyyah, al-Liqā) | Immediately on entering the Ḥaram | Sunnah for an Āfāqī Mufrid or Qārin | Not performed by a Mutamattiʿ or a Makkī; Imām Mālik holds it wājib. Where Sa'y will not follow it, ramal is not performed in it. |
| Tawaf al-Ziyārah (al-Rukn, al-Wājib, Yawm al-Naḥr) | From Fajr of the 10th of Dhū al-Ḥijjah to the close of the 12th | Farḍ: the rukn of Ḥajj | Delay beyond this window necessitates damm |
| Tawaf al-Wadāʿ (al-Rukhṣah, al-Ṣadr, al-Ifāḍah, Ākhir al-ʿAhd bi'l-Bayt) | Its first time is after Tawaf al-Ziyārah; its last extends through the whole stay, though performing it just before departure is preferred | Wājib for the Āfāqī (Mufrid, Qārin or Mutamattiʿ alike) | Not obligatory on a Makkī or on one who performed only ʿUmrah |
| Tawaf of ʿUmrah | During ʿUmrah | Farḍ (rukn of ʿUmrah) | None |
| Nafl ṭawāf | Any time | Mustaḥabb | Open to Āfāqī and Makkī alike, performed after the ṭawāf of ʿUmrah by one performing it |
| Tawaf al-Taḥiyyat al-Masjid | On entering Masjid al-Ḥarām | Mustaḥabb | The ḥadīth describes ṭawāf as this mosque's taḥiyyah in place of the two rakʿahs elsewhere |
| Tawaf al-Nadhr | Whenever vowed | Wājib | By force of the vow itself |
| Act | Level | Consequence of omission |
|---|---|---|
| The performance of ṭawāf itself | Farḍ (rukn) | Ḥajj or ʿUmrah is not valid |
| Including the Ḥijr within the circuit rather than crossing it | Wājib | Damm |
| Ṭahārah (wuḍūʾ) throughout the ṭawāf | Wājib | Damm or ṣadaqah, graded by which ṭawāf and by janābah vs. mere ḥadath, as set out in the penalties sections |
| Satr al-ʿawrah, in clean, sufficient clothing | Wājib | The ṭawāf is defective; the remedy is as set out for that specific defect |
| Performing ṭawāf on foot, absent a valid excuse | Wājib | Damm |
| Two rakʿahs after ṭawāf | Farḍ (Ḥanafī); sunnah per al-Shāfiʿī | To be prayed regardless; no kaffārah is described for a delay, even though performing them at a disliked hour is itself makrūh |
| Tawaf al-Ziyārah performed within the days of Naḥr | Wājib | Damm for delay beyond the 12th |
| Tawaf al-Wadāʿ for the Āfāqī | Wājib | Damm if omitted |
| Ramal in the first three ashwāṭ of a ṭawāf to be followed by saʿy | Sunnah mu'akkadah | No kaffārah |
| Iḍṭibāʿ during that same ṭawāf | Sunnah | No kaffārah |
| Istilām of the Black Stone at each shawṭ | Sunnah | No kaffārah; Istilām only at the first and last shawṭ also discharges it |
| Tawaf al-Qudūm on first arrival, for the Āfāqī Mufrid or Qārin | Sunnah mu'akkadah | No kaffārah, though foregoing it without necessity is sinful for the sunnahs it forecloses |
Al-faqīh Abū'l-Layth counts Tawaf al-Qudūm, ramal in ṭawāf, saʿy between Ṣafā and Marwah, and the nights spent in Minā among the four sunan mu'akkadah of Ḥajj specifically.
Makrūhbetter not to
Performing several ṭawāfs consecutively and delaying the two rakʿahs of each until the end is disliked; Abū Yūsuf permits combining an odd number of ṭawāfs in this way as an exception.
Related
- 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 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-Wada, the farewell tawaf The last rite before leaving Makkah: who must perform it, how it differs from other tawafs, and the parting at Multazam.
- Hajj, Umrah, and the three ways of combining them How Hajj and Umrah differ, and the three recognised ways of performing them together: Ifrad, Tamattu' and Qiran.