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.
After the stoning, the sacrifice, and the hair-cutting on Eid day, there is one more important tawaf to do: the Tawaf of Ziyarah. This is the tawaf that Hajj cannot be valid without.
Doing the Tawaf of Ziyarah
- It is best to do it on the same day, the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah, in Makkah.
- If you already did Ramal and saʿy earlier at Tawaf al-Qudum, do this tawaf without Ramal or Idtiba.
- If you have not done saʿy yet, do it after this tawaf. In that case, do this tawaf with Ramal, but still without Idtiba.
- You can also do this tawaf on the 11th or 12th of Dhul-Hijjah if you cannot manage it on the 10th.
- Once it is done, go back to Mina and stay the night there.
Tawaf al-Ziyarah is one of the pillars of Hajj. Hajj is not valid without it.
Tawaf al-Ziyarah (also called Tawaf al-Rukn, Tawaf al-Wajib, or Tawaf Yawm al-Nahr) is the rukn (pillar) of Hajj, valid from Fajr on the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah until the end of the 12th.
Performing Tawaf al-Ziyarah
- It is performed, ideally, on the 10th itself, back in Makkah.
- If Ramal and saʿy were already carried out at Tawaf al-Qudum, this tawaf is performed without Ramal or Idtiba.
- If saʿy has not yet been performed, it is done immediately after this tawaf, in which case Ramal is performed in this tawaf, though Idtiba is not.
- It may also be delayed to the 11th or 12th if the 10th is not practical.
- Once Tawaf al-Ziyarah (and saʿy, if it was still outstanding) is complete, the pilgrim returns to Mina for the night.
Tawaf al-Ziyarah is the rukn of Hajj, one of its five fard acts, and Hajj is not valid without it.
Performing Tawaf al-Ziyarah within the days of Nahr, the 10th to the 12th of Dhul-Hijjah, is wajib; delaying it past the 12th makes a sacrifice (damm) necessary, though it does not invalidate the Hajj.
Tawaf al-Ziyārah (also Tawaf al-Rukn, Tawaf al-Wājib, Tawaf Yawm al-Naḥr) is the rukn of Ḥajj, its valid window running from Fajr of the 10th of Dhū al-Ḥijjah to sunset on the 12th.
Performing Tawaf al-Ziyārah
- Ideally performed on the 10th itself, back in Makkah, after the stoning, sacrifice, and ḥalq of that day.
- Where ramal and saʿy were already discharged in Tawaf al-Qudūm, this tawāf carries neither ramal nor iḍṭibāʿ.
- Where saʿy remains outstanding, it follows immediately after this tawāf, which in that case carries ramal but still not iḍṭibāʿ, the general principle being that whichever tawāf saʿy follows is the one that carries these two sunnahs.
- Delay to the 11th or 12th is permitted where the 10th is impractical.
- On completing Tawaf al-Ziyārah (and saʿy, if it had been deferred to this point) the pilgrim returns to Minā to spend the night.
Tawaf al-Ziyārah is the rukn of Ḥajj, one of its five farḍ acts alongside iḥrām, wuqūf, the correct order of these three, and timeliness. Ḥajj is not valid in its absence, and, the wuqūf having already established the greater primacy discussed in the section on standing at ʿArafah, its own timing is nonetheless subject to a defined window.
Performance within the days of Naḥr (the 10th to the 12th of Dhū al-Ḥijjah) is wājib; a delay beyond the 12th necessitates damm without voiding the Ḥajj itself, mirroring the treatment of a delayed iḥrām past the mīqāt.
Related
- 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.
- 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.
- The days of Hajj, from the 8th to the 13th of Dhul-Hijjah, at a glance A day-by-day timetable of Hajj's rites, from the Day of Tarwiyah to leaving Mina, together with the three sermons and the exemption from Eid prayer.
- The Day of Tarwiyah: entering ihram for Hajj and going to Mina How Hajj begins on the 8th of Dhul-Hijjah: entering ihram, Tawaf al-Qudum, travelling to Mina, and spending the night there.