Tawaf: Difference between revisions

* In case, it occurs after the middle fourth round, he should discontinue his tawaf and complete it —after making wudu'— from the very place. It is conditional that muwalat (performing acts consecutively) should not be interrupted as judged by common people.  

In case, one is unable to maintain muwalat, he/she should complete it with the intention of defective tawaf and perform another seven-round tawaf. Instead, he/she may perform only a seven-round tawaf with the intention of uncompleted tawaf or a separate new seven-round tawaf. Likewise, he/she may leave this uncompleted tawaf and perform a new seven-round tawaf after making wudu'. If a ghusl invalidation occurs, one must discontinue his/her tawaf and leave the Holy Masjid al-Haram immediately. If this situation arises before completing the middle of fourth round, the tawaf is invalid and he should start a new tawaf after making ghusl.  

In case, it occurs after the middle of fourth round, he should complete his tawaf —after making ghusl— from the very place. It is conditional that muwalat (performing acts consecutively) is not interrupted as judged by common people. In case, one is unable to maintain muwalat, he/she should complete it with the intention of defective tawaf and perform another seven-round tawaf. Instead, he/she may perform only a seven-round tawaf with the intention of uncompleted tawaf or a separate new seven-round tawaf. Likewise, he/she may leave this uncompleted tawaf and perform a new seven-round tawaf after making ghusl.

 

If a person is excused from doing wudu' or ghusl, he/she must do tayammum. If a person is unable to perform wudu' or obligatory ghusl, and he/she knows that the excuse is over by the end of tawaf, e.g. an ill person who knows that his illness will be cured, he/she must wait until excused is eliminated. After that he should do wudu' or ghusl. It is advised to wait for the excuse to terminate keeping in mind the time constraints. If a person becomes hopeless for the excuse to end, he/she should do tayammum and perform tawaf.

 

If a person, who is supposed to do jabira tayammum or wudu', performs tawaf and its prayer without getting purity due to ignorance about the ruling, they should repeat tawaf and prayer themselves if possible; otherwise, they should appoint a representative to do it on their behalf.

 

In the rituals of 'umra, state of keeping wudu' is mandatory only for tawaf and its prayer. However, maintaining state of wudu' for other rituals of 'umra is not obligatory; though it is better to do so in all situations.

 

If one doubts about his/her state of purity, one must act as follows:

* If one doubts about wudu' before commencing tawaf, he/she should do wudu'.

* If ghusl was obligatory for a person and before starting tawaf one doubts whether he made ghusl or not, he must do it prior to tawaf.

* If a person was in a state of wudu' but now he doubts its validity, it is not obligatory for him to do wudu' again.  

* If a person who was not in a state of janaba doubts his state of purity, taking ghusl is not obligatory for him/her. Similarly, a woman who is doubtful whether she has started menstruation or not, taking ghusl is not obligatory for her.

* After completing tawaf and before performing its prayer, if a person doubts whether he was in a state of wudu' or not, he/she should not be worried about his/her tawaf but one should make wudu' for the prayer of tawaf.  

* If a person starts tawaf with wudu' but during the tawaf doubts whether his wudu' is invalidated or not, one should not pay attention to this doubt and assume purity.

* If a person doubts during tawaf whether he/she was in state of wudu' at the start of tawaf while he is sure he was in state of wudu' before that, one should suppose he was in state of wudu' and ignore the doubts. The tawaf would hold valid in this case.

But, if one —during tawaf— doubts whether he was in state of wudu' before tawaf or knows that he was not in a state of wudu' before tawaf, he/she should gain purity and repeat tawaf.  

* If a person, for whom ghusl was obligatory and during tawaf he/she falls in doubt whether ghusl has been performed or not, he/she should leave the mosque immediately, do ghusl and start the tawaf from the beginning.

 

===Purity of the Body and the Clothes===

While performing tawaf, one's body and the clothes should be pure from blood. On the basis of obligatory caution, the body and clothing should be pure of other inherently najis materials as well. However, purity of socks, handkerchief, and ring is not considered as a mandatory condition. The blood spot that is lesser than a dirham, and those blood from wounds, which does not invalidate prayer, does not make tawaf void either.  

 

If a person's body is najis, they should if they can delay tawaf so that they may purify their body but there should not be shortage of time. If a person doubts regarding the purity of his/her body or clothes, he/she is allowed to do tawaf. But, if one is certain that the dress/body was najis and now doubts whether it was purified later, he/she is not allowed to do tawaf in it. If he/she comes to know after completing tawaf that his/her body or the clothes were najis, his/her tawaf is valid. If during the tawaf one's clothes/body become najis, e.g. if a person gets injured due to crowd and it is not possible for him/her to purify it without disconnecting tawaf, it is obligatory to discontinue tawaf, purify the body or clothes and return immediately to complete tawaf from the point of discontinuation, and it will be correct if muwalat is not damaged.  

 

If a person sees impurity on his/her body or the clothes during tawaf but he/she does not know whether it occurred before or during tawaf, the ruling is the same as the last ruling.

 

During tawaf, if a person comes to know that his body or the dress is najis and he/she is certain that body/clothes got najis before the commencement of tawaf, he/she should follow the same as the last two rulings. One who happens to forget that their body/clothes are najis and becomes aware of it during tawaf should also follow the last ruling.

 

If a person happens to forget that his body/clothes are najis, performs tawaf with these clothes and remembers it after completing tawaf, his/her tawaf is valid. But, if he/she offers the prayer of tawaf with the same najis clothes/body, he/she will have to perform prayer again after its purification. On the basis of recommended caution, one should perform tawaf again after purification.

 

Circumcision is a necessary condition for the validity of tawaf of men. However, women are exempted from it. Tawaf of the uncircumcised man is void whether he is legally mature (baligh) or a minor.

 

On the basis of obligatory caution, covering the private parts while performing tawaf is a condition. If a woman does not cover a few strands of her hair or a part of body that should be covered, her tawaf would be valid, although she has committed a sin.

 

It is amongst the conditions of tawaf that a person who is performing tawaf is not wearing usurped clothes. Therefore, if he/she performs tawaf with usurped clothes, on the basis of obligatory caution, his/her tawaf is void.

 

 

On the basis of obligatory caution, conventional muwalat between the parts of the tawaf should be observed. It means that there should not be a long interruption so that the seven rounds are not considered as a single action. However, if somebody disconnects it in the middle of tawaf i.e. after 3.5 rounds in order to offer prayer or the like, there is no objection.

 

If a person discontinues his/her obligatory tawaf after completing 3.5 rounds to offer an obligatory prayer, he/she should continue it after prayer from the point of discontinuation and complete its seven rounds. But, if he/she discontinues before completing half tawaf and there is a long gap, on the basis of caution, he/she should perform tawaf from the beginning. In case, the gap is not long, it is not remote to say it is not necessary to observe caution in such a case. However, caution is desirable in any case. There is no difference whether the prayer is performed individually or with congregation and whether the time of prayer is too short or not.

 

It is permissible to disconnect mustahabb and obligatory tawaf. Though, it is caution not to interrupt an obligatory tawaf so long that muwalat according to common view would be destroyed.

 

There are seven things obligatory for a tawaf:  

* To begin tawaf from the corner of the Hajar al-Aswad (the Black Stone);

* To finish each round of tawaf at Hajar al-Aswad (the Black Stone);

* To perform tawaf from left hand side;

* To perform tawaf out of [[Hijr of Isma'il]] (peace be upon him);

* Tawaf should occur out of Holy [[Ka'ba]] and [[Shadharwan]].

* Tawaf should be performed between the distance of Holy Ka'ba and [[Maqam of Ibrahim]] (peace be upon him).

* Tawaf should consist of seven rounds (shawt).

 

It is obligatory to start tawaf from Hajar al-Aswad. It may start from any point parallel to it. Moreover, it is not compulsory to commence tawaf [exactly] from the beginning point of Hajar al-Aswad and all parts of body passes by all parts of Hajar al-Aswad. Rather, if one starts his/her tawaf from the beginning —as judged by common view— of Hajar al-Aswad, it is sufficient. However, he/she should finish tawaf from the point of beginning i.e. if he/she starts tawaf from the middle of Hajar al-Aswad, he/she should finish it in the middle of it. It is no problem in entering tawaf place before Hajar al-Aswad provided that they intend their tawaf to start from Hajar al-Aswad.

 

Issue 312: It is not obligatory to stop in the front of Hajar al-Aswad after completing each round and then start the next round. A person may complete the seven rounds without stopping and should finish his/her seventh round from the very point from where he/she started tawaf. However, on the basis of caution, one may at the end of the last round go a bit further so as to gain certainty that start and end of tawaf is at same point.  

Issue 313: One should start tawaf from parallel point of Hajar al-Aswad like other Muslims without any hesitation or obsessive exatitude. It is not necessary to stop in front of the Hajar al-Aswad after completing each round.