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Conditions for a valid Sa'i (Shurut sihhat al-Sa'i)

شروط صحة السعي بين الصفا والمروة

Shurūṭ Ṣiḥḥat al-Saʿy bayna al-Ṣafā wa al-Marwah

Conditions & RulingsMark read

Overview

These are the conditions for a valid sa'i — among them performing it after a valid tawaf, completing all seven traverses, and beginning at Safa and ending at Marwah. Only seven traverses are prescribed; extra ones are not a sunnah.

  • •Preceded by a valid tawaf — sa'i is only valid after a legally valid tawaf (tawaf al-'umrah, tawaf al-qudum, or tawaf al-ifadah); a sa'i done before any tawaf does not count.
  • •Seven complete traverses (saba' ashwat): Safa to Marwah is the first, Marwah to Safa the second, and so on, so that the seventh traverse ends at al-Marwah.
  • •Begin at al-Safa and end at al-Marwah; starting at al-Marwah voids that traverse.
  • •Each traverse must cover the entire distance between the two hills; leaving part of the course uncovered leaves the traverse incomplete.
  • •Performed within the mas'a (the designated course between Safa and Marwah, inside al-Masjid al-Haram).
  • •Continuity (muwalat) between the traverses — a condition of validity per Maliki and Hanbali; a sunnah per Hanafi and Shafi'i (so a brief interruption does not invalidate it for them).
  • •Order (tartib): the sa'i comes after its preceding tawaf, in that sequence — a condition (tied to the 'preceded by tawaf' point).
  • •Performed on foot for one who is able — wajib per Maliki (dam if omitted without excuse), sunnah for the others; riding or using a wheelchair is permitted for a valid excuse by all (the Prophet (ﷺ) performed part of tawaf / sa'i mounted on a camel — Ibn Abbas (RA), Bukhari 1607).
  • •Niyyah — a niyyah for the sa'i is required per Maliki; per the other schools the encompassing intention of Hajj / 'Umrah suffices and no separate sa'i-intention is needed.
  • •Not conditions (contrast with tawaf): ritual purity from hadath, covering the 'awrah, and facing a particular direction are not required for the validity of sa'i by the majority — this is the chief practical difference from the conditions of tawaf.

Qur'an

إِنَّ ٱلصَّفَا وَٱلْمَرْوَةَ مِن شَعَآئِرِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ فَمَنْ حَجَّ ٱلْبَيْتَ أَوِ ٱعْتَمَرَ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِ أَن يَطَّوَّفَ بِهِمَا'Indeed, al-Safa and al-Marwah are among the symbols of Allah. So whoever makes Hajj to the House or performs 'Umrah — there is no blame upon him for walking between them (an yattawwafa bihima).'

Reference · Qur'an 2:158

Hadith

  • •أَبْدَأُ بِمَا بَدَأَ اللَّهُ بِهِ ... فَبَدَأَ بِالصَّفَا ... حَتَّى إِذَا كَانَ آخِرُ طَوَافِهِ عَلَى الْمَرْوَةِ'I begin with that which Allah began with' — then he began at al-Safa ... until his last traverse ended at al-Marwah. (Part of the same hadith in which he said 'Take your rites of pilgrimage from me.')Reference · Sahih Muslim 1218aGrade · Sahih (Sahih Muslim; Jabir's (RA) Farewell-Hajj narration)
  • •فَابْدَءُوا بِمَا بَدَأَ اللَّهُ بِهِBegin with that which Allah began with — i.e. begin the sa'i at al-Safa, as Allah mentioned it first in Qur'an 2:158.Reference · Sunan an-Nasa'i 2962Grade · Sahih (Jabir's (RA) 'begin with what Allah began with' report; also in Sahih Muslim)
  • •اسْعَوْا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ كَتَبَ عَلَيْكُمُ السَّعْيَShe saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) performing sa'i between al-Safa and al-Marwah, saying: 'Perform sa'i, for Allah has prescribed sa'i upon you.'Reference · Musnad Ahmad 6/421Grade · Graded sahih by al-Albani (Irwa' al-Ghalil 1072); the chain is weakened by some but strengthened via corroborating routes (the Habibah bint Abi Tijrah (RA) hadith)

Unchanged for 'Umrah, with one clause doing the work: the sa'i must be preceded by a valid tawaf, which in 'Umrah means tawaf al-'Umrah specifically. Purity is not a condition of sa'i on the majority view, so a woman whose menses begin after she has completed her tawaf still performs her sa'i and completes her 'Umrah.

All three Hajj types (Tamattu', Qiran, Ifrad) and 'Umrah. Count difference: a Mutamatti' performs sa'i twice — once after tawaf al-'umrah and again after tawaf al-ifadah for Hajj — because there are two separate ihrams. A Qarin or Mufrid performs sa'i once, either after tawaf al-qudum (then not repeated after tawaf al-ifadah) or after tawaf al-ifadah.

If a mechanical condition is missing — fewer than seven traverses, starting at Marwah instead of Safa, not covering the full distance between the two hills, or performing sa'i before a valid tawaf — the sa'i is invalid and must be repeated. Because sa'i is a pillar for the majority (Maliki, Shafi'i, Hanbali), the Hajj/'Umrah is not complete and the pilgrim remains in ihram until a valid sa'i is performed; it cannot be compensated by a dam. Per the Hanafi school (sa'i = wajib) an invalid or omitted sa'i does not void the Hajj but obligates a dam (or sadaqah for a minor deficiency of three or fewer traverses).

Not clock-bound. Sa'i is valid only after a preceding valid tawaf, and once performed it does not expire. For 'Umrah it follows tawaf al-'umrah; for the Hajj sa'i it follows tawaf al-ifadah, or may be brought forward to after tawaf al-qudum for those doing Qiran or Ifrad. There is no fixed time of day.

The mas'a — the enclosed gallery between the two hills of al-Safa and al-Marwah, now incorporated within al-Masjid al-Haram in Makkah. Odd-numbered traverses begin at al-Safa; even-numbered ones begin at al-Marwah.

  • •Miscounting by treating a full round-trip (Safa to Marwah and back) as a single traverse, which makes the seventh end at al-Safa instead of al-Marwah
  • •Beginning the sa'i at al-Marwah rather than al-Safa
  • •Not covering the full distance to the base of each hill
  • •Performing sa'i before a valid tawaf (invalid)
  • •Believing wudu/purity is a condition and needlessly delaying or repeating sa'i
  • •Women performing the men-only brisk jog between the green lights

Point of divergence: The four schools agree on the core mechanical conditions (seven traverses, begin at Safa/end at Marwah, cover the full distance, performed after a valid tawaf). They diverge chiefly over (a) whether continuity between the traverses (muwalat) is a condition of validity, and (b) whether performing it on foot is a condition, wajib, or neither. All four agree ritual purity is not a condition. Genuine divergence: muwalat (continuity) is a condition of validity for Maliki and Hanbali but only a sunnah for Hanafi and Shafi'i; walking is wajib for Maliki (dam if omitted without excuse) but merely sunnah for the others. Unlike the conditions of tawaf, there is near-consensus across all four schools that taharah (wudu/ghusl) and covering the 'awrah are not conditions of sa'i's validity.

  • •Hanafi: Sa'i is wajib (not a rukn). Its conditions: preceded by a (even partial/most-of-a) valid tawaf, seven traverses beginning at Safa. Muwalat (continuity) and walking for the able are sunnah, not conditions; omitting most of the sa'i obligates a dam, omitting a minority of traverses obligates sadaqah. Purity is not required.
  • •Maliki: Sa'i is a rukn. Muwalat (continuity) between the traverses is a condition of validity, as is its being immediately preceded by a valid tawaf (tartib). Walking for one who is able is wajib (dam if omitted without excuse). A niyyah is required. Purity is recommended but not a condition.
  • •Shafi'i: Sa'i is a rukn. Conditions: preceded by a valid tawaf, seven complete traverses, begin at Safa and end at Marwah, cover the whole distance. Muwalat (continuity) is sunnah, not a condition (a sa'i may be resumed after interruption). Walking is sunnah. Purity is sunnah, not a condition.
  • •Hanbali: Sa'i is a rukn (relied-upon view). Muwalat/tartib (continuity and doing it after a valid tawaf) is required; seven traverses beginning at Safa. Walking for the able is sunnah/preferred. Purity is recommended, not a condition.

Adding an eighth traverse or extra rounds is not prescribed; only seven are done. Ascending al-Safa and al-Marwah, facing the Ka'bah, raising the hands, reciting 'Inna al-Safa wa al-Marwah min sha'a'ir Allah — abda'u bima bada'a Allahu bihi' on the first ascent, and du'a/dhikr on the hills, are recommended (sunan/adab), not conditions of validity. The Hajj sa'i is often paired with the tahallul sequence indirectly: it is part of a valid tawaf al-ifadah + sa'i that completes Hajj.