Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

 

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Assalaam aalikum,

dear brother,

Please explain when Tawaf Al Wida (Farewell Tawaf) is obligatory. My friend says farewell tawaf is obligatory for person who is Residing in Macca & Jeddah. I think Farewell Tawaf is Obligatory for the person who performed Hajj. Kindly calrify at the earliest.

Allah Hafiz 

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

 

Answer:

 

Tawaf wida farewell

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person,  no grave, no prophet,  no imam,  no dai,  nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

 

Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 5.123a

This is called the ‘Tawaf al-Wida’ or the ‘Farewell Tawaf’ because by this a pilgrim bids farewell to Ka'bah, the House of Allah.  It is also known as Tawaf As-Sadr (Tawaf Before Departing) because it marks the departing of pilgrims from Makkah.  In this there is no jogging (ramal), and it is the last rite performed by a non-resident pilgrim in Makkah before leaving for his home.  Malik has reported in Al-Muwatta that 'Umar said, "The last rite of Hajj is tawaf around the Ka'bah."

As for residents of Makkah, and the menstruating women (pilgrims), they are not obligated to perform it,  nor to pay any atonement for missing it.  Both Bukhari and Muslim report from Ibn 'Abbas that he said, "A menstruating woman (pilgrim) is permitted to depart (without performing the Farewell Tawaf)." According to another report, he said: "People were ordered to make the tawaf  of the Ka'bah their last rite; the menstruating women were, however, excused from it."

It is also reported by Muslim and Bukhari that Safiyah, the wife of the Prophet (saws) had her monthly period during Hajj.  When the Prophet (saws) was informed about this, he (saws) said, "Is she going to hold us here (till she performs her rites of Hajj)?"  He (saws) was told that she had already performed all her Hajj rites except the Farewell Tawaf.  The Prophet (saws) said, "There is no harm then, (let us go)."

 

Fiqh-us-Sunnah Fiqh 5.124

There is agreement among the Muslim scholars that the ‘Farewell Tawaf’ is prescribed by law. Both Muslim and Abu Daw'ud reported from Ibn 'Abbas that he said, "The people (pilgrims) used to leave Makkah in every other direction (and haphazardly). Thereupon the Prophet (saws) said, "Let none of you leave Makkah before making a Tawaf around the Ka'bah, as the last of Hajj rites."

There is however a difference of opinion amongst the eminent scholars in Islam about its legal position.  Imam Malik and Imam Shafei are of the opinion that the ‘tawaf al-wida’ is a Sunnah and by leaving it one does not incur any penalty or atonement. The Hanafi and Hanbali schools hold that the ‘tawaf al-wida’  is an  obligatory rite of Hajj, and a pilgrim who misses it must slaughter an animal to atone for it.

 

Your Question: My friend says farewell tawaf is obligatory for person who is Residing in Macca & Jeddah. I think Farewell Tawaf is Obligatory for the person who performed Hajj. Kindly calrify at the earliest.

The ‘tawaf ul-wida’ is what is known as a ‘wajib’ rite of the Hajj pilgrimage, and if one misses a ‘wajib’ rite one must atone for it by offering a sacrifice. 

 

The ‘tawaf-ul-Wida’ or Farewell Tawaaf is ‘wajib’ on every Hajj pilgrim except the residents of Makkah.  For the residents of Jeddah, Taif, Madinah or any other city or country, they are obligated to perform the Farewell Tawaf when they are about to leave the Holy Precincts of Makkah after the completion of their Hajj pilgrimage.

 

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone.  Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

 

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

 

Burhan