Mistakes made when doing Tawaaf
During tawaaf we noticed that some people stand at the beginning of tawaaf and
utter out loud their intention of doing tawaaf. We also noticed that some of
them push and shove in order to reach the Black Stone, and even fight over it.
What is your opinion about these actions?.
These are mistakes that occur during tawaaf, and are of various types:
1 : Uttering the intention out loud when wanting to do tawaaf, so you see the
pilgrim standing facing the Black Stone when he wants to do tawaaf, saying, O
Allaah, I intend to do seven circuits of tawaaf for Umrah" or O Allaah, I
intend to do seven circuits of tawaaf for Hajj, or O Allaah, I intend to do
seven circuits of tawaaf in order to draw closer to You.
Uttering the intention out loud is bidah (an innovation), because the Messenger
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not command his ummah to do
that. Everyone who worships Allaah in a manner in which the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did not worship Him or command his
ummah to do so has introduced an innovation into the religion of Allaah that is
not part of it. So uttering the intention out loud when doing tawaaf is a
mistake and an innovation. Just as it is a mistake from the point of view of
shareeah, it is also a mistake from a rational point of view. What is the point
of uttering the intention out loud when the intention is a matter between you
and your Lord, and Allaah knows what is in peoples hearts and He knows that
you are going to circumambulate this House. If Allaah knows that then there is
no need to say that out loud to the slaves of Allaah.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did tawaaf before you
and he did not speak the intention out loud when he did tawaaf. The Sahaabah
(may Allaah be pleased with them) did tawaaf before you and did not speak the
intention out loud when they did tawaaf, or when doing any other act of
worship, so this is a mistake.
2 : Some of those who do tawaaf push and shove too much when they touch the
Black Stone and the Yemeni Corner, and they are disturbed by the overcrowding
and disturb others. They may be pushing and shoving a woman, and the Shaytaan
may tempt him and fill his heart with desire when he is crowding this woman in
this narrow place. People are only human and may be overwhelmed by their souls
that prompt them to do evil, so an evil action may take place in the shadow of
the House of Allaah. This is a matter that becomes even worse in light of where
it takes place, although it is a fitnah in any place it happens.
It is not prescribed to push and shove when touching the Black Stone or the
Yemeni Corner, rather if it is easy for you to do so in a calm and dignified
manner, then you must do it, and if it is not easy for you to do it, then you
should just point to the Black Stone.
With regard to the Yemeni Corner, there is no report from the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allaah be upon him) that he pointed to it, and we cannot
compare it to the Black Stone, because the Black Stone is greater than it, and
it was proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
pointed to the Black Stone.
Just as crowding is not prescribed in this situation and there is the fear that
it may cause fitnah when one is crowded together with women, so too it may also
cause annoyance, because in crowded situations a person will inevitably hear
words that he dislikes and he will feel annoyed and angry when he leaves this
place.
What the person who is doing tawaaf should do is always remain calm and
dignified, so that he will have the proper presence of mind for worshipping
Allaah. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:Tawaaf
around the House and (Saai) between al-Safa and al-Marwah and the stoning of
the Jamaar have only been prescribed so that remembrance of Allaah (dhikr) will
be established.
3 : Some people think that tawaaf is not valid unless one kisses the Black
Stone, and that kissing the Black Stone is one of the conditions of tawaaf
being valid, and of Hajj and Umrah being valid too. This is a mistaken notion.
Kissing the Black Stone is Sunnah, and it is not an independent Sunnah either,
rather it is Sunnah for the one who is doing tawaaf. I do not know that kissing
the Black Stone is Sunnah except in tawaaf. Based on this, since kissing the
Black Stone is Sunnah and is not obligatory and is not a condition of Tawaaf,
then if a person does not kiss it, we do not say that his tawaaf is invalid or
that his tawaaf is lacking and he is sinning. Rather his tawaaf is valid and if
there is a lot of crowding then pointing is better than touching, because this
is what the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) did when the
place was crowded, and because by doing this a person avoids harm that he may
do to others or that others may do to him.
If someone were to ask us: If the Mataaf (place of tawaaf) is very crowded,
what do you think is it better to push in and touch and kiss the Black Stone,
or to point to it?
We say that it is better to point to it, because that is the Sunnah. That was
narrated from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him), and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him).
4 : Kissing the Yemeni Corner. There is no proof concerning this from the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and if an act
of worship is not proven from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) then it is bidah and is not an act of worship that brings
one closer to Allaah. Based on this, it is not prescribed to kiss the Yemeni
Corner, because that was not proven from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him). Rather that was narrated in a daeef (weak)
hadeeth that cannot be taken as evidence.
5 : Some people, when they touch the Black Stone or Yemeni Corner, touch it
with their left hands in a careless manner. This is a mistake, because the
right hand is better than the left hand, and the left hand is only used for
unclean things such as cleaning oneself after relieving oneself, or rinsing
one's nose, and so on. When it comes to matters of kissing and respect, the
right hand should be used.
6 : They think that touching the Black Stone and the Yemeni corner is done for
barakah or blessing, not as part of the ritual of tawaaf, so they touch them
seeking barakah from them. This is undoubtedly contrary to the purpose, for the
purpose of touching the Black Stone or wiping it or kissing it is to glorify
Allaah.
Hence when the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) touched the
Black Stone he said: Allaahu akbar, as an indication that the purpose of this
action is to glorify Allaah, not to seek barakah by touching this stone.
Hence when the caliph Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) touched the Black
Stone he said: By Allaah, I know that you are just a stone and can neither
cause harm nor bring benefit. Were it not that I had seen the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) kiss you, I would not have
kissed you.
This mistaken notion held by some people that the purpose behind touching the
Yemeni Corner and the Black Stone is to seek barakah has led some of them to
bring their young children and touch the Corner or the Stone with their hands,
then wipe their children with their hands. This is a corrupt belief that should
be denounced. We should explain to people that these stones can neither harm
nor benefit, and that the purpose of touching them is to glorify Allaah and
establish His remembrance (dhikr), and to follow the example of His Messenger
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
All of these matters and others are not prescribed in shareeah. Rather they are
innovations (bidah) and do not benefit those who do them in any way. But if the
one who does that is ignorant and does not realize that this is bidah, then
there is the hope that he may be forgiven. But if he knows that this is bidah
or is negligent and does not ask about his religion, then he is sinning.
7 : Some people recite a specific duaa in each circuit. This is a kind of
bidah that was not narrated from the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) or his companions. The Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) did not recite a specific duaa in each circuit, and neither
did his companions. The most that can be said concerning that is that between
the Yemeni Corner and the Black Stone the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) used to say: Our Lord! Give us in this world that which is
good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of
the Fire! [al-Baqarah 2:201 interpretation of the meaning].
And he (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:Tawaaf around the
House and (Saai) between al-Safa and al-Marwah and the stoning of the Jamaar
have only been prescribed so that remembrance of Allaah (dhikr) will be
established.
This bidah is even more wrong when the person carries a small booklet in which
there is a duaa for each circuit, and he reads this booklet, not knowing what
he is saying, either because he does not know Arabic and does not understand
the meanings, or because although he is an Arab and speaks Arabic he does not
know what he is saying. We even hear some of them say duaas that clearly
deviate from Islamic teaching; for example, we have heard someone saying, O
Allaah, make me independent of means by Your Majesty (jalaalika) so I have no
need of that which You have forbidden when he should have said, by that which
You have permitted (halaalika).
We also see some people reading this booklet, and when they finish the duaa for
the circuit they are doing, they stop and do not recite any other duaa for the
rest of that circuit. If there are not many people in the Mataaf, they finish
the circuit before they finish the duaa, so they cut the duaa short.
The remedy for that is to explain to the pilgrims that during tawaaf a person
can say whatever duaa he wants, and he can remember Allaah (dhikr) however he
wants. If this is explained to the people this problem will go away.
Ruling on one who falls into these innovations
With regard to these actions, people are either:
- completely ignorant and do not realize that what they are doing is
haraam. In this case there is the hope that there will be no blame on such
people.
- Or they know but they are deliberately going astray and leading
others astray. Such a person is undoubtedly a sinner and will also bear the
burden of the sins of those who follow his example.
- Or they are unaware and are negligent, not caring to ask people who
know. There is the fear that these people may be sinning because of their
carelessness and their failure to ask.
These are the errors that we have noticed during tawaaf. We hope that Allaah
will guide our Muslim brothers to put things right so that their tawaaf will be
in accordance with the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him), for the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Religion is not based on emotions
and inclinations, rather it is to be based on what has been narrated from the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him).
>From Daleel al-Akhta allati yaqa fiha al-Haaj wal-Mutamir by Shaykh Ibn
>Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him).
(source-islam-qa)
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