Wednesday, July 29, 2026

Completion of Sa'ī, Ḥalq or Taqṣīr, Important Rulings, and Prohibited Acts of Ṭawāf

A precaution to be taken during Sa'ī

At times people are offering Ṣalāh at Mas'ā [the place where Sa'ī is performed]. For a Ṭawāf-performing person to pass across the front of a Ṣalāh-offering person is permissible but for a Sa'ī-performing person to do so is impermissible. Therefore, if you come across such a situation during Sa'ī, wait unless the Ṣalāh-offering person has finished his Ṣalāh. However, you can pass across the front of the Ṣalāh-offering person using an already passing person as Sutrah¹.

Ṣalāh of Sa'ī is Mustaḥab

If it is not a Makrūh time for Ṣalāh, perform two Rak'āt Ṣalāh in Masjid-ul-Ḥarām, as it is Mustaḥab. It is reported that the Holy Prophet offered two Rak'āt Ṣalāh having performed Sa'ī at the border of Maṭāf in the direction of Ḥajar-ul-Aswad.

(Musnad Imām Aḥmad, vol. 10, pp. 354, Ḥadīš 27313; Rad-ul-Muḥtār, vol. 3, pp. 589)

¹ Sutrah: A barrier placed in front of the Ṣalāh-offering person so that others may pass across the front of him without committing the sin.

Ḥalq or Taqṣīr

Men should now do either Ḥalq, i.e. get their entire head shaved or Taqṣīr, i.e. get their hair trimmed. It is preferable for them to get Ḥalq done.

Definition of Taqṣīr

Taqṣīr implies cutting the hair of a quarter of the head equal to a finger digit¹ in length. As a caution, cut a bit more than this length to ensure that the shorter hair present in the centre of the head also gets cut equal to a finger digit in length. Some people just cut a few strands of hair with a pair of scissors, which is absolutely wrong for the Ḥanafīs, and the restrictions of Iḥrām will not also be terminated in this case.

Taqṣīr for Islamic sisters

It is Ḥarām for Islamic sisters to shave their entire head. They should perform Taqṣīr only. An easy way of it is to cut hair from the end of the plait of hair a little more than the length of a finger digit. It is important that at least the hair of one quarter of the head must be cut.

Congratulations! You have performed 'Umrah.

Sharaf mujh ko 'Umrah kā Maulā diyā hay
Karam mujh gunahgār per yeh baṛā hay

You have granted me the privilege of 'Umrah
It is a great grace for me, Yā Allah!

صَلُّوْا عَلَى الْحَبِيْبْ ۔        صَلَّى اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى عَلٰى مُحَمَّد

¹ Each finger has 3 digits and the thumb has 2.

Very important caution

It is often observed that some people keep their shoes/slippers outside the sacred gates of Masjid-ul-Ḥarām and Masjid-un-Nabawī and, on their return from the Masjid, they wear any pair of shoes they like. The person using such slippers/shoes without Shar'ī permission will be sinner for as many times as he wears them. For example, if he wears them 100 times, he will become sinner 100 times for wearing them even if he has taken just one pair of shoes. The rulings for such shoes are like those of Luqṭah (i.e. lost belongings of someone else). If the owner could not be traced, whoever finds this Luqṭah can use it only when he is Faqīr. Otherwise, he has to donate it to some Faqīr.

Ruling on taking others shoes unlawfully

Whoever has committed such a mistake anywhere in the world is a sinner. It is Farḍ for the one who has made personal use of Luqṭah (i.e. lost belongings of someone else) to repent of it and return slippers, shoes and all such things to their owners. If the owners have passed away, he must give these things to the heirs of the owners. If it is not possible either, he must give the things to some Miskīn. If he has lost the things, he must pay their price to the Miskīn or some Masjid or Madrasah, provided it is impossible to pay the price to the owners or to their heirs.

(For detailed rulings on Luqṭah, study from page 471 to 484 of Bahār-e-Sharī'at, volume 2.)

صَلُّوْا عَلَى الْحَبِيْبْ ۔        صَلَّى اللّٰهُ تَعَالٰى عَلٰى مُحَمَّد

Advice for Islamic sisters

Islamic sisters should offer Ṣalāh where they are staying. For them to come to Masjidayn Karīmayn to offer Ṣalāh is a mistaken idea. The objective is to earn reward, and our Beloved and Blessed Prophet has stated, 'There is more reward for woman in offering Ṣalāh at her home rather than offering it in my Masjid (i.e. Masjid-un-Nabawī).'

(Musnad Imām Aḥmad Bin Ḥanbal, vol. 10, pp. 310, Ḥadīš 27158)

Seven Ḥarām acts during Ṭawāf

The following acts are Ḥarām in Ṭawāf, even if it is a Nafl one:

1.      To perform Ṭawāf without Wuḍū.

2.      To make Ṭawāf on some carriage or on someone's back without a valid excuse.

3.      To crawl or drag oneself whilst sitting during Ṭawāf without a valid excuse.

4.      To make Ṭawāf in the opposite direction keeping the Ka'bah at right side.

5.      To pass from inside the Ḥaṭīm during Ṭawāf.

6.      To perform less than seven rounds.

7.      Unveiling of a quarter of that part of the body which is included in 'Satr'. For example, unveiling of a quarter of thigh is Ḥarām. Likewise, unveiling of a quarter of the ear or the wrist of an Islamic sister is Ḥarām.

(Bahār-e-Sharī'at, vol. 1, pp. 1112)

Islamic sisters pay very little attention to this ruling. During Ṭawāf, especially when doing Istilām of Ḥajar-ul-Aswad, a quarter of the wrists of several Islamic sisters is unveiled, even sometimes complete wrist is unveiled, which is Ḥarām. Unveiling the ear or the wrist to a non-Maḥram male is Ḥarām even besides Ṭawāf. (In order to learn detailed rulings about Islamic veiling, study the book 'Parday kay bāray mayn Suwāl Jawāb' published by Maktaba-tul-Madīnah, the publishing department of Dawat-e-Islami.)

Eleven Makrūh acts during Ṭawāf

1.      Useless talking.

2.      To make Du'ā, do Zikr, recite Na'at, etc. aloud.

3.      To recite couplets other than the ones containing Ḥamd, Ṣalāt and Manqabat.

4.      To perform Ṭawāf in unclean clothes (as a caution, don't carry used shoes/slippers with you during Ṭawāf).

5.      Raml

6.      Iḍṭibā'

7.      Not to kiss Ḥajar-ul-Aswad whenever required.

8.      To perform Ṭawāf with longer intervals in between the rounds of Ṭawāf. However, there is no harm if one needs to go to the toilet or to make Wuḍū. He may leave. He should resume Ṭawāf from where he had left; there is no need to restart from the beginning.

9.      To start the next Ṭawāf without offering the two Rak'āt Ṣalāh of the previous one. However, if the time is Makrūh for Ṣalāh, there is no harm in doing so. For example, several Ṭawāfs may be performed without offering Ṣalāh of Ṭawāf from Ṣubḥ-e-Ṣādiq till 20 minutes after the appearance of the edge of the sun at sunrise or after offering Ṣalāt-ul-'Aṣr till sunset. However, after the elapsing of Makrūh timing, two Rak'āt Ṣalāh will have to be offered for each Ṭawāf.

10.  To eat anything during Ṭawāf.

11.  To perform Ṭawāf in the intense need of passing urine or breaking wind etc.

(Bahār-e-Sharī'at, vol. 1, pp. 1113; Al-Maslak-ul-Mutaqassiṭ lil-Qārī, pp. 165)

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