the time of the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, so why did he not do it? When the Prophet refrains from something despite the presence of its cause, his refraining from it is Sunnah, and treating it as an act of worship is not legislated.

The Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, would attend the Friday prayer without taking a different route; he would visit his Companions and visit the sick without taking a different route; and he would attend the five daily prayers without taking a different route.

If they say: It has been reported that he took different routes during Hajj: he entered Mecca from its upper side and departed from its lower side (1), and at Arafah he went by one route and returned by another (2).

The answer is that we must adhere to what the Sunnah has established. Thus, during Hajj we take a different route, because this is established in the Sunnah. Yet some scholars said that taking different routes during Hajj was not intended in itself, but was merely easier for the Prophet’s departure and entry. They said likewise regarding his stay at al-Muhassab. Al-Muhassab, according to people’s description, is the place where King Faisal’s Palace now stands in Mecca. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, stayed at al-Muhassab on the night of the fourteenth. Toward the end of the night, he ordered that they depart, and they set out. He then went down to the Sacred Mosque, performed the Farewell Tawaf, prayed Fajr, and recited Surah al-Tur; then he departed for Medina.

Some scholars said that this stay was Sunnah.