al-Islam, such as when a person loses his ablution during his tawaf amid severe crowding. To say that he must go and perform ablution, then return through this intense congestion—especially when only part of a circuit remains for him—would entail great hardship. Whenever something entails severe hardship and the textual evidence for it is not plainly clear, people should not be obliged to do it. Rather, the easier and more lenient view should be followed, for imposing upon people something burdensome without clear proof conflicts with Allah’s saying:

“Allah intends ease for you and does not intend hardship for you.” [al-Baqarah 2:185]

Issue: Collective supplication during tawaf is problematic, because, as far as we know, it was not transmitted from the righteous predecessors. It inconveniences people and distracts from personal supplication, especially when the one leading them raises his voice. But if it is done quietly in order to teach those accompanying him, then I hope there is no harm in it. Charging a fee for this is permissible, since it is akin to charging a fee for teaching the Quran. Yet some people make it into a profession and a means of taking people’s money.

Issue: Those who perform tawaf on the roof, when they reach the area of the sa'i, find the tawaf route constricted, and some of them descend into the sa'i area. Should we say that they have performed part of the circuit outside the mosque, since the sa'i area is not part of the mosque?

Answer: Yes, we say that they have performed tawaf outside the mosque. However, if they were compelled to do so by the narrowness and congestion, with people pressed tightly against one another, then we hope that it suffices, despite the difficulty involved—but only out of necessity.

Then he performs two rak'ahs behind the Station.

His statement, “Then he performs two rak'ahs behind the Station,” means: after completing