one action is performed before another, the correct view is that this is permissible, whether there is an excuse—such as ignorance or forgetfulness—or no excuse at all. This is because, on that day, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, would be asked about doing things out of sequence and would say: “Do it; there is no blame.” (1)
Reflect on his words, peace and blessings be upon him: “Do it; there is no blame.” He did not merely say, “There is no blame”; rather, he said, “Do it”—an imperative concerning the future. That is, if you do it in the future, there is no blame upon you.
Some verifying scholars, such as Ibn Daqiq al-Eid and others, said that this applies only to one who has an excuse, because one wording of the hadith states: “I did not realize, and I thought that such-and-such came before such-and-such.” The Prophet then said: “Do it; there is no blame.” (2) However, since the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Do it; there is no blame,” which concerns the future, and did not limit himself to saying, “There is no blame,” it is known that there is no distinction between one who has forgotten or is ignorant and one who remembers and knows. This is why the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said to Abu Bakrah when he hastened and bowed before reaching the row: “May Allah increase you in eagerness, but do not do it again.” (3) Had maintaining the order between these rites been obligatory, the Prophet would have said to the questioner: “There is no blame, but do not do it again.”
What we have established, besides being the apparent indication of the evidence, accords with the objectives of the Islamic religion in seeking ease for the servants, particularly in times such as these, because it is easier for people.
As for performing sa'i before tawaf, some scholars have said: No