between Safa and Marwah, nor did his Companions, except once—their initial sa'i.” (1)
Moreover, Hajj does not require two sa'is. If someone were to say: “But you have made two tawafs obligatory: the tawaf of arrival and the tawaf of ifadah,” the answer is that we have not made the tawaf of arrival obligatory; rather, it is a sunnah. This is because the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and his Companions performed sa'i after the tawaf of arrival.
The apparent meaning of this hadith is that the pilgrim performing tamattu' does not perform sa'i, since many of the Companions performed tamattu' because they had not brought sacrificial animals with them, and the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, instructed them to perform tamattu'. However, this apparent meaning must be understood as referring to those of his Companions who remained in ihram because they had brought sacrificial animals with them. Thus, it is a general statement intended to refer to a specific group. This is supported by what al-Bukhari narrated in the hadiths of Aishah (2) and Ibn Abbas (3), may Allah be pleased with them both.
Furthermore, the rites of Umrah are separate from the rites of Hajj, with a complete release from ihram between them. So how can it be said that the sa'i
(1) Narrated by Muslim in Kitab al-Hajj (The Book of Hajj), chapter: “Clarification of the Types of Ihram,” no. 1215.
(2) Narrated by al-Bukhari in Kitab al-Hajj, chapter: “The Tawaf of One Combining Hajj and Umrah,” no. 1638, with the wording: “Those who entered ihram for Umrah performed tawaf, then exited ihram, and then performed another tawaf after returning from Mina. As for those who combined Hajj and Umrah, they performed only one tawaf.” It was also narrated by Muslim in Kitab al-Hajj, chapter: “Clarification of the Types of Ihram,” no. 1211, with the wording: “Those who entered ihram for Umrah performed tawaf around the House and between Safa and Marwah, then exited ihram, and then performed another tawaf after returning to Mina for their Hajj. As for those who combined Hajj and Umrah, they performed only one tawaf.”
(3) Narrated by al-Bukhari in Kitab al-Hajj, chapter on Allah's statement: “That is for one whose family is not present at ...,” no. 1572, with the wording: “The Muhajirun, the Ansar, and the wives of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, entered ihram during the Farewell Pilgrimage, and we entered ihram. When we arrived in Makkah, the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said: ‘Make your ihram for Hajj an Umrah, except for whoever has garlanded a sacrificial animal.’ We then performed tawaf around the House and between Safa and Marwah, approached our wives, and put on our clothes. He said: ‘Whoever has garlanded a sacrificial animal must not exit ihram until the sacrificial animal reaches its place of slaughter.’ Then, on the evening of al-Tarwiyah, he commanded us to enter ihram for Hajj. When we had completed the rites, we came and performed tawaf around the House and between Safa and Marwah; thus our Hajj was complete, and we were required to offer a sacrificial animal.”