the mīqāt without entering into iḥrām. Whenever I wish, I can enter into iḥrām; the matter is easy—I will slaughter an expiatory sacrifice.” This is incorrect. Rather, when an obligation is missed and cannot be made up, then we require him to offer the expiatory sacrifice. The same applies to all other expiations for sins: they do not mean that a person has the choice between committing the sin and offering expiation, or refraining from it. This is not permissible. Therefore, we must alert ordinary Muslims—and some students of knowledge whose understanding is deficient—that these expiations and sacrificial offerings do not mean that a person may choose between committing a sin or omitting an obligation, and then offering this sacrifice. Rather, the sacrifice becomes due only when the matter has been missed and cannot be remedied.

If he delays the Tawaf al-Ziyarah and performs it when departing, it suffices in place of the Farewell Tawaf …

His statement, “If he delays the Tawaf al-Ziyarah and performs it when departing, it suffices in place of the Farewell Tawaf”: Tawaf al-Ziyarah is Tawaf al-Ifadah—that is, the tawaf of Hajj.

One may ask: How can it suffice in place of the Farewell Tawaf, which is obligatory, when Tawaf al-Ifadah is an essential pillar?

The answer is that the purpose of the Farewell Tawaf is for one’s final act at the House to be tawaf, and this has been achieved by Tawaf al-Ifadah. It therefore suffices in place of the Farewell Tawaf. This is clear in the case of one performing qirān, or one performing ifrād who performed sa‘i after the Arrival Tawaf, for in that case he has nothing left to do but perform tawaf and depart. However, it is problematic in the case of one performing tamattu‘, because he must perform both tawaf and sa‘i.

It was therefore said that he should perform the sa‘i before the tawaf, since performing sa‘i before tawaf during Hajj is permissible, based on the Prophet’s saying, “There is no harm.” (1)