The point at issue, then, is this: Was the Prophet’s brisk trot (ramal) performed for a particular reason or not, and is it something reserved for the pilgrim who has just arrived from outside Mecca, or does it apply to everyone? The Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—was, after all, entering the city when he trotted.

The jurists unanimously agree that among the Sunnahs of ṭawāf is for men—but not women—to touch (istilām) the Black Stone and the Yemeni Corner. They differ, however, on whether all four corners of the Kaʿbah should be touched. The majority hold that only those two corners are to be touched, relying on the ḥadīth of Ibn ʿUmar: “The Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—would touch nothing but the two corners.”

Those who advocate touching every corner cite the report of Jābir: “When we performed ṭawāf we used to touch all the corners, and some of the early generations disliked touching the two corners except in the odd-numbered circuits.”

They are also unanimous that kissing the Black Stone in particular is a Sunnah of ṭawāf whenever one can manage it; if unable to reach it, one should kiss one’s hand instead. This is based on the well-known statement of ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb—related by Mālik—who, when he reached the Black Stone while circumambulating, said: “You are nothing but a stone. Were it not that I saw the Messenger of Allah kiss you, I would never have kissed you,” and then he kissed it.

Likewise, they concur that two rakʿahs after completing ṭawāf are part of the Sunnah. The majority maintain that the pilgrim should pray these two rakʿahs at the end of every set of seven circuits if he performs more than one set. Some of the early scholars allowed the sets to run together without interposing the prayer, then prayed two rakʿahs for each set afterward. It is related from ʿĀʾishah that she would combine three sets of ṭawāf and then pray six rakʿahs.

The majority argue their case with the ḥadīth: “The Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—circumambulated the House seven times, prayed two rakʿahs behind the Station of Abraham, and said, ‘Take your rites from me.’”

Those who permit combining the sets reply that the main objective is simply two rakʿahs for every seven circuits, and neither ṭawāf nor its two prescribed rakʿahs are restricted to a fixed time; therefore, it is permissible to pray more than two rakʿahs for more than two sets. Those who prefer to keep the sets separate do so because the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—prayed his two rakʿahs after an odd-numbered set of ṭawāf; whoever performs an even number of sets and then returns to ṭawāf will not be concluding on an odd-numbered total.