without facing the qiblah (direction of prayer), as in voluntary prayer while travelling or the prayer of fear while mounted, ritual purity remains a condition, although the prayer is not connected to the House. Moreover, looking at the House is an act of worship connected to it, yet neither ritual purity nor the other conditions are required for it.
There are also acts of worship that require being in a mosque but do not require ritual purity, such as devotional retreat. Allah Most High says:
“Purify My House for those who circumambulate it, those who stand in worship, and those who bow and prostrate.”
There is no stronger basis for comparing someone circumambulating the House to someone bowing and prostrating than for comparing him to someone observing devotional retreat. Indeed, he more closely resembles the latter, since being in the mosque is a condition of both circumambulation and devotional retreat, but not of prayer.
If it is said, “Someone who circumambulates must offer the two units of prayer afterwards, and prayer requires ritual purity,” the response is:
Whether the two units of prayer following circumambulation are obligatory is disputed. Even assuming that they are obligatory, they need not follow the circumambulation immediately. Their connection to circumambulation is no closer than that of the Friday prayer to its sermon. It is well known that if someone delivers the sermon in a state of minor ritual impurity, then performs ablution and leads the Friday prayer, this is valid. All the more, then, may someone circumambulate in a state of minor ritual impurity, then perform ablution and offer the two units of prayer. This is a situation people frequently encounter when they forget to ensure ritual purity before delivering the sermon or circumambulating: they may purify themselves afterwards and pray. It has also been expressly stated that delivering the sermon while in a state of major ritual impurity is valid.
Once it is clear that ritual purity is not a condition, the remaining question is whether