According to the latter view, if someone performs circumambulation while in a state of major or minor ritual impurity, or while carrying something ritually impure, his circumambulation is valid, but he must make a sacrificial offering. Ahmad’s followers differed, however, over whether this applies without qualification to someone with an excuse, such as a person who forgot that he was in a state of major ritual impurity. Abū Hanīfah requires the offering to be a badanah (large sacrificial animal) if the woman is menstruating or in a state of major ritual impurity.

A woman who cannot perform circumambulation except while menstruating has an even stronger claim to be excused. Hajj is obligatory for her, and no scholar has said that menstruation exempts a woman from Hajj. It is not a position recognized in Islamic law that obligatory acts cease to be binding because one cannot fulfil some of their requirements—as when someone is unable to attain ritual purity for prayer.

If she can remain in Mecca until her menstruation ends and then perform circumambulation, she must undoubtedly do so. If that is not possible, however, requiring her to return a second time would impose two journeys for Hajj upon her through no fault of her own. This is contrary to Islamic law. Moreover, she can travel only with the caravan, and her menstruation occurs each month as usual; thus, she cannot perform circumambulation in a state of ritual purity at all.

The principles of Islamic law establish that a person is excused from fulfilling any condition of worship that is beyond their ability. This applies, for example, when someone praying cannot cover the parts of the body that must be covered, face the direction of prayer, or avoid ritual impurities. Likewise, if someone cannot perform circumambulation independently, whether riding or walking, he is carried around to perform it.

As for those who hold that her circumambulation without ritual purity is valid when she has no excuse