Those who put forward this view argue as follows. They say that both the entering circumambulation and tawāf al-ifāḍah were declared obligatory only because each of them may stand in place of the other, as we have already explained. They also cite the report from Mālik that a person who forgets either of the two must travel back from his homeland to repeat it, just as he would have to do for the other, as mentioned earlier. Moreover, they point out that God has not required the pilgrim to perform more than one circumambulation, for He says, “Proclaim the pilgrimage to mankind,” and in the same passage: “Then let them remove their grime, fulfil their vows, and circle the Ancient House” (22:29). In their view, the conjunction “and” in this and similar verses does not by itself establish a fixed order unless there is specific evidence for it. Hence, whoever circles the House on the Day of Tarwiyah has performed the Hajj tawāf within its appointed time and at the point when the rite is actually being carried out.

By contrast, some of our colleagues maintain that nothing fulfils the requirement of tawāf al-ifāḍah except a circumambulation performed after the standing at ʿArafah and after the pelting of the jamrah. Their proof is that, when God mentions pilgrimage, He says: “Then let them remove their grime”—that is, everything from which the pilgrim is released by throwing the jamrah—“and fulfil their vows,” meaning: accomplish what has become binding on them, “and circle the Ancient House.” He thus mentions the tawāf after the removal of the grime, linking it with the conjunction “and” to the particle “then,” and “then” indicates sequence; accordingly, the compulsory tawāf can only validly take place after those acts. Furthermore, the majority of scholars attach decisive weight to intention in the rites of Hajj, treating it like prayer and the other prescribed acts, and in their judgement a voluntary deed cannot substitute for an obligatory one. Mālik and his school, however, hold the position we have set out above. God alone grants success.