keeping the House on his left, and circles it until he once more reaches the Stone. If he fails to perform the tawāf as described and instead reverses its direction, it is invalid and he must repeat it, as will be explained. Nothing short of seven complete circuits is sufficient, and every one of them must be outside the Hijr. In each circuit he should touch the Black Stone, and throughout he must remain in a state of full ritual purity such as would allow him to pray, for tawāf is like prayer, as related in the hadith: “Tawāf is prayer, except that Allah has permitted speech in it; so whoever speaks should utter only what is good.”

When he has completed his tawāf he should, if possible, pray two rakʿahs behind the Maqām; otherwise he may pray wherever in the Mosque is convenient, apart from inside the Hijr. In those two rakʿahs he recites, along with the Opening Chapter, “Say: He is Allah, One” and “Say: O disbelievers”; but if he recites something else, there is no blame.

He then returns to the Black Stone and touches it, after which he proceeds to Ṣafā through the Ṣafā Gate and climbs it until the House comes into view, if he can. The women’s place on either hill is lower than that of the men. Upon the hill he proclaims the oneness of Allah, magnifies Him, supplicates, and praises. Such is the sunnah for remembrance during tawāf and saʿy, rather than the talbiyah; yet if he does recite the talbiyah, he is not at fault. Mālik prescribes no set wording for this remembrance; the minimum is three takbirs. Other scholars recommend that whoever ascends Ṣafā while making saʿy for Hajj or ʿUmrah should face the House, pronounce the takbir three times, and then say: “Praise be to Allah for guiding us, for trying us, and for favoring us. There is no god but Allah alone, without partner; to Him belongs sovereignty and to Him belongs praise; He gives life and causes death,”