—that is, to perform either Hajj or ʿUmrah.
Some have maintained that when the vow concerns Zamzam, the Corner, the Station, or the Stone, no such obligation arises, but the first opinion is the sounder. If a person says, “I must walk to Minā, to ʿArafah, or to the Ḥaram,” nothing is binding upon him.
Another view holds that he must nevertheless perform Hajj or ʿUmrah, unless he meant those very sites themselves.
It has also been said that whoever vows to walk to the Ḥaram, or to one of its ritual sites, is indeed bound, whereas walking is not required when he names a place that does not belong to the rites of the sanctuary.
Should someone say, “It is upon me to go,” or “to set out,” or “to proceed to Mecca,” or “to reach Mecca,” two opinions are reported: the first, that nothing becomes obligatory; the second, that Hajj or ʿUmrah becomes due.
If a person vows to walk to a mosque other than the Sacred Mosque and does so in connection with breaking an oath, he is not required to walk there. If the mosque is near and he wishes to pray in it, he may go and pray; but if it is distant and can only be reached with a riding animal and provisions, he need not obtain a mount, supplies, or anything else—he simply prays where he is and nothing is due upon him. This is unless he has explicitly vowed to walk there, in which case he is permitted to ride rather than walk. All of this is the position of Mālik and his associates.
It is also narrated from Mālik that if someone vows to pray in a desirable place, such as the frontier fortresses or the coastal ribāṭ, he should ride there until he fulfills what he has made obligatory upon himself.
One who sets out on foot for Hajj or ʿUmrah but then becomes unable to continue walking for a considerable distance may ride while incapacitated and resume walking when able. If the stretch he covers while riding is substantial, he must repeat the Hajj or ʿUmrah, make up by walking the portion he rode, and ride over the part he had already walked so that his walking is continuous. If the segment he rode is slight, he must offer a sacrificial animal and need not return to cover it on foot.
Whoever vows to walk to Mecca barefoot, crawling, or creeping should walk in his normal manner with footwear and offer a sacrifice; and if he vows to walk while elderly and incapable, or suffering from an illness with no hope of recovery—