they were between the two corners, where the idolaters—who had climbed Mount Qaʿiqaʿān ⦗1⦘ to watch the Muslims circumambulate—could not see them. This display angered the polytheists so much that they cried out, “They are nothing but like gazelles!”
Thus, jogging (raml) became an established Sunnah for anyone who arrives in Mecca and performs tawaf. It serves as a reminder of the circumstances of our predecessors, an act of imitation of their commendable stances, their steadfast endurance, and their noble deeds undertaken to champion the religion and exalt Allah’s word. May Allah grant us the ability to follow them and tread their path.
Lessons derived from the hadith
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The Prophet ﷺ and his Companions jogged in the first three circuits, except in the stretch between the two corners, where he allowed them to walk out of kindness toward them; this occurred during the ʿUmrah of Restitution. The recommendation to jog in all three circuits and a detailed discussion will follow in the next hadith, God willing.
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Raml is recommended in every tawaf performed immediately after arrival, whether it forms part of a rite or not. Muslim’s Ṣaḥīḥ states: “He would do so when he performed the first tawaf.”
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Displaying strength and stamina before the enemies of the religion in order to vex them, weaken their resolve, and break their morale.
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One of the wisdoms behind raml today is to recall the condition of our righteous predecessors in many Hajj rites, such as the saʿy, stoning the jamarāt, offering the sacrificial animals, and the like.
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Raml is specific to men, not women, because women are required to maintain modesty.
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If raml is missed in the first three circuits, it is not made up later, for walking is prescribed in the remaining four; altering their mode would introduce a Sunnah whose time has passed.
Hadith 3
ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿUmar reported: “I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, when he arrived in Mecca, touch the Black Stone at the beginning of his tawaf and trot for three circuits.”
Unfamiliar terms
yakhubbu — khabbab: a type of brisk trot; some say it is identical to raml, making the two terms synonymous.