SECTION ON THE RITES OF HAJJ · 51 – PERFORMING RAMAL
1885 – It is narrated from Abū Tufayl (may Allah be pleased with him):
(One day) I said to Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with him): Your people say that the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) performed ramal (a brisk, proud walk) during the circumambulation (ṭawāf) of the Kaʿba, and they say that ramal is sunnah. Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Some of what they say is correct, and some is mistaken. I asked: Which part of what they say is correct, and which is mistaken? Ibn ʿAbbās said: It is true that the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) performed ramal. Their statement that it is sunnah is mistaken. In the year of the Treaty of Ḥudaybiyya, the Quraysh said, "Let Muḥammad and his companions be; let them perish like the worm of the nose dies." However, when an agreement was made that the Muslims would come to Mecca the following year and stay for three days, the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) came to the Kaʿba with his companions. At that time, the polytheists (mushrikūn) were on the side of Mount Quʿayqīʿān. The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said to his companions, "During the first three circuits (shawṭs) of the circumambulation, perform ramal." Ibn ʿAbbās said: This is not sunnah. I said: Your people say that the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) performed saʿy (the ritual walk) between Ṣafā and Marwa on his camel, and that performing saʿy on a camel is sunnah. Ibn ʿAbbās said: Some of what they say is correct, and some is mistaken. I asked: Which part of what they say is correct, and which is mistaken? Ibn ʿAbbās said: It is true that the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) performed saʿy between Ṣafā and Marwa on his camel. However, it is not correct that performing saʿy on a camel is sunnah. The people could not be kept away from the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him); they could not be separated from him (and those who were behind could not see him). So that everyone could see the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him), hear his voice, reach him with their hands, and not disturb him, he performed saʿy on his camel. [613]
EXPLANATION
Nağaf: Refers to the weak worms that come out of the noses of animals. They die quickly when outside.
Quʿayqīʿān: The name of a hill in Mecca.
1886 – It is narrated from Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said:
The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) came to Mecca. The Companions (ṣaḥāba) had been weakened by the fever of Medina. The polytheists (mushrikūn) said, "A people will come to you whom the fever has greatly weakened; when they arrive, keep away from them." Allah, Exalted and Free from all deficiencies, informed His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) of what they said. The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) commanded his companions to perform ramal (brisk, proud walking) during the first three circuits (shawṭs) of the circumambulation (ṭawāf), and to walk between the Yemeni Corner (Rukn al-Yamānī) and the Black Stone (Ḥajar al-Aswad). When the polytheists saw the Companions performing the proud circumambulation, they said, "These Muslims whom you said were weakened by fever are stronger and more vigorous than us."
Ibn ʿAbbās says: The reason the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) did not command the Companions to perform ramal in all the circuits was to leave them free in accordance with their actual weakened state. [614]
1887 – It is narrated from ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (may Allah be pleased with him):
Today Allah (Exalted is He) has established Islam on firm foundations, and has driven out and destroyed kufr (disbelief) and the people of kufr from Mecca. Why should ramal be performed? Why should the shoulders be exposed? Nevertheless, we will not abandon what we did during the blessed era of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him). (We will continue with ramal and iḍṭibāʿ – exposing the right shoulder.) [615]
EXPLANATION
Etteā: Means "to make firm, to establish." Its root is "wataʾa," the first letter being wāw, which has been changed to hamza.
1888 – It is narrated from ʿĀʾisha (may Allah be pleased with her):
The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Circumambulating the Kaʿba, performing saʿy between Ṣafā and Marwa, and stoning the jamarāt (stone pillars) have been legislated in order to maintain the remembrance of Allah (dhikr)." [616]
1889 – It is narrated from Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said:
The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) performed iḍṭibāʿ (exposing the right shoulder) during ṭawāf. He touched (istilām) the Black Stone (Ḥajar al-Aswad) and proclaimed the takbīr. Then, during three circuits of the ṭawāf, he performed ramal. Together with his companions, when they reached the Yemeni Corner (Rukn al-Yamānī) and were out of sight of the Quraysh, they would walk; when they came into view again, they would resume ramal. The Quraysh would say, "The Muslims are as vigorous and swift as gazelles." Ibn ʿAbbās said: From that day, iḍṭibāʿ and ramal became sunnah.
1890 – It is narrated from Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said:
The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) and his companions intended ʿumrah from the place called Jiʿrāna. While circumambulating the House (Kaʿba), they performed ramal in three circuits and walked in four circuits. [617]
1891 – It is narrated from Nāfiʿ (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said:
Ibn ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him) performed ramal from the Black Stone (Ḥajar al-Aswad) until he returned to the Black Stone, and he said that the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) did likewise. [618]
EXPLANATION
As is understood from the previously mentioned hadiths, ramal is sunnah in the first three circuits (shawṭs) of ṭawāf. In the remaining four circuits, one walks normally. Ramal can be performed in the ṭawāf of arrival (ṭawāf al-qudūm), the ʿumrah ṭawāf, and the ṭawāf of visitation (ṭawāf al-ziyārah). It is preferable to perform it in the ṭawāf of visitation. It is not performed in the farewell ṭawāf (ṭawāf al-wadāʿ).