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What is the ruling on the people of Mecca leaving Mecca before performing the Tawaf and Sa'i for Hajj?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The preferred time for Tawaf al-Ifadah is the Day of Sacrifice (Yawm al-Nahr), but there is no specific final limit for performing it as an obligatory act. Rather, all days and nights are its time, by consensus. However, Imam Abu Hanifah made it obligatory during the days of Nahr; if one delays it and performs it afterwards, it is valid, but a dam (sacrificial animal) becomes obligatory upon him as a penalty for the delay. The well-known view among the Malikis is that nothing is required for delay unless Dhu al-Hijjah passes; if it passes, a dam becomes obligatory upon him. The two companions (of Abu Hanifah) and the Shafi'is and Hanbalis held the view that nothing is ever required for delay. And whoever travels before Tawaf al-Ifadah must return and circumambulate, and he remains in the first stage of tahallul (partial desacralization) until he performs Tawaf al-Ifadah.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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