Sa'i Between al-Safa and al-Marwah

Next comes the sa'i: going seven times between the hills of al-Safa and al-Marwah. Allah says: ﴿إِنَّ ٱلصَّفَا وَٱلْمَرْوَةَ مِن شَعَآئِرِ ٱللَّهِ﴾ (“Indeed, al-Safa and al-Marwah are among the symbols of Allah”). As the Prophet ﷺ came near al-Safa he recited this verse and said: "I begin with what Allah began with."

Climb al-Safa until you can see the Ka'bah, face it, declare Allah's oneness and greatness, and say the words below three times, making du'a in between. Then walk to al-Marwah and do the same there.

Going from al-Safa to al-Marwah is one lap and coming back is a second, so the seventh lap ends at al-Marwah. On the stretch that was once the valley floor, marked today with green lights, men run, as the Prophet ﷺ did; elsewhere they walk.

'A'ishah explained that the verse's wording, that there is "no blame" in going between the two hills, was revealed because some of the Ansar had felt uneasy about it, not because the sa'i may be left. The schools differ on its exact ruling, as set out below.