Volume 3, Book 27, Number 18:
Narrated Hisham Ibn ‘Urwa from his father who said:
While I was a youngster, I asked ‘Aisha the wife of the Prophet. “What about the meaning of the
Statement of Allah;
“Verily! (the mountains) As-Safa and Al Marwa, are among the symbols of Allah. So, it is not
harmful if those who perform Hajj or ‘Umra of the House (Ka’ba at Mecca) to perform the going
(Tawaf) between them? (2.158) I understand (from that) that there is no harm if somebody does not
perform the Tawaf between them.” ‘Aisha replied, “No, for if it were as you are saying, then the recit –
ation would have been like this: ‘It is not harmful not to perform Tawaf between them.’ This verse
was revealed in connection with the Ansar who used to assume the Ihram for the idol Manat which
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SAHIH BUKHARI VOLUME 3 > BOOK 27: MINOR PILGRAMMAGE (UMRA)
was put beside a place called Qudaid and those people thought it not right to perform the Tawaf of
As-Safa and Al-Marwa. When Islam came, they asked Allah’s Apostle about that, and Allah
revealed:–
“Verily! (the mountains) As-Safa and Al-Marwa Are among the symbols of Allah. So, it is not
harmful of those who perform Hajj or ‘Umra of the House (Ka’ba at Mecca) to perform the going
(Tawaf) between them.” (2.158) Sufyan and Abu Muawiya added from Hisham (from ‘Aisha): “The
Hajj or ‘Umra of the person who does not perform the going (Tawaf) between As-Safa and Al-Mar –
wa is incomplete in Allah’s sight.