Is the greeting of the Sacred Mosque tawaf (circumambulation of the Ka'bah) or two rak'ahs of prayer?

Question : The questioner asks: What is the ruling on a woman performing the greeting of the mosque, which is the tawaf (circumambulation of the Ka'bah), in the presence of a crowd of men, given that she would have to interact with them?

Answer : This question is based on a phrase transmitted by the jurists (may Allah have mercy on them), who say that the greeting of the Sacred Mosque is tawaf. Some of the general public understood this in a way different from what the scholars intended. The scholars mean that the greeting of the Sacred Mosque is tawaf for the one who enters it intending to perform tawaf. So, if you enter it intending to perform tawaf, whether as a specific obligation or as a voluntary act, there is no harm in you beginning with tawaf, and by doing so, the greeting of the mosque is fulfilled for you. However, if you enter the Sacred Mosque in order to listen to dhikr (remembrance of Allah), or to pray, or to read, or for a purpose other than tawaf, then the greeting of the Sacred Mosque, like any other mosque, is a prayer of two rak'ahs (units of prayer). This is based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): This generality is excepted from by tawaf; if a person enters the Sacred Mosque intending to perform tawaf, tawaf is excepted from the general rule. This is because when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) entered the Sacred Mosque during his Hajj and 'Umrah, he began with tawaf. This indicates that the meaning of the scholars' statement that "the greeting of the Sacred Mosque is tawaf" is for the one who enters it intending to perform tawaf. As for the one who enters it intending something other than tawaf, its greeting, like other mosques, is to pray two rak'ahs.
Accordingly, we say in answer to this question: If a woman enters the mosque and is waiting for the prayer, there is no need for her to go to perform tawaf; rather, she should pray two rak'ahs and remain in her place until the prayer begins. However, if she enters intending to perform tawaf, she is like a man in that she may perform tawaf, but she must strive with all effort to avoid crowding the men and causing them discomfort.