The ruling on performing sa'y (walking between al-Safa and al-Marwah) before tawaf (circumambulation of the Ka'bah)

Question:
He has another question about Hajj (the major pilgrimage) as well, Shaykh Salih. He asks about the permissibility of performing sa'y before tawaf; is this specific to the day of Eid?

Answer:
This is for the people; it is not permissible to perform sa'y before tawaf except for the people. The man who asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “O Messenger of Allah, I did not realize that I had performed sa’y before I performed tawaf.” He said, “Do it, and there is no harm.” This is for the people. As for the one who intentionally performs sa’y before tawaf, this is contrary to the Sunnah (the Prophet's way), because the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not perform sa’y before tawaf; rather, he would perform tawaf first and then sa’y. Yes.