The ruling on delaying the Tawaf of Ifadah until the time of departure from Makkah

Question:
The questioner, J., says: I went to perform Hajj as an individual (ifrad) and stayed in Mina for three days, but I did not perform the Tawaf of Ifadah until I was leaving Makkah. Does this detract from my Hajj?

Answer:
This does not detract from your Hajj. It is permissible to delay the Tawaf of Ifadah, but it is better to hasten to perform it on the Day of Sacrifice or during the Days of Tashriq. If you delay it until after the Days of Tashriq, that is permissible; because there is no fixed limit for the end of the time for the Tawaf of Ifadah. Only the beginning of the time for the Tawaf is defined, which is from the middle of the night of the Day of Sacrifice. So the beginning is defined, and it is not permissible to perform it before that. If one performs the Tawaf before the middle of the night of the Day of Sacrifice, it does not suffice for him. And if he performs it after the middle of the night, it suffices for him. As for the end of the time for the Tawaf of Ifadah, it is not defined, so if he delays it, it is permissible for him to do so, even though this is contrary to what is best and contrary to what is preferred. Yes.