What is the ruling on one who performs the sa'y (walking between al-Safa and al-Marwah) before the tawaf (circumambulation of the Ka'bah)?

Question : May Allah reward you. A man says that he performed the sa'y before the tawaf out of ignorance of the ruling. Is his 'Umrah (the lesser pilgrimage) valid?

Answer : Yes, his 'Umrah is valid, but he must repeat the sa'y, because the sa'y of 'Umrah must be performed after the tawaf. If he performs the sa'y before the tawaf, it is like one who prays the Zuhr (midday prayer) before the sun has passed its zenith. If one prays Zuhr before the zenith, he must repeat the prayer; he must repeat the prayer. So if a person performing 'Umrah performs the sa'y before the tawaf, whether out of ignorance or forgetfulness, he must repeat the sa'y afterwards. Now, if he has already exited the state of ihram (the consecrated state of pilgrimage)—meaning he performed the sa'y, the tawaf, and the taqsir (shortening the hair), and exited ihram by wearing his regular clothes—we say: he must take off his regular clothes and put on the clothes of ihram, then perform the sa'y and the taqsir. Now, if during this period he had intercourse with his wife, what is the ruling? There is no blame on him because he was ignorant, and Allah the Exalted said: So Allah the Exalted said: "You have done it." Yes.