The Ruling on Ritual Purity for Tawaf
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Is ritual purity obligatory for tawaf if there is severe crowding?
The majority of scholars hold that it is obligatory, and that if a person performs tawaf while in a state of ritual impurity, his tawaf is invalid, and if he becomes ritually impure during the tawaf, he must exit. However, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) holds that it is not obligatory, and that performing tawaf in a state of purity is more complete and better, but it is not obligatory. There is no doubt that the statement of Shaykh al-Islam is the most appropriate in the present time, during days of crowding, because sometimes during the tawaf of ifadah in Hajj, a person—whether man or woman—becomes ritually impure during the tawaf. According to the opinion of the majority of scholars, he must exit the tawaf and go perform wudu.And according to the opinion of the Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him), he says: He should continue in his tawaf, complete it, and there is no blame on him. There is no doubt that this opinion is more lenient for people, because there is no evidence that wudu is necessary for tawaf.Wudu for prayer: [Al-Ma'idah: 6] So, according to the opinion of the Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him), he continues and completes it, and there is no blame on him. This is what we see and what we issue as a ruling.
According to the opinion of the majority, if we say: Go perform wudu. What will get him out of the crowd in the first place? If he gets out of the crowd, what enables him to perform wudu? Because all the bathrooms are crowded. If he manages to perform wudu and then returns to perform tawaf and becomes ritually impure again,We say: Go a second time. And every time he returns and becomes ritually impure,We said: Go a third time! This is hardship. And this occurs on days of crowding. Many people cannot bear the crowding at all, and they become ritually impured, either by a drop of urine coming out, or by passing gas.So we say, our ruling is: Without a doubt, the best is to perform tawaf in a state of purity, because if he performs tawaf, he will pray two rak'ahs after the tawaf, and this must be done in a state of purity for the two rak'ahs. But in a case of hardship, we see that there is nothing wrong with performing tawaf without purity. Likewise, if a person comes to us and informs us that he performed tawaf without purity,We do not say: Was there hardship or not? The matter is concluded and the tawaf is valid.
The majority of scholars hold that it is obligatory, and that if a person performs tawaf while in a state of ritual impurity, his tawaf is invalid, and if he becomes ritually impure during the tawaf, he must exit. However, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) holds that it is not obligatory, and that performing tawaf in a state of purity is more complete and better, but it is not obligatory. There is no doubt that the statement of Shaykh al-Islam is the most appropriate in the present time, during days of crowding, because sometimes during the tawaf of ifadah in Hajj, a person—whether man or woman—becomes ritually impure during the tawaf. According to the opinion of the majority of scholars, he must exit the tawaf and go perform wudu.And according to the opinion of the Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him), he says: He should continue in his tawaf, complete it, and there is no blame on him. There is no doubt that this opinion is more lenient for people, because there is no evidence that wudu is necessary for tawaf.Wudu for prayer:
When you rise to prayer, wash your faces
إِذَا قُمْتُمْ إِلَى الصَّلاةِ فَاغْسِلُوا وُجُوهَكُمْAccording to the opinion of the majority, if we say: Go perform wudu. What will get him out of the crowd in the first place? If he gets out of the crowd, what enables him to perform wudu? Because all the bathrooms are crowded. If he manages to perform wudu and then returns to perform tawaf and becomes ritually impure again,We say: Go a second time. And every time he returns and becomes ritually impure,We said: Go a third time! This is hardship. And this occurs on days of crowding. Many people cannot bear the crowding at all, and they become ritually impured, either by a drop of urine coming out, or by passing gas.So we say, our ruling is: Without a doubt, the best is to perform tawaf in a state of purity, because if he performs tawaf, he will pray two rak'ahs after the tawaf, and this must be done in a state of purity for the two rak'ahs. But in a case of hardship, we see that there is nothing wrong with performing tawaf without purity. Likewise, if a person comes to us and informs us that he performed tawaf without purity,We do not say: Was there hardship or not? The matter is concluded and the tawaf is valid.