The verse recited by the pilgrim performing 'Umrah or Hajj on al-Safa: does he complete it to the end of the verse, or does he restrict himself to what was reported? And what is the evidence for completing it?

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : You mentioned in your book *Rites of Hajj and 'Umrah* that when the pilgrim approaches al-Safa, he recites until he completes the verse. And in your other book, *Al-Mufid fi Hujjat al-Nabi* (The Beneficial Book on the Prophet's Hajj), as narrated by Jabir, when he approached al-Safa, he recited "I begin, or we begin, with what Allah began with." So what is the evidence for completing the verse?

The Shaykh : There is no narrated evidence for this; it is only a guess, and a guess may be right or wrong. The guess is that the narrator abbreviated the verse. As for a narrated proof, there is nothing except what I saw in *Al-Risalah* and the hadith in *Sahih Muslim*. So if one is convinced by what we claim is a reference to the verse, he completes it; otherwise, he abbreviates it.

The questioner : Does he recite it on al-Marwah as well, O Shaykh?

The Shaykh : What I recall at this moment is only regarding al-Safa. As for the rest, we pray if...

The questioner : We have women with us, and I am the person in charge of the camp...

The Shaykh : I do not like disorder. I have agreed with this camp, and I am with you all...

The questioner : We are in agreement, O Shaykh.