The Shaykh’s warning against the erroneous belief that the greeting of the Sacred Mosque is circumambulation and nothing else.

The Shaykh : And on this occasion, I would like to point out a matter that is well-known among pilgrims and those performing the lesser pilgrimage. It is widespread among them that the greeting of the Sacred Mosque is circumambulation. In fact, a man came to me today making an excuse, saying, “By Allah, I entered the mosque and was unable to perform circumambulation because it was crowded, and the greeting of the Sacred Mosque is circumambulation.” The truth is that anyone who reads this phrase might think the matter is as this questioner understood it: that if you enter the Sacred Mosque, you do not pray two units of prayer, but where do you go? You proceed to circumambulation. This is incorrect. The phrase “the greeting of the Sacred Mosque is circumambulation” means that if you enter the Sacred Mosque intending to perform circumambulation, the circumambulation suffices for you in place of the greeting of the mosque. So the meaning of the phrase is that circumambulation is sufficient in place of the greeting of the mosque. However, if you enter the Sacred Mosque for prayer, or to listen to the remembrance of Allah, or something similar, its greeting is like that of any other mosque. What is it? It is two units of prayer. So be careful of this. Now, if a person performing the lesser pilgrimage enters, what does he start with? He starts with circumambulation because he entered for the purpose of circumambulation. If a person enters who is waiting for prayer, he prays two units of prayer because he did not enter for the purpose of circumambulation. However, if he goes and performs circumambulation, we say that it is sufficient in place of the two units of prayer.