The Sunnah is that the sa'y (walking between al-Safa and al-Marwah) is performed after the tawaf (circumambulation of the Ka'bah)

Question: From 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Baz to the honorable brother, the virtuous Shaykh: A. S. M., the judge at the Court of Cassation in the Western Region. May Allah guide him to what brings Him pleasure. Amen.
Peace be upon you, and Allah's mercy and blessings. As for what follows:
Your noble letter, dated 8/1/1413 AH, has reached us, may Allah guide you. The five questions it contained were known:
A man entered the state of ihram (the consecrated state of pilgrimage) for Hajj (the major pilgrimage) on the Day of Tarwiyah from Makkah al-Mukarramah, then went to the Haram (the sacred precinct) after entering ihram that day and performed only the Tawaf al-Ifadah (the circumambulation of the Ka'bah after standing at 'Arafah) and relied on his first sa'y (walking between al-Safa and al-Marwah) on the Day of Tarwiyah. Does that sa'y suffice for him? Since I have seen some scholars condition the validity of the sa'y on it being performed after a tawaf of a ritual, such as the Tawaf al-Qudum (the arrival circumambulation). If this condition is correct, what is the basis for adopting it?

Answer: It is established from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that in his Hajj (the major pilgrimage) and 'Umrah (the lesser pilgrimage), he performed the sa'y (walking between al-Safa and al-Marwah) after the tawaf (circumambulation of the Ka'bah). It is not established from him (peace and blessings be upon him), to our knowledge, that he performed the sa'y (walking between al-Safa and al-Marwah) before the tawaf (circumambulation of the Ka'bah) in Hajj (the major pilgrimage) or 'Umrah (the lesser pilgrimage). Nor is it established from him (peace and blessings be upon him) that he performed the sa'y (walking between al-Safa and al-Marwah) after a tawaf (circumambulation of the Ka'bah) that was not a ritual. Rather, his sa'y (walking between al-Safa and al-Marwah) was after the Tawaf al-Qudum (the arrival circumambulation) in the Farewell Pilgrimage, which is a ritual. And he performed the sa'y (walking between al-Safa and al-Marwah) in his 'Umrah (the lesser pilgrimage) after the tawaf (circumambulation of the Ka'bah), which is a ritual, indeed one of the pillars of 'Umrah (the lesser pilgrimage).
And Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned in the Fatawa, vol. 26, what indicates that performing the sa'y (walking between al-Safa and al-Marwah) after the tawaf of a ritual is a matter of scholarly consensus.
However, it is established from him (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said in the Farewell Pilgrimage, when asked about the deeds of the Day of Sacrifice, including the stoning of the pillars, the sacrifice, shaving or shortening the hair, the tawaf (circumambulation of the Ka'bah) and the sa'y (walking between al-Safa and al-Marwah), and the order of performing them: .
This absolute answer includes performing the sa'y (walking between al-Safa and al-Marwah) before the tawaf (circumambulation of the Ka'bah) in Hajj (the major pilgrimage) and 'Umrah (the lesser pilgrimage), and a group of scholars held this view. And it is indicated by what Abu Dawud narrated with a sound chain from Usamah ibn Sharik, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about one who performed the sa'y (walking between al-Safa and al-Marwah) before the tawaf (circumambulation of the Ka'bah). He said: . This answer covers the sa'y (walking between al-Safa and al-Marwah) of both Hajj (the major pilgrimage) and 'Umrah (the lesser pilgrimage), and there is nothing in the authentic, explicit evidence that prevents that. So if it is permissible before a tawaf (circumambulation of the Ka'bah) that is a ritual, then its permissibility after a tawaf (circumambulation of the Ka'bah) that is not a ritual is even more so.
But it is prescribed to repeat it after the tawaf of a ritual; as a precaution, to avoid the disagreement among scholars, and to act in accordance with what the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did in his Hajj (the major pilgrimage) and 'Umrah (the lesser pilgrimage).
And what Shaykh Taqi al-Din (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned regarding the fact that the sa'y (walking between al-Safa and al-Marwah) after the tawaf (circumambulation of the Ka'bah) is a matter of agreement should be understood to mean that that is the best. As for the permissibility, there is the disagreement we referred to. Among those who explicitly stated this is the author of al-Mughni, vol. 3, p. 390, where he (may Allah have mercy on him) transmitted the permissibility from 'Ata' absolutely, and from one of the two narrations from Ahmad regarding the one who forgets. End of quote.
And it indicates the non-prescription of the tawaf (circumambulation of the Ka'bah) and the sa'y (walking between al-Safa and al-Marwah) before Hajj (the major pilgrimage) for one who entered the state of ihram (the consecrated state of pilgrimage) for Hajj (the major pilgrimage) from Makkah, that he (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered those who combined Hajj (the major pilgrimage) and 'Umrah (the lesser pilgrimage) to head to Mina from their residences in the Farewell Pilgrimage, and he did not order them to perform the tawaf (circumambulation of the Ka'bah) or the sa'y (walking between al-Safa and al-Marwah) before their departure to Mina. So that indicates that what is prescribed for one who entered the state of ihram (the consecrated state of pilgrimage) for Hajj (the major pilgrimage) from Makkah is to head to Mina before the tawaf (circumambulation of the Ka'bah) and the sa'y (walking between al-Safa and al-Marwah). So when he returns to Makkah after 'Arafah and Muzdalifah, he performs the tawaf (circumambulation of the Ka'bah) and the sa'y (walking between al-Safa and al-Marwah) for his Hajj (the major pilgrimage). And Allah is the guarantor of success.