Sa'ee

1. The literal meaning of sa'ee is "effort".

2. Sa'ee is performed after (1) tawaf for Umrah, after  (2) tawaf-ul-Qudoom, and after (3) tawaf-al-Ifadah. You should be in ihraam for (1) and (2). Ihram is not required for (3) unless you are performing it before the cutting of your hair.

3. There is no nafl sa'ee.

4. There is no sa'ee after the Farewell tawaf (tawaf-al-Widaa).

5. Sa'ee consists of 7 rounds of walking between As-Safa and Al-Marwah. One round is completed when you begin from As-Safa and end at Al-Marwah. The return from Al-Marwah to Al-Safa completes the second round and so on. A few allegedly make the mistake of counting the beginning and ending at As-Safa as the completion of one round. Thus they end up walking 14 rounds which is not required. 

6. The total distance you would have walked performing sa'ee is approximately 3.15 km (the distance from As-Safa to Al-Marwah is approximately 450 m.)

7. If you are tired after performing the tawaf, you don't have to proceed to perform the sa'ee immediately. You can rest and perform the sa'ee later.

8. Wudu is not required for sa'ee. It is, however, preferable to be in wudu as you may have to interrupt your sa'ee to join the congregational prayer.

9. Sa'ee must be interrupted for the congregational prayer. After the end of the prayer, you must start your sa'ee from the place where you stopped.

10. You may interrupt your sa'ee to perform the janazah prayer or continue your sa'ee without interruption.

11. Try to perform the sa'ee in the middle floor rather than the ground floor. There is less pushing and jostling in the middle floor and you also get a better view of a good part of the Ka'bah in some sections of this floor. Sa'ee can also be performed on the open roof floor. Given the heat, early morning, evening and night are the recommended times to perform sa'ee on the roof floor.

12. Men should walk briskly between the green lights (located on the side of the walls nearer to As-Safa). Women should not run. If you are looking after elderly or female pilgrims, you don't have to walk briskly. Do not run all the way from As-Safa to Al-Marwah. It is not Sunnah. 

13. The gaps in the floor tiles at both ends of the As-Safa and Al-Marwah hills are wide. Walk slowly as you move over these stretches. If you walk speedily, the sharp edges of the tiles can cut your heels/toes and cause bleeding. I've seen this happen.

14. Look out for water spills along the way especially near the spots where the zamzam water tanks are placed. You can slip and fall. I've seen this happen. A serious back injury can permanently damage your pilgrimage.

15. Do not walk in the area built especially for pilgrims in wheelchairs (ground floor) even if that area or parts of it are not being fully used. Maintain your discipline at all times.

16. Do not engage in idle chat while performing the sa'ee. You can engage in discussions that help to clarify your understanding of Islam and strengthen your iman.

17. You can engage in various forms of worship (duah, dhikr, tasbih) during sa'ee. Do not raise your voice. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "You are not calling upon a deaf or an absent One." [Bukhari]

18. There is no requirement to dua in Arabic during sa'ee. You can dua in your own language. 

19. Do not perform sa'ee in a group as the continued effort to maintain the group formation will hinder the movement of others.

20. Do not follow or recite behind a leader when performing the sa'ee. The sa'ee is not an exercise in class recitation! A continuous chorus of voices reciting behind a leader will disturb the worship of others. Remembrance of the Almighty in a dignified manner on your own is the right worship.

21. Menstruating women pilgrims can perform the sa'ee as purity is not a condition for sa'ee.

As you approach Safaa, say:
"Innassafaa walmarwata min sha'aa irillahi."
[Indeed Safaa and Marwa are among the signs of Allah]
-al-Baqarah: 158

Then say:
"Abda'u bima bada'a Allahu bihi."
[I begin with that which Allah has begun.]

Say the above ONLY at the beginning of sa'ee and not at every round.

At Safaa, face the Ka'bah and say thrice:
"Alhamdulillahi, walaa ilaha illallahu, wallahu Abkar."
[All praise is due to Allah, there is no God but Allah, Allah is Greater.]

Then say:
La ilaha illallahu wahdahu laa shareeka lahu, lahulmulku walahulhamdu, yuhyee wayumeetu wahua ala kullishay'in qadeer.

La ilaha illallahu wahdahu, anjaza wa'dahu. wanasara a'bdahu, wahazamal ahzaaba wahdahu."
[There is none worthy of worship but Allah alone. There are no partners to Him. His is the kingdom and His is the praise. 

He gives life and He gives death and He is capable of everything.]

You don't have to raise your hands as you do at the starting line in tawaf.

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The place of sa'ee (between As-Safa and Al-Marwah) is NOT part of Masjid Al-Haram. There is a low wall separating this place from The Mosque.