The Case of Mistakes During Tawaf

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about a man who performs an obligatory Tawaf but does not know if he has done six or seven Tawaf (walking around the House). He (the Imam) said, ‘He must do his Tawaf again.’ I asked, ‘Is that one lost?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘I do not see anything on him but repeating is more beloved and virtuous to me.’”

“About a man who does not know if he has performed six or seven Tawaf (walking around the House), abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘He must do his Tawaf again.’”

“I once asked him (the Imam) (a.s.), about a man who performs obligatory Tawaf and does not know if he has done six or seven Tawaf (walking around the House). He (the Imam) said, ‘He must do it again.’”

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about a man who doubts in obligatory Tawaf. He (the Imam) said, ‘He must do it again whenever he doubts.’ I said, ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, what if one doubts in optional Tawaf? He (the Imam) said, ‘He considers it to be of the lesser amount.’”

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about a man who performs eight times Tawaf (walking around the House) for an obligatory Tawaf. He (the Imam) said, ‘He must perform it again until the right number is established.’”

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about a man who performs obligatory Tawaf but does not know if he has done six or seven or eight Tawaf (walking around the House). He (the Imam) said, ‘He must repeat until he establishes the right number.’ I then said that he had performed optionally eight times but he forgot. He (the Imam) said, ‘He must complete it in the form of two Tawaf, then perform four Rak‘at Salat (prayer), but in the case of obligatory Tawaf he must repeat until seven times Tawaf (walking around the House) is established.’”

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about a man who performs Tawaf and is confused if he has performed three or four times Tawaf (walking around the House). Abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), said, ‘Was it optional or obligatory Tawaf?’ If it was obligatory Tawaf he had to drop what he had performed to start all over again, but if it was optional and if he was certain of performing three and had doubt about four, he could consider it three; it is permissible.’”

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about a man who performed Tawaf around the House; and then went to al-Safa’ to perform Tawaf (Sa‘y) between al-Safa’ and al-Marwah, in which he remembered that he had left out a certain part of Tawaf around the House. He (the Imam) said, ‘He must go back to the House, then come back to al-Safa’ and al-Marwah and complete the remaining parts.’”

“Sulayman ibn Khalid asked him (the Imam) (a.s.), when I was there, about a man who performed six times Tawaf (walking around the House). Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), asked, ‘How did he do so? He said, ‘He faced the Black Stone and said, “Takhir (Allah is great beyond description),” made his intention and made it one.’ Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), then said, ‘He makes one time walking around the House?’ Sulayman said, ‘He missed it until he came to his family.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘He must appoint someone to perform Tawaf on his behalf.’”

“I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about a man who because of forgetfulness made eight times Tawaf (walking around the House). He (the Imam) said, ‘If he remembers before reaching the corner he must stop it (the last round of walking around al-Ka’bah).”’