The Rites of Hajj, Practical Treatise and Rules

Mustahab Tawafs

One of the strong affirmed Mustahab acts for people who are in Mecca is Tawaf of the house of Allah that is seven rounds like obligatory Tawaf and a two Rak’ats prayer, performed after that, but it does not include Sa’y of Safa and Marwah.

And this one best worships and it has been mentioned in a Hadith from Imam Sadiq (a.s.) that: “There are 120 divine mercies around Ka’ba, out of which half of that is for the ones who perform tawaf and another forty are for those who perform prayers and other twenty are for people who looks at Ka’ba”.[^1]

A person can perform this Tawaf on behalf of friends (dead or alive) who are not in Mecca and it is more preferred than several Umrahs that people perform with the intention of Rija’ (hoping for the goodness of the act) .

Mustahab Tawaf is similar to obligatory (Wajib) Tawaf but it differs that in the following items:

1- Purity (Taharah) is not a condition of Mustahab Tawaf, although it is better to perform it with ablution. However ablution is necessary for the prayer of Tawaf.

2- The prayer of Mustahab Tawaf can be performed anywhere in Masjid al-Haraam.

3- Observing the sequence is not necessary in Mustahab Tawaf.

4- Stopping Mustahab Tawaf is permitted without any excuse or necessity, although the person does not want to perform other rounds. But it is obligatory precaution not to stop obligatory Tawaf except the cases of necessity.

5- Doubt about the deficiency of rounds of Mustahab Tawaf is not important and the lesser round could be considered.

6- Qiran (performing two Tawaf after each other immediately, without performing the prayer of Tawaf between them) is not permitted in obligatory Tawaf but it is Makrooh (disliked) in Mustahab Tawaf.

7- Stopping Mustahab Tawaf is permitted in other than the cases of necessity, and it can be continued later from the place that is stopped though it is not necessary to pass the fourth round.

It is better to abstain from performing Mustahab Tawaf when lots of people are performing obligatory Tawaf and crowd is heavily congested. It is better to leave the place of Tawaf for people who are performing obligatory Tawaf.

Mustahab Tawaf has no specific time and can be performed at anytime of the day or night. Also it has no specific numbers for performing but each Tawaf should be performed seven rounds.

Mustahab Tawaf does not need Ihram clothing. Keeping silent or talking or reciting prayers are permitted during that like obligatory Tawaf, although it is better to recite prayers or pray to Allah.

It is not a good act to recite the prayers with the loud voice in the way that it causes distraction for others.

[^1]: Wasael al-Shi’aa, vol. 9, page 398.