سورة البقرة

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Safa was called Safa because Adam (peace be upon him), the chosen one of Allah (al-mustafa), descended upon it; therefore a name was taken for the mountain from the name of Adam (peace be upon him), and the evidence for it is the noble verse: إِنَّ اللهَ اصْطَفَی ءَادَمَ وَ نُوحًا وَ ءَالَ إِبْرَاهِیمَ وَ ءَالَ عِمْرَانَ عَلیَ الْعَالَمِین [Indeed Allah chose Adam, Nuh, the family of Ibrahim and the family of Imran above the worlds]. And because Hawwa (peace be upon her) descended upon the mountain of Marwa, this mountain was called by this name; for "mar'ah" [meaning "woman", who is Hawwa], descended upon that mountain. So for that mountain, a name derived from the name "mar'ah" was taken.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Halabi says: I asked: Why has the sa'y (running) between Safa and Marwa been prescribed? The Imam said: "Because in this valley Satan appeared to Ibrahim (peace be upon him); so Ibrahim ran [and drove him away from himself]. [And the route of Safa and Marwa] is the place of Satan's appearing to Ibrahim (peace be upon him)."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): The sa'y between Safa and Marwa was prescribed because Iblis appeared to Ibrahim (peace be upon him); so Jibra'il (peace be upon him) commanded the Imam to be harsh with him and drive him away from himself. Ibrahim (peace be upon him) did so; [that is, he chased Iblis at a trot from behind; Iblis fled], and thus harwala (trotting) between these two mountains became a sunnah.

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): When Ibrahim (peace be upon him) left Ismail (peace be upon him) in Makkah while he was still a nursing infant, Ismail (peace be upon him) became thirsty. Between the mountains of Safa and Marwa there was a tree; the mother of Ismail (peace be upon him) came out from her dwelling until she reached the mountain of Safa, but saw no one there. So she said: "هَلْ بِالْوَادِی مِنْ أَنِیسٍ [Is there anyone friendly in this valley?]" No one answered her. Then she passed on until she reached Marwa. There too she saw no one. Again she said: "هَلْ بِالْوَادِی مِنْ أَنِیسٍ [Is there anyone friendly here?]" She heard no answer. So she returned to Safa; again she repeated her words, [but] no answer came. Then she returned to Marwa, and this action was repeated seven times. So Allah the Exalted made it a sunnah that the pilgrims should traverse the path from Safa to Marwa and from Marwa to Safa seven times. Jibra'il (peace be upon him) descended upon that lady and said to her: "Who are you?" She said: "I am the mother of the son of Ibrahim (peace be upon him)." Jibra'il (peace be upon him) said: "To whom has Ibrahim (peace be upon him) entrusted you and gone?" She said: "I said this very sentence to Ibrahim (peace be upon him) when he wished to leave, and he replied: 'I entrust you to Allah the Exalted.'" Jibra'il (peace be upon him) said: "He has entrusted you to One who is sufficient." Then the Imam said: The people used to avoid travelling along the road to Makkah because of the absence of water. But the nursing infant, from the intensity of his thirst, rubbed his foot on the ground, and as a result the spring of Zamzam gushed forth from the earth. When the mother returned from Marwa and came to the child and saw the spring, she came forward and heaped earth around it so that the water would not flow away; and had she not done so, the water of the spring would have flowed on. [When the water gathered inside the mound of earth, it became like a pool.] The birds and fowls, when they saw it, circled around it. At that very moment a caravan from Yemen was passing by. When they saw the birds circling around a mound of earth, they said: "Birds do not circle over a place unless there is water there." So they made their way to that place to drink water. When they arrived and saw the water, they drank from it and also ate their food there. Allah the Blessed and Exalted made that water a sustenance for them so that they might take it with them. Whenever [the people of] that caravan passed through Makkah, they fed the people of Makkah from their food and gave them to drink from the water they had taken with them.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) said [during the days of Hajjat al-Wida']: إِنَّ الصَّفَا وَ الْمَرْوَةَ مِنْ شَعَائِرِ اللهِ [Indeed Safa and Marwa are among the signs of Allah], so begin with what Allah has begun with. The Muslims had thought that the sa'y (ritual walking) between Safa and Marwa was something the polytheists had established, so Allah the Exalted revealed: إِنَّ الصَّفا وَ الْمَرْوَةَ مِنْ شَعائِرِ اللهِ فَمَنْ حَجَّ الْبَیْتَ أَوِ اعْتَمَرَ فَلا جُناحَ عَلَیْهِ أَنْ یَطَّوَّفَ بِهِما [Indeed Safa and Marwa are among the signs of Allah; so whoever performs Hajj to the House or performs Umrah, there is no blame on him if he goes around them both]. Then he went towards Safa and, on top of it, facing the Yemeni Corner, praised and glorified Allah and recited that portion of Surah al-Baqara which had been revealed. Then he came down and ascended Marwa, and stood upon Marwa just as he had stood upon Safa, until his sa'y was completed. Then Jibra'il (peace be upon him) came to him while he was on top of Marwa, and commanded him to order the people that they could only leave the state of ihram after slaughtering the sacrificial animal.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): Muhammad ibn Muslim said: I heard Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) say: إِنَّ الصَّفا وَ الْمَرْوَةَ مِنْ شَعائِرِ اللهِ [Indeed Safa and Marwa are among the signs of Allah] — whoever makes tawaf of the two has committed no sin. [People] used to say: 'We used to make tawaf between the two (Safa and Marwa) in the time of Jahiliyya (pre-Islamic ignorance); so when Islam came, we do not make tawaf of Safa and Marwa.' Therefore Allah the Mighty and Majestic revealed this verse. He said: I asked, 'Is this verse specific or general?' He said: 'This verse is of the same standing as this word of Allah the Mighty and Majestic: ثُمَّ أَوْرَثْنَا الْکِتابَ الَّذِینَ ... [Then We caused to inherit the Book those...].' So it includes any of the people who enter into it, and it is like Allah the Mighty and Majestic saying: وَ مَن یُطِعِ اللهَ وَ الرَّسُولَ فَأُوْلَئکَ مَعَ الَّذِینَ أَنْعَمَ اللهُ عَلَیْهِم مِّنَ النَّبِیِّنَ وَ الصِّدِّیقِینَ وَ الشُّهَدَاءِ وَ الصَّالِحِینَ وَ حَسُنَ أُوْلَئکَ رَفِیقَا [And whoever obeys Allah and the Messenger, they are with those upon whom Allah has bestowed favour, of the prophets, the truthful, the martyrs and the righteous — and excellent are those as companions].

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family): Adam (peace be upon him) went three times from Safa toward Marwa and returned three times from there; so his going and returning made six rounds. Then when the two of them (Adam (peace be upon him) and Hawwa (peace be upon her)) called upon Allah, wept before Him and asked Him to bring them together again, Allah answered their prayer at that hour of the day, which coincided with the sun's decline. So Jibril (peace be upon him) came to Adam (peace be upon him) while he was standing on top of Safa, facing a valley [in which the House of Allah was] and calling upon Allah. Jibril (peace be upon him) said to him: 'O Adam (peace be upon him)! Come down from Safa and join Hawwa (peace be upon her).' So Adam (peace be upon him) came down from Safa toward Marwa and repeated what he had done in the three previous rounds, until he reached Marwa. He went up onto it and informed Hawwa (peace be upon her) of what Jibril (peace be upon him) had told him. So they rejoiced greatly at that and gave praise and thanks to Allah. From that time the sa'y between Safa and Marwa became sunnah, and for that reason Allah said: إِنَّ الصَّفا وَ الْمَرْوَةَ مِنْ شَعائِرِ اللهِ فَمَنْ حَجَّ الْبَیْتَ أَوِ اعْتَمَرَ فَلا جُناحَ عَلَیْهِ أَنْ یَطَّوَّفَ بِهِما [Surely the Safa and the Marwa are among the signs appointed by Allah; so whoever makes a pilgrimage to the House or pays a visit (to it), there is no blame on him if he goes round them both].

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Halabi says: I asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): 'Can a menstruating woman perform tawaf between Safa and Marwa?' The Imam said: 'No! Because Allah the Exalted says: إِنَّ الصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةَ مِن شَعَآئِرِ الله [Surely the Safa and the Marwa are among the signs appointed by Allah].'

Ali ibn Ibrahim (may Allah have mercy on him): That is, there is no blame on him if he performs sa'y between the two.

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him) regarding the words of Allah: إِنَّ الصَّفا وَ الْمَرْوَةَ مِنْ شَعائِرِ اللهِ فَمَنْ حَجَّ الْبَیْتَ أَوِ اعْتَمَرَ فَلا جُناحَ عَلَیْهِ أَنْ یَطَّوَّفَ بِهِما [Surely the Safa and the Marwa are among the signs appointed by Allah; so whoever makes a pilgrimage to the House or pays a visit (to it), there is no blame on him if he goes round them both] — Abu Ja'far (peace be upon him) says: "The sa'y (walking) between Safa and Marwa is an obligatory duty, and it is stated in the words of Allah the Mighty and Majestic. If there had been an impediment in performing the sa'y between the two, and permission to omit the tawaf of them, He would certainly have said: فَلا جُناحَ عَلَیْهِ أَلّا یَطَّوَّفَ بِهِما [there is no blame on him if he does not go round them both]. But since He said: 'there is no blame on him if he goes round them both,' it becomes clear that they considered the sa'y between the two to be an impediment. And so it was that the Ansar used to raise the talbiya for Manat, and Manat was opposite a small idol. So they felt sin in performing sa'y between Safa and Marwa. When Islam came, they asked the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) about that, and Allah revealed this verse: إِنَّ الصَّفا وَ الْمَرْوَةَ مِنْ شَعائِرِ اللهِ فَمَنْ حَجَّ الْبَیْتَ أَوِ اعْتَمَرَ فَلا جُناحَ عَلَیْهِ أَنْ یَطَّوَّفَ بِهِما [Surely the Safa and the Marwa are among the signs appointed by Allah; so whoever makes a pilgrimage to the House or pays a visit (to it), there is no blame on him if he goes round them both]."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Someone asked Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): "Is the sa'y between Safa and Marwa a fariza (obligation) or a sunnah?" The Imam said: "It is obligatory." The narrator says: I said to the Imam: "Has Allah the Mighty and Majestic not said: فَلاَ جُنَاحَ عَلَیهِ أَن یَطَّوَّفَ بِهِمَا [there is no blame on him if he goes round them both]?" The Imam said: "That was concerning Umrat al-Qada [at the time when the disbelievers held sway over Mecca]. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) had stipulated with the polytheists that they remove the idols from Safa and Marwa, and a man [from among the Muslims] became occupied with some task and did not perform the sa'y between Safa and Marwa until those days had passed and the idols were put back. Then they came to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) and said: 'So-and-so has not performed the sa'y between Safa and Marwa, and the idols have been put back. What is its ruling?' It was at that moment that Allah revealed the verse: فَلاَ جُنَاحَ عَلَیهِ أَن یَطَّوَّفَ بِهِمَا [there is no blame on him if he goes round them both] — meaning, [perform the tawaf] even while the idols are upon those two (Safa and Marwa)."

Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): It is narrated from Zurara and Muhammad ibn Muslim that they said: We said to Imam Baqir (peace be upon him): "What do you say about prayer during travel — how is it and how many rak'ats?" The Imam said: "Allah the Mighty and Majestic says: When you travel, there is no blame on you if you shorten the prayer. (Nisa/101) So shortening the prayer during travel is obligatory, just as praying it in full while at home is obligatory." We said: "Allah the Mighty and Majestic says: 'There is no blame on you,' and He does not say: 'Do this.' (That is, He did not command it in the imperative form, shorten the prayer, so as to indicate obligation.) So how can shortening the prayer during travel be obligatory like performing it in full at home?" The Imam said: "Has Allah the Mighty and Majestic not said concerning the sa'y between Safa and Marwa: فَمَنْ حَجَّ الْبَیْتَ أَوِ اعْتَمَرَ فَلا جُناحَ عَلَیْهِ أَنْ یَطَّوَّفَ بِهِما [so whoever makes a pilgrimage to the House or pays a visit (to it), there is no blame on him if he goes round them both]? Do you not see that the sa'y between Safa and Marwa is obligatory? For Allah the Mighty and Majestic has mentioned it in His Book, and His Prophet, in explaining the verse, performed the sa'y between Safa and Marwa as an act, [and in the same way, shortening the prayer during travel is an act which the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) put into practice]."

Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): Ubayd ibn Zurara says: I said to Imam Sadiq (peace be upon him): ... Tawaf and its prayer are obligatory, and the sa'y between Safa and Marwa is a sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family). Does Allah not say: إِنَّ الصَّفا وَ الْمَرْوَةَ مِنْ شَعائِرِ اللهِ [Surely the Safa and the Marwa are among the signs of Allah]? The Imam said: "Yes, but concerning those two He said: وَ مَنْ تَطَوَّعَ خَیْراً فَإِنَّ اللهَ شاکِرٌ عَلِیمٌ [and whoever does good voluntarily, then surely Allah is Grateful, Knowing]; and if the sa'y were obligatory, He would not have said: فَمَنْ تَطَوَّعَ خَیْراً [whoever does good voluntarily] — that is, whoever performs a good deed out of willingness and desire."

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Allah made the nafilah (supererogatory prayer) obligatory upon His Prophet, apart from the rest of His creation, and said: "وَ مِنَ اللَّیْلِ فَتَهَجَّدْ بِهِ نافِلَهًًْ لَکَ عَسی أَنْ یَبْعَثَکَ رَبُّکَ مَقاماً مَحْمُوداً [And during part of the night, (also) rise from sleep and recite the Qur'an (and pray)! This is an extra duty for you; it is expected that your Lord will raise you to a praiseworthy station.]" (Isra/79). So this night vigil is a matter that Allah has singled out for His Prophet and honored him with this quality, and this act is not obligatory for anyone besides the Prophet — for others it is mustahabb (recommended) [and voluntary]; for Allah says: وَ مَنْ تَطَوَّعَ خَیْراً فَإِنَّ اللهَ شاکِرٌ عَلِیمٌ [And whoever does good spontaneously, then indeed Allah is Grateful, Knowing]. So do abundantly that by which you draw near to Allah and His generosity, and [also] perform all the obligations of Allah in full, without defect or shortcoming.

Imam Ali (peace be upon him): Perform the five prayers at their times; for they are, from Allah the Mighty and Majestic, in the standing of the verse وَ مَنْ تَطَوَّعَ خَیْراً فَإِنَّ اللهَ شاکِرٌ عَلِیمٌ [And whoever does good spontaneously, then indeed Allah is Grateful, Knowing].

Imam Askari (peace be upon him): O Ummah! The word of the Lord, the Mighty and Majestic, concerning Safa and Marwa is true, when He said: فَمَنْ حَجَّ الْبَیْتَ أَوِ اعْتَمَرَ فَلا جُناحَ عَلَیْهِ أَنْ یَطَّوَّفَ بِهِما وَ مَنْ تَطَوَّعَ خَیْراً [So whoever makes the pilgrimage to the House or performs Umrah, there is no blame on him for going around them both; and whoever does good voluntarily]. So perform tawaf abundantly, for indeed Allah, with His beautiful reward, is grateful to His creation; He is aware of his inner intention, and on account of his intention He magnifies his reward and honours his station in the hereafter.