Can one perform the tawaf of farewell at the end of the pilgrimage and then sleep for a few hours before departure from Makkah?
The proper thing is to make the tawaf of farewell the last thing one does in Makkah before departure. If one knows that he would not be traveling for a few hours, then he should delay his tawaf until the last moment when he can do it comfortably and come back for departure without causing delay to anyone. But if you know that your departure will not take place for several hours after you finish your tawaf, then sleep first and then do your tawaf.
On the other hand, take the case of one who has made arrangements to leave Makkah in a couple of hours and goes to do your tawaf returning shortly before the time set for departure. He then discovers that his transport is delayed by a traffic jam or an accident involving other cars. He is waiting for his transport to arrive any minute so that he would load his luggage and leave.
However, the wait is prolonged for reasons beyond his control, and while waiting he sleeps, then when the car arrives he is woken up, and departs, then he need not repeat the tawaf first.
During pilgrimage, our team leader said that tawaf of farewell could be done immediately when we have finished our tawaf of Ifadah. He insisted that this is a proper way of doing the ritual. We listened to his advice and did the tawaf of farewell shortly after the other tawaf on 10th. We went back to Mina where we stayed for two more days and did the stoning there. When we finished, we proceeded directly from Mina to our homes in Yambu. Please advise.
There is no doubt that the advice given by your team leaders was meant to make things easier for themselves, rather than for the completeness of the pilgrimage. This is unfortunately the case with some people who are responsible for conducting pilgrimage tours, etc. Nevertheless we have to acknowledge that if they do not seek the easier options, delays may be considerable, and that could lead to much confusion.
The proper time for tawaf of farewell is at the end of all pilgrimage duties and just before leaving Makkah. This implies that a return to Makkah from Mina is necessary, because the pilgrimage is “to the House”, i.e. to the Ka’abah, not the Arafat, Muzdalifah or Mina. True we conduct some of the most important duties at these places, but the fact remains that when pilgrimage is mentioned in the Qur’an, it is stated as pilgrimage to the Ka’abah. It is only right that it should finish there, with tawaf.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, noticed that people were just leaving Makkah when they had completed their duties. He told them not to leave without doing the tawaf, so that the last thing they do on their pilgrimage is a tawaf at the Ka’abah. This is the proper thing to do.
The tawaf of farewell is a duty according to the Hanafi and the Hanbali schools of thought, and a Sunnah according to the Maliki and Shaf’ie schools. So, if you take the latter view, then you need not do anything, but next time you go to pilgrimage, God willing, make the tawaf of farewell the last thing you do on your pilgrimage. ~
I have been told that it is permissible to perform the tawaf on behalf of anyone, regardless of his or her status. However, someone else has told me that this is only so, if the person on whose behalf we are offering tawaf is invalid, poor, too old or deceased. Please clarify.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, tells us that tawaf is a kind of prayer, except that it is not invalidated by ordinary talk. It is an essential part of the pilgrimage or Umrah, whose validity depends on the performance of tawaf. Other than this, it is recommended, or a Sunnah, at any time. It is permissible to offer the pilgrimage and the Umrah on behalf of another person who is unable to offer such a duty personally, as in the case of a deceased person or one who suffers from a chronic illness. We cannot offer such a duty on behalf of one that is able to undertake the journey physically and financially, but happens to be too busy or unenthusiastic about performing his duty for any reason. Some people do not offer their daily prayers, or offer them intermittently. We cannot do anything to help them. Similarly, if a person has the wherewithal to offer the Umrah or the pilgrimage, but does not take steps to do so, we cannot help him by offering these duties on his behalf even if such a person happens to be a parent or a dearly beloved relative.
To offer tawaf on behalf of another person is the same as offering two Raka’ahs of Sunnah on his behalf. Why should we do so, if the person concerned does not want to pray? Moreover, to offer something on behalf of another person is limited only to acts of worship that admit performance by proxy. There is a clear difference among scholars as to whether this is permissible in the case of prayer, fasting and other physical acts of worship. It is perhaps the weightier view that such acts of worship cannot be offered by proxy. The pilgrimage and Umrah are different because they have been clearly excepted by the Prophet, peace be upon him, to allow that. Financial acts of worship, such as Sadaqah, may be offered on behalf of others.