Tawaf (Circumambulation of the Kaaba)
The ritual of walking seven times around the Kaaba counterclockwise as part of Hajj and Umrah.
Tawaf is the ritual of walking seven times around the Kaaba in Masjid al-Haram in Mecca in a counterclockwise direction. It is a pillar (rukn) of both Hajj and Umrah and can also be performed voluntarily as an independent act of worship.
Tawaf begins at the Black Stone (al-Hajar al-Aswad) in the eastern corner of the Kaaba. For each circuit, it is sunnah to point toward or kiss the Black Stone. During tawaf, pilgrims recite du'a and dhikr. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Tawaf around the House is like prayer, except that you speak during it" (Sunan al-Tirmidhi).
There are several types of tawaf: Tawaf al-Qudum (arrival tawaf), Tawaf al-Ifadah (the obligatory tawaf during Hajj), Tawaf al-Wada' (farewell tawaf), and Tawaf al-Nafl (voluntary tawaf). Wudu is a prerequisite for tawaf according to the majority of Sunni scholars. After tawaf, one prays two rak'ah behind Maqam Ibrahim (Abraham's Station).
Related terms
Ijtihad (Independent Legal Reasoning)
The independent interpretive effort to derive legal rules from the Islamic sources.
Du'a Abu Hamza al-Thumali (Ramadan Night Supplication)
A profound Ramadan supplication taught by Imam Sajjad, recited at sahur time.
Madhhab (School of Law)
An Islamic school of law with its own methodology for legal derivation from the sacred sources.
Bismillah (In the Name of Allah)
The formula "In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful," which opens prayer and action.
Laylat al-Mi'raj (The Night of Ascension)
The night when Prophet Muhammad journeyed to the heavens and received the gift of prayer.
Sahih Muslim (Muslim's Authentic Collection)
The second most authoritative hadith collection in Sunni Islam, compiled by Imam Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj.