The Saʿy between Safa and Marwah
A Striving toward the Future
The rite of saʿy between Safa and Marwah is a basic part of the links that are connected, as rites, with all the other acts of Hajj and ʿUmrah, and it does not fall outside the general system of the formative influence of worship on the individual. Therefore it has an effect on the principle of human excellence, from which a person is meant to set out into the expanses of change in his personality and of building it soundly and strongly, challenging the violent winds of life and undertaking to activate his capacities on the earth that Allah the Exalted has prepared for him, which He, the Exalted, has disposed for the human being; for the Exalted said, in realization of this aim: “Do you not see that Allah has disposed for you whatever there is in the heavens and whatever there is in the earth and He has showered upon you His blessings, the outward, and the inward?” (Qurʾan 31:20)
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Someone may think that the saʿy between Safa and Marwah is the weakest of the links of influence in building the self and in a person’s course of life. Perhaps the origin of that is that this act of worship takes place outside the framework of the mosque status of the noble Meccan Haram: it is permissible for a menstruating woman to enter it, and it is permissible for her to perform saʿy in it; likewise, the holy Sharia has not imposed upon the pilgrim the obligation of ritual purity in this act of worship; or, as has been said, there is nothing in the texts of the Sharia establishing that a person can perform saʿy independently as a recommended act, as one performs a recommended ṭawāf. But all of that is a mirage not to be paid attention to: so long as saʿy is one of the rites of Hajj, it falls within the system of Islamic acts of worship that were legislated to shape the faithful personality, and these are the window through which a person passes to the gates of divine mercy.
Allah the Exalted says: “Indeed Safa and Marwah are among Allah’s sacraments” (Qurʾan 2:158), and venerating the sacraments (shaʿāʾir) of Allah is obligatory; venerating them increases the doses of faith and Godwariness in a person’s life and in the hearts of the believers: “That. And whoever venerates the sacraments of Allah—indeed that arises from the Godwariness of hearts.” (Qurʾan 22:32) The sacraments are the signs that take shape in a person’s life, forming the preferred hue in his personality, and creating the basic genes in drawing the landmarks of his path and his positions in his life. From this standpoint, the saʿy between Safa and Marwah is among the sacraments of Allah the Exalted, and it is a basic building block in building a person’s personality, and in building his capacities that make him surpass his reality.
“and strives for it with an endeavour worthy of it” (Qurʾan 17:19)
There is a link between (saʿy) as a rite and (saʿy—striving) as a general interactive system, not only through the word, but through the complete harmony between the elements and values of religion. The congruence appears clearly through reading the narrations on saʿy that came from the tongue of the Ahl al-Bayt (a), in which we will show that the saʿy between Safa and Marwah reinforces the state of striving and exerting effort; indeed, its striving steps between Mount Safa and Mount Marwah are considered steps toward drawing a person’s future. Among the reasons that the Sharia mentioned for establishing the rite of saʿy between Safa and Marwah, we find the striving of Lady Hajar toward building life, in search of the resources that reinforce the capacities of the human being and meet his civilizational requirements; and we find the striving of the Prophet Ibrahim (a), who was confronting the instincts of Satan and the schemes of the negative forces that plan to weaken the human being from performing his mission and attaining his personal and civilizational goals. Striving, exerting effort and planning for the future are thus the basic heading of the rite of saʿy between Safa and Marwah in the Hajj of the Sacred House of Allah.
The Exalted said: “that nothing belongs to man except what he strives for, (39) and that he will soon be shown his endeavour” (Qurʾan 53:39–40)
Striving is a necessity of life, and through it a person reaps the fruits of his striving; so he must provide the preliminaries of all that he aims to achieve: knowledge and learning, health and well-being, wealth and all other resources.
In the saʿy of Safa and Marwah, a person should not stop rigidly at the limits of the Sharia—its rulings and the conditions of its validity; rather, these should be starting points for him to soar into the expanses of the spiritual horizons of that great rite. The soaring is through the power of positive imagination, which is one of the dimensions of a person’s spiritual power; and through that imaginative power and the release of thought during the performance of the rite of worship, the effects of acts of worship in a person’s life begin.
Soaring toward the Future
We can say that the contents that saʿy supplies to the personality are open contents in wide aspects, and they flow in the direction of a person’s future. Some acts of worship have a defined benefit and contents concentrated in a specific direction, whereas the saʿy between Safa and Marwah has wide horizons. Here is a narration that negates fixedness in saʿy; it says:
From Abu al-Jarud, from Abu Jaʿfar (a), who said:“There is nothing fixed (muwaqqat) upon Safa”.
In Lisan al-ʿArab: (Everything for which you have set a time is muwaqqat, and likewise that whose limit you have set is muwaqqat). Negating fixedness is thus negating limitation; it is not negating action or negating supplication at that spot. If there were a fixed supplication, we would have to read the indications of that supplication to know the framework that saʿy supplies in life; but when there is no fixed supplication, this indicates that the horizons are open. The proof of that is the existence of a group of narrations from the Ahl al-Bayt (a) that speak of certain acts and certain litanies, and those litanies encompass the affairs of this world and the affairs of the Hereafter.
On the reflection of saʿy on human life in worldly affairs, it has been narrated from Abu ʿAbd Allah (a), who said: “Whoever wants his wealth to increase, let him prolong his standing on Safa and Marwah.” And on the affairs of the Hereafter, it has been narrated in Man La Yahduruhu al-Faqih: “When the pilgrim performs saʿy between Safa and Marwah, he comes out of his sins.” And he reported that ʿAli ibn al-Husayn (a) said: “The angels intercede for the one who performs saʿy between Safa and Marwah, and their intercession for him is granted in the affirmative.”
Future-Oriented Positivity
The general frameworks of the determinants of the future influence of saʿy are positive thinking, or looking at the future with the eye of good opinion, and setting sound goals that build a person’s life according to the centrality of the sound religious idea. Hence we find Imam Musa al-Kazim (a) repeating these contents in his supplication, according to the narration:
From Muhammad ibn ʿUmar ibn Yazid, from one of his companions, who said: I was behind Abu al-Hasan Musa (a) on Safa or on Marwah, and he did not go beyond two phrases: “O Allah, I ask You for good opinion of You in every state, and sincerity of intention in reliance upon You.”
Good opinion of Allah is expecting all good, because Allah the Exalted does only what is in the interest of His servants.
Therefore, at the pilgrim’s first standing on Safa before beginning his saʿy, he gathers within himself numerous future goals encompassing this world and the Hereafter, in the form of supplication, among them:
1- Counting the blessings with which Allah has blessed him. (Positivity).
2- Viewing affliction as having a good door that brings benefit back to a person. (The bright sides).
3- Thanking Allah and magnifying His blessings and the good He has done him. (Seeking increase).
5- Opening wide horizons with Allah the Exalted. (Faith in Allah’s power).
6- Asking for the blessings of this world, in livelihood and social life, and the good of the Hereafter. (Balance between the two abodes).
We find these matters in the following narration:
From Ibn Abi ʿUmayr, from Muʿawiya ibn ʿAmmar, from Abu ʿAbd Allah (a): that the Messenger of Allah (s), when he had finished his tawaf and its two rakʿas, said: “I begin with what Allah, the Almighty, began with: coming to Safa. Allah, the Almighty, says: ‘Indeed Safa and Marwah are among Allah’s sacraments.’” (Qurʾan 2:158)
Abu ʿAbd Allah (a) said: “Then go out to Safa from the gate from which the Messenger of Allah (s) went out, which is the gate facing the Black Stone, until you cross the valley, keeping to tranquility and dignity. Then climb Safa until you look at the House, and face the corner in which the Black Stone is, and praise Allah and extol Him; then mention, of His bounties and His trials and the good He has done you, whatever you are able to mention..
Then magnify Allah seven times, praise Him seven times, and declare His oneness seven times, and say: ‘There is no god except Allah, One, without any partner; to Him belongs all sovereignty and to Him belongs all praise; He gives life and brings death,* and He is Living and does not die, and He has power over all things’ three times. Then send blessings upon the Prophet (s) and say: ‘Allah is greatest for having guided us, and praise belongs to Allah for what He has bestowed upon us, and praise belongs to Allah, the Living, the All-sustainer, and praise belongs to Allah, the Living, the Everlasting’ three times. And say: ‘I bear witness that there is no god except Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and His Messenger; we worship none but Him, putting exclusive faith in Him,* though the polytheists should be averse’* three times. ‘O Allah, I ask You for pardon, well-being and certainty in this world and the Hereafter’ three times. ‘O Allah, give us good in this world and good in the Hereafter, and save us from the punishment of the Fire’ three times. Then magnify Allah a hundred times, declare His oneness a hundred times, praise Him a hundred times, and glorify Him a hundred times, and say: ‘There is no god except Allah, alone; He fulfilled His promise, helped His servant, and overcame the confederates alone; so to Him belongs all sovereignty and to Him belongs all praise, alone, alone. O Allah, bless me in death and in what comes after death. O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the darkness of the grave and its loneliness. O Allah, shade me in the shade of Your Throne on the day when there is no shade but Your shade.’ And frequently entrust your religion, yourself and your family to your Lord; then say: ‘I entrust to Allah, the All-beneficent, the All-merciful, whose trusts are not lost, myself, my religion and my family’..”
From here, the balance required of the believer in his life—that he be going back and forth between hope and fear—is a basis in the intention of the one performing saʿy. In his future-oriented thinking he is governed by hope for Allah’s mercy and by attraction to the benefits and the positive elements in his affairs; and on the other hand he is governed by fear of the wrath of Allah the Exalted, so he shuns the negatives and the bad consequences that result from a person’s choices. Imam Zayn al-ʿAbidin (a) explained this principle to al-Shibli, when he said to him:
“Did you perform saʿy between Safa and Marwah, and walk, and go back and forth between them? He said: Yes. He said to him: Did you intend that you are between hope and fear? He said: No. He said: Then you did not perform saʿy, nor walk, nor go back and forth between Safa and Marwah...”
Unhurried Saʿy
Since it is a striving of the spirit in wide horizons, the one performing saʿy between Safa and Marwah may go on foot or cross the masʿa (the course of saʿy) riding. If he chooses to go on foot, the narrations direct him to be in tranquility and dignity, taking his steps without thinking of the fatigue of the journey or of the time of finishing; for the spiritual process and thinking about the future while walking suit that. Indeed, if he is exhausted and feels tired, he may take some rest and then complete his contemplative walk about his future and his planning of the map of his coming projects.
From Hajjaj al-Khashshab, who said: I heard Abu ʿAbd Allah (a) asking Zurara; he said: Did you perform saʿy between Safa and Marwah? He said: Yes. He said: And did you grow weak? He said: No, by Allah, I was strong. He said: If you fear weakness, then ride, for it makes you stronger for supplication.
And from Muhammad ibn Abi ʿUmayr, from Hammad, from al-Halabi, who said: I asked Abu ʿAbd Allah (a) about a man who circuits between Safa and Marwah: may he rest? He said: Yes; if he wishes to sit on Safa and Marwah and between them, he sits.
The Course of Striving toward Allah’s Power in His Dominion
Change and achievement in all walks of life are possible with Allah the Exalted. The pilgrim should not restrict his view to his material capacities, or his limited human conceptions, or man-made laws that limit the realization of goals and aims; rather, he must be striving within the expanses of the power of Allah the Exalted, the Most High, the All-powerful: “that Allah has power over all things” (Qurʾan 2:106). From here the horizons open up and the circle of influence widens, and a person realizes that he should fly with his resolve as a bird flies with its two wings in the horizon of the sky, and not surrender to obstacles and discouragements. It has come in the hadith:
From Yaʿqub ibn Shuʿayb, who said: Jamil narrated to me, saying: I said to Abu ʿAbd Allah (a): Is there a fixed supplication that I should say on Safa and Marwah? He said: “You say, when you stand on Safa: ‘There is no god except Allah, One, without any partner; to Him belongs all sovereignty and to Him belongs all praise; He gives life and brings death, and He has power over all things’ three times.”
It has passed earlier that there is nothing fixed on Safa, whereas here he does not negate but brings a supplication; and we said earlier that negating fixedness is negating limitation. This supplication opens the horizon for a person so that it expands to the kingdom of Allah the Exalted; he should repeat (and He has power over all things) three times, so that this principle becomes rooted in himself and he relies on it as a launching force that nothing limits.
Therefore it has been narrated from Imam al-Sadiq (a), concerning what the heart of the one performing saʿy should attach itself to in his brisk trotting, that he should move from the limitation of his capacities to the expanses of the power of Allah the Exalted, as he says: “And trot briskly, fleeing from your caprice and disowning all your own might and power...”
Striving toward Insight and Knowledge
The pilgrim cannot remove from his thinking the intellectual confrontation and the many-colored tensions in the arena of knowledge; through them he either sets out into the expanses of guidance and insight, or is tempted by error and misguidance. Therefore the pilgrim should bring to mind, in his saʿy, the goals of knowledge: he plans to seek knowledge and draws for himself a future of knowledge, arming himself with awareness in the intertwined civilizational struggle. What has been narrated of supplication in saʿy directs the one performing saʿy toward these aims; it says:
“O Allah, employ me according to Your Book and the Sunna of Your Prophet, cause me to die in his creed, and protect me from tribulation. Then you magnify Allah three times, then repeat it twice, then magnify Him once, then repeat it; and if you cannot do this, then part of it.”
The Humiliation of the Tyrants
The tyrant is the one who uses compulsion, coercion and subjugation in carrying out his demands, whether he is a ruler who holds himself above people and judges them without right, or is arrogant in his society and haughty toward others. A person must uproot this blameworthy trait from his heart, because matters are attained only through humility, justice and balance. Whoever is haughty in his affairs, saʿy crushes this trait in him; therefore he ought to reflect in saʿy from this angle and to remember his state, so that he benefits from this rite of his. Saʿy may not be of benefit to the tyrannical person himself, but rather to whoever looks at him, seeing him humbled in his saʿy; people look at him as one of them, and do not give him more than his size, nor are they in awe of him, and so his influence is curtailed.
Muhammad ibn Yahya, from Muhammad ibn al-Husayn, from Muhammad ibn Aslam, from Yunus, from Abu Basir, who said: I heard Abu ʿAbd Allah (a) say: “There is no spot dearer to Allah than the masʿa, because in it He humbles every tyrant.”
The Technique of Human Excellence
It has been narrated from Imam al-Sadiq (a) that he said concerning the brisk trotting of saʿy: “And trot briskly, fleeing from your caprice and disowning all your own might and power...”
As we mentioned in previous discussions regarding the principle of human excellence, which rests on the power of imagination that embodies intangibles, then separates them from a person’s self, after which he determines his position toward them: in saʿy, the one performing saʿy should activate it, separating his bad traits and the negatives of his thinking, then imagining that they are behind him; and while trotting in saʿy he intends that he is fleeing from those negatives and disowning them, which reinforces the state of aversion to them, and consequently the striving toward his positive and sound future.
Completed in Mecca the Honored, 1/ Dhu al-Hijja/ 1436 AH
