Saa'ee & Its Procedure

Saa’ee literally means to strive, work and act. Sa'i (sayee) between Safa and Marwah is one of the obligatory acts of Hajj. A pilgrim must perform tawaf before performing Saa’ee. There is no Saa’ee without tawaf or before it. Saa’ee begins from Safa and ends at Marwa. It should be completed in seven rounds, nothing more and nothing less. When a person reaches the point marked with green pillars while performing Saa’ee, he should start running with medium pace and then again resume the usual pace. This is called Ramal. Women are not required to do Ramal. They should walk with their usual pace.

After Saa’ee and before the ritual shaving, it is recommended to offer two raka’t nafl Salah in Masjid-ul-Haram. Later, pilgrims (men) are required to shave their head while women have to cut their hair up to the length of a fingertip. Ritual shaving should be done in the precinct of the Haram.

While performing Saa’ee we remember the history of Safa and Marwa, and follow the actions of Hajira (RA) who climbed and ran between the hills of Safa and Marwa in search of water for her thirsty child Ismail (AS), which is also the reason why men run between Safa and Marwah hills. The miracle of ZamZam was gifted to her for her self-reliance and a firm faith on Allah. She had tawakkul but she did not sit around waiting for something to happen. She checked first Safa and then Marwa for sustenance, and kept on running between the hills hoping that somehow the provision from Allah (SWT) would come.

According to Hadith, the Prophet (pbuh) said “None of you will enter Jannah by your deeds.” It is only by Allah’s mercy that we enter Jannah. So put in your efforts, do your deeds and trust Allah to give you rewards in this life and the Hereafter.