Tawaf is not only worship but also an act of worship that brings the pilgrim closer to Allah. It shows the unity of God's believers and servants who come to God's house from all over the world.
What is Tawaf?
The term Tawaf is derived from the Arabic verb 'tafah' which means 'to encircle something' or 'to go around something. In the Islamic context, Tawaf refers to Tawaf the Kaaba seven times in a counter-clockwise direction as part of the Umrah or Hajj, which begins at the Black Stone.
Significance of Tawaf
Tawaf is an act of devotion to bring pilgrims spiritually closer to God. This is the only ritual of Hajj and major ritual of Umrah that is not directly related to the worship of the ancient Prophet Ibrahim.If you or those travelling with you suffer from paralysis, this part of the Hajj and Umrah may take extra time. To do it perfectly, basically inform your agent in advance who will have booked your Umrah package.
Several interpretations try to prove the importance of Tawaf:
• One such interpretation is that when the pilgrims circumambulate the Kaaba, they do so together with the angels who circumambulate Bait-al-Mu'mur in the heavenly realm. From the cosmological point of view, the Kaaba is considered to be the reflection of Bait al-Mu'mur in the seventh heaven and the circumambulation of the pilgrims is the reflection of the angels.
• Another interpretation relates the process of Tawaf to the rotational motions of the celestial bodies. Modern science shows that the electrons inside an atom move in a counter-clockwise motion around the centre called the nucleus. Some of these atoms are so small that they are invisible to the microscope. Similarly, our solar system revolves around galaxies and these galaxies have their orbit around a central axis. Since everything is made of atoms that are constantly moving in orbits, we understand that rotation around a central point or circumference is a cosmic law. All these systems are subject to the will of Allah who has created and managed them.
Similarly, when Tawaf is performed, pilgrims participate in this cosmic ritual just as atoms and galaxies are subject to the will of Allah. The Kaaba represents the spiritual centre of the world, the spiritual axis around which the believer's compass revolves, and revolves daily.
History of Tawaf
In the age of Ignorance, polytheists used to Tawaf the Kaaba naked because this was the custom of their ancestors. They would strip themselves of their clothes and allow themselves to be trampled by people's feet until they burst because they felt that their clothes were stained by the sins they had committed, and so they wanted to separate themselves from these clothes and these sins.
With the advent of Islam, Allah Ta'ala ordered the covering of the Awrah:
”O children of Adam, adorn yourself in every mosque and eat and drink, but do not exceed the limit. Indeed, He does not like abusers.”
[Surah Al-A'raf, 7:31]
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The Prophet (PBUH) focused Tawaf on the worship of God and forbade Tawaf naked one year before His farewell Hajj.
Types of Tawaf
There are five types of Tawaf. These are as follows:
1. Tawaf-al-Qudoom
Tawaf al-Qudum is the first Tawaf performed by any Muslim who decides to perform Hajj-al-Qiran or Hajj-al-Ifrad
2. Tawaf-al-Ifadah
All these pilgrims return on the 10th of Dhu al-Hijjah after emerging from the state of Ihram and changing into regular clothing, before performing Rami al-Jamarat in Mina. It is called Tawaf-al-Ziyarah because it is performed on the pilgrimage to the Kaaba after leaving Mina.
3. Tawaf-al-Widaa
This is done by the pilgrims after completing the Hajj before leaving Makkah. It is the final ritual performed before proceeding to the next destination in Makkah.
4. Tawaf-al-Umrah
This is the Tawaf performed by those who perform Umrah outside the Hajj season and those intending to perform Hajj-al-Tamattu. This is an obligatory act and not performing it will invalidate the Umrah.
5. Nafl Tawaf
It is voluntary Tawaf that can be performed at any time and as many times as desired.
Each type of Tawaf begins and ends at Hajar Aswad and each Tawaf is performed in a counter-clockwise direction. Pilgrims always drink Zamzam water while performing Tawaf during Hajj and Umrah. They cannot drink holy water while fasting in Ramadan. So it is very good to perform Umrah in Ramadan because Shab al-Qadr falls on the last odd days of Ramadan.
The rush of pilgrims is always greater than in other months, seeing the crowds in Ramadan seems like the Hajj is being performed. So, the Ramadan Umrah packages is the best way to reach Makkah and get all the essentials for Umrah in Ramadan.
