The linguistic meaning of the word Tawaf is “to walk around’. However, in the religious sense, it’s an act of spiritual devotion to Allah Almighty performed by the Muslim pilgrims arriving for the holy rituals through Baitullah Travel Offers Cheap Hajj and Umrah Packages from UK.
Significance of Tawaf.
Tawaf is among the most significant and integral rites of Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages. In fact, the ritual of Tawaf itself dates back to thousands of years that pilgrims used to perform necessarily. In the Islamic faith, it is a concept of circumambulating around the Holy Kaabah for seven consecutive rounds in an anti-clockwise direction. The starting, as well as the ending point of every round of Tawaf, is the place of Hajar-al-Aswad i.e., the Black Stone.
Symbol of Equality.
Tawaf is a symbolic act demonstrating the unity, equality, and belief of the Muslims for the creator; Allah almighty and his worship. Tawaf ritual depicts the idea of oneness, unity, and brotherhood among the Muslim ummah because all the pilgrims are offering the same rites. Despite this, Tawaf remains an ultimate act of supplication to Allah Almighty.
Different Types of Tawaf.
1. Tawaf al-Qudum; also known as ‘Tawaf of arrival’ or ‘Welcome Tawaf’, is performed by those pilgrims who are traveling beyond the Miqat boundaries upon entering Saudia Arabia. Tawaf-al-Qudum is a sunnah thus all male and female pilgrims are required to assume Ihram in order to perform it.
2. Tawaf-al-Nafl; is performed by the pilgrims voluntarily and at any time of the year.
3. Tawaf-al-Umrah; is performed by pilgrims of Umrah. Since tawaf also remains an initial ritual of Umrah, it gets performed by the pilgrims after assuming Ihram.
4. Tawaf-al-Ziyarath; also known as ‘Tawaf-ul-Rukh’ or ‘Tawaf of invitation’ gets performed by all the pilgrims who are undertaking Hajj pilgrimage during Dhul-Hijjah. However, after leaving the state of Ihram and before returning to Mina for Rami-al-Jamarat.
5. Tawaf-al-Wida; also known as ‘Tawaf of farewell’ gets performed by pilgrims after the completion of the rituals of Hajj and before they leave Makkah’s boundary. This is the last ritual that is performed by the pilgrims of the Hajj pilgrimage in Makah.
How to begin Tawaf?
Every round of Tawaf starts at the place of the Hajar-Al-Aswad and ends here as well. There are three ways of completing the Tawaf;
• If you are present close enough to the Hajar-Al-Aswad that you can easily touch it; it’s recommended to touch it with both your hands, place your face in between your hands, and recite the prayer.
• If the area is crowded and only your palms can touch the stone, then it’s advised to touch the stone with your hands only and then kiss your hands afterward.
• If you are present too far away from Hajar-al-Aswad that touching it physically is impossible, then it advised facing the Black Stone and raising your hands to your earlobes, and recite the prayer.
These are some of the important facts to know about the tawaf ritual.
