A note before you begin. This is study material to help you understand the sa’i before you perform it. It is not a recitation text. During the rite you recite from the original Arabic / Lisan ud-Dawat of the Mansak and follow your Musaid and the FAIZ team, who hold the exact niyyat, duas and sequence. Read this to grasp the shape and meaning; let the original text and your Musaid lead you on the day.
After the tawaf and the two rak’ats at Maqam Ibrahim, after drinking and sprinkling Zamzam, the pilgrim turns to the sa’i — the walking, and at one stretch the running, between the two small hills of Safa and Marwah. It is one of the great symbols of the pilgrimage, and the Mansak places it immediately after the tawaf in the order of the rites.
Why Safa and Marwah?
The Qur’an itself answers, and the Mansak quotes the verse at the heart of the sa’i:
“Indeed, Safa and Marwah are among the symbols of Allah. So whoever makes Hajj to the House or performs ‘Umrah — there is no blame upon him for walking between them. And whoever volunteers good — then indeed, Allah is Appreciative and Knowing.” (Qur’an 2:158)
To walk between them is therefore not a casual stroll between two points; it is to move within the sha’a’ir Allah, the appointed signs of God. The same passage the Mansak gives for the sa’i goes on to recall that Allah chose Adam, Nuh, and the families of Ibrahim and ‘Imran — placing your own striving within that long line of the chosen, and reminding you (Qur’an 17:19) that “whoever desires the Hereafter and strives for it with the striving due to it while he is a believer — those are the ones whose striving is appreciated.” The Arabic word sa’i means exactly that: striving, effort, the walk that is also a labour of the soul.
Leaving for the sa’i
When the tawaf is finished, you exit the Masjid al-Haram through the Bab al-Safa to go toward the two hills. The Mansak records a dua of forgiveness recited as you step out — “O Allah, forgive me what I have advanced and what I have postponed… You are the One who advances and the One who postpones; there is no god but You” — and notes that the first step out follows in the footstep of Rasul Allah (SA).
The niyyat
At Safa, facing toward the Hajar al-Aswad, you form the niyyat of the sa’i: that you intend to perform the sa’i between Safa and Marwah — seven circuits — for Allah, Mighty and Majestic, asking Him to make it easy, to help you, and to accept it. As with tawaf, the Mansak gives a parallel bijaa (proxy) form in which the name of the person on whose behalf the sa’i is performed is inserted before “seven circuits,” and matching forms for the sa’i of Hajj al-Mufrad. One sa’i is for one person.
The seven circuits
A circuit (shawt) runs from one hill to the other: Safa to Marwah is one, Marwah back to Safa is the next, and so on, so that the seventh circuit ends at Marwah. On reaching each hill you ascend it and, facing the House (Baitullah al-Haram), recite the same dua you recited on Safa; the Mansak notes specifically that the dua on Marwah is recited while turned toward the Sacred House. Descending, you move toward the other hill “with humility, dignity and tranquillity” (khushu’, waqar, sakinah) — the sa’i is brisk in one part but never careless.
Where the running is prescribed
Between the hills there is a marked stretch where men run vigorously (raml). The Mansak ties this to the tradition of the angel’s running and marks its boundaries plainly: going from Safa toward Marwah, the running begins at the green light and continues up to the point nearest the entry into the Masjid al-Haram. Outside that stretch one walks normally. Women do not run — they walk through the running section. This same pattern repeats in every circuit, in both directions.
Recitation along the way
The sa’i is filled with Qur’an and dua. Coming down from Safa toward Marwah you recite the verse of Safa and Marwah and the verses that follow it; through the circuits the Mansak recommends, where one is able with concentration, suras such as al-Muzzammil, al-Ma’arij, al-Saff, al-Duha, al-Inshirah, al-Qadr, Yasin, and the Ayat al-Kursi, along with Du’a al-Faraj and the Asma’ al-Husna. At the end of the running there is a dua raised with the hands lifted — “O Lord of bounty and favour… my action is weak, so multiply it for me and accept it from me.”
After the sa’i
When the seven circuits are complete at Marwah, the ihram garments are removed and ordinary (sewn) clothes are worn again. The Mansak then directs the pilgrim, where possible, to return to the Masjid al-Haram for the Tawaf al-Nisa’ — an obligatory tawaf — followed by its own two rak’ats at Maqam Ibrahim.
The exact niyyat, the order of the duas, and the conditions of running belong to the original Mansak and your Musaid. Where this study note is brief, follow the original text and the FAIZ guidance.