Is a Penalty Required for Mistakes During Sa‘i and Ihram?

Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel

Question

During an umra performed while I was very unwell, I stepped outside the boundary during sa‘i, later counted fourteen circuits instead of seven, and used perfumed soap for istinja and washed my hands to the wrists.

Is a sacrifice (dam) due for any of these, and may I give charity instead?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.

What you went through was heavy, and it is a mercy that you completed the rites at all. Take the answer below as relief rather than as a reckoning.

There is no penalty for crossing the boundary, since you returned and performed the sa‘i, and no penalty for performing an extra seven circuits out of ignorance. Washing the hands to the wrists with perfumed soap does entail a penalty.

Allah Most High says, “Verily Safa and Marwa are sites of Allah’s worship. So whoever makes a pilgrimage to the Sacred House or the lesser visitation, there is no wrong or harm in making many a round between them. And whoever does more of the best than even that, Allah truly is supreme in thanks, all-knowing.” [Quran 2:158; Keller, The Quran Beheld]

Stepping Outside the Boundary

You wrote that you accidentally crossed the boundary while looking out. That alone is not enough to conclude that a penalty is due, so do not carry it.

Fourteen Circuits Instead of Seven

The sa‘i is valid where a person performs fourteen circuits rather than seven out of ignorance. Despite the additional seven, no violation of the ihram has occurred. [Shaykh Zada, Majma al-Anhar fi Sharh Multaqa al-Abhur]

Perfuming a Whole Limb

Perfuming an entire limb in one sitting does entail a penalty.

The sacrifice of a sheep must be carried out within the sacred precinct (haram) in Makka, so you may ask someone traveling from your country for umrah to discharge it there on your behalf. [Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

You Are Not Being Pressed for It

You are unemployed and dependent on your parents for now. As long as you intend to discharge the penalty, do not worry and take your time in doing so. An obligation you intend and cannot yet afford is not a debt hanging over your worship.

And Allah knows best.

[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Related SeekersGuidance Answers

• Must Expiation for an Ihram Violation Be Given Within the Haram? · Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat · Why the sacrifice must be discharged in Makka and its sacred boundaries, and how pilgrims arrange it from abroad.
• Does Using Scented Soap in Ihram Require a Sacrifice Penalty (Dam)? · Mawlana Ilyas Patel · Where intention decides between a sacrifice and charity: soap used to clean is not soap used to perfume.
• What Are The Expiations For The Following Violations in Ihram? · Mawlana Ilyas Patel · A worked set of ihram slips with the expiation for each, including scented soap and detergent.
• Removing Hair and Wearing Scents: Expiations for Accidental Violations of Ihram during Hajj · Sidi Faraz A. Khan · The governing principle: an accidental violation is not sinful and still carries an expiation, with the whole-limb threshold set out.

Mawlana Ilyas Patel has received traditional education in various countries. He started his schooling in the UK and completed his hifz of the Quran in India. After that, he joined an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied secular and Aalimiyya sciences. Later, he traveled to Karachi, Pakistan, and other Middle Eastern countries to further his education. Mawlana has served as an Imam in the Republic of Ireland for several years and taught the Quran and other Islamic sciences to both children and adults. He also worked as a teacher and librarian at a local Islamic seminary in the UK for 12 years. Presently, he lives in the UK with his wife and is interested in books and gardening.