How to perform tawaf step by step: seven circuits, the Black Stone line and a practical guide

What are the stages of Umrah?

In terms of fiqh, Umrah consists of four main stages: entering ihram at the miqat boundary, performing the Umrah tawaf around the Kaaba, performing the sa’y between the hills of Safa and Marwah, and leaving ihram by having your hair cut. According to the Hanafi school, ihram and tawaf are a condition and a pillar of Umrah, while sa’y and cutting the hair are wajib.

The journey begins at the miqat boundary with the intention and the talbiyah. When you reach Mecca, you enter Masjid al-Haram in a state of wudu and perform the Umrah tawaf. After praying the tawaf prayer and drinking Zamzam, the sa’y of seven journeys between the hills of Safa and Marwah is completed. The act of worship comes to an end when men shave or trim their hair and women cut from the ends of theirs.

Where do you start the tawaf?

Tawaf begins at the line of the Black Stone (Hajar al-Aswad), located at the south-eastern corner of the Kaaba. Today this starting line is clearly marked with green lights on the floor and walls of Masjid al-Haram. Facing the Kaaba and raising your hands to ear level, you perform istilam (greeting) with the words “Bismillahi Allahu Akbar”, and walk with the Kaaba on your left.

According to the Hanafi school, being in a state of wudu during tawaf is wajib, whereas according to the Shafi’i and Maliki schools it is a condition for the tawaf to be valid (a pillar). Someone whose wudu is broken during tawaf performs wudu and completes the worship either from the circuit where they left off or from the beginning. Each full round made around the Kaaba is called a “circuit”; when seven circuits are put together, one tawaf is complete.

How many steps is one tawaf?

One tawaf (7 circuits) ranges from about 3,500 to 8,000 steps on average, depending on the floor chosen and the distance from the Kaaba. A tawaf on the ground floor (the Mataf) right next to the Kaaba takes about 1.5–2 kilometres, while tawaf on the upper floors or the roof can come to 4 to 6 kilometres of walking.

Practical details on choosing a floor and walking area:

• Ground floor (Mataf): This is the area closest to the Kaaba. The number of steps is low (about 3,500–4,000), but crowd density and physical contact are at their highest.
• Upper floors and roof: The walking distance is longer (6,000–8,000 steps). It offers a more spacious and brisk place of worship for wheelchair users, elderly people and families with children.
• Idtiba and raml (sunnah for men only): In the Umrah tawaf, men leaving the right shoulder uncovered throughout all the circuits is called “idtiba”; walking in short, lively steps with swinging shoulders during the first three circuits is called “raml”. Women do not perform idtiba or raml.

What do you say during tawaf?

There is no single fixed prayer that must be recited during tawaf; a person may supplicate in their own language and occupy themselves with dhikr and seeking forgiveness. The sunnah practice, however, apart from the stretch between the Rukn al-Yamani corner of the Kaaba and the Black Stone, is to pray sincerely from the heart without being confined to a set formula.

Ways to focus your mind and heart throughout the tawaf:

• Dhikr to benefit from: The dhikr “Subhanallahi walhamdulillahi wa la ilaha illallahu wallahu akbar” is among the most commonly recited glorifications during tawaf.
• The prayer at Rukn al-Yamani (sunnah): It is sunnah to recite the following prayer between Rukn al-Yamani, the corner of the Kaaba just before the Black Stone, and the Black Stone: “Rabbana atina fid-dunya hasanatan wa fil-akhirati hasanatan wa qina azaban-nar.”
• The tawaf prayer: After the seven circuits are finished, it is wajib to pray two rak’ahs of the tawaf prayer, behind the Maqam Ibrahim if possible, otherwise at a suitable place inside the mosque.

Field tips for moving at your own pace in the crowd

To avoid being squeezed in the crowd during tawaf, the most practical solution is to drift towards the outer rings of the circular flow and keep your pace steady. Touching or kissing the Black Stone is sunnah; however, since harming people or causing a crush in the crowd is considered haram, greeting it from a distance (istilam with the hand) is entirely sufficient in religious terms.

Tips you can follow to complete the seven circuits peacefully:

• Go with the flow: Stopping suddenly or walking against the flow is dangerous. When you want to leave, move gradually outwards towards the outer rings.
• Walking formation with your family: When walking with your spouse or family, rather than forming a wide line side by side, walk in single file, holding the shoulder of the person in front, to prevent getting separated.

Plan your Umrah with your own calendar

Just as during tawaf you need to focus on your own steps and inner rhythm, you have the same freedom throughout your whole journey. You do not have to follow bus times set by others or the pace of a large group.

From your departure and return dates to the real walking distance of your hotel from the Haram, from the Medina–Mecca high-speed train times to the visa process, you can set every detail according to your own budget. On Zair you choose your own plan; we follow up the visa and operations, and you focus on your worship.