Q.1. During pilgrimage, our team leader said that the tawaf of farewell could be done immediately when we have finished our tawaf of ifaadah. He insisted that this is a proper way of doing the ritual. We listened to his advice and did the tawaf of farewell shortly after the other tawaf on Dul Hijjah 10. We went back to Mina where we stayed two more days and did the stoning there. When we finished, we proceeded directly from Mina to our homes in Yanbu.
Q.2. We started our journey from Mina about midnight on Dul Hijjah 12. It was our plan to start about 8 p.m. but one of our buses did not arrive and the organizers took considerable time in distributing its passengers to the other three buses. The leaders told us that it was appropriate to leave Mina at any time before sunrise. I am told that we need to offer a sacrifice in compensation for not leaving before sunset. Please advise.
J.U. Ahmad, Yanbu
A.1. There is no doubt that the advice given by your team leaders was meant to make things easier for themselves, rather than for the completeness of the pilgrimage. This is unfortunately the case with most people who are responsible for conducting pilgrimage tours, mutawifs, etc. Nevertheless we have to acknowledge that if they do not seek the easier options, delays may be considerable, and that could lead to much confusion.
The proper time for the tawaf of farewell is at the end of all pilgrimage duties and just before leaving Makkah. This implies that a return to Makkah from Mina is necessary, because the pilgrimage is "to the House", i.e. to the Ka’aba, not to Arafat, Muzdalifah or Mina. True, we conduct some of the most important duties at these places but the fact remains that when pilgrimage is mentioned in the Qur’an, it is stated as pilgrimage to the Ka’aba. It is only right that it should finish there, with tawaf. The Prophet noticed that people were just leaving Makkah when they had completed their duties. He told them not to leave without doing the tawaf, so that the last thing they do on their pilgrimage is a tawaf at the Ka’aba. Such is the proper thing to do.
The tawaf of farewell is a duty according to the Hanafi and the Hanbali schools of thought, and a Sunnah according to the Maliki and Shafie schools. So, if you take the latter view, then you need not do anything, but next time you go to pilgrimage, God willing, make the tawaf of farewell the last thing you do on your pilgrimage.
A.2. According to the Shafie, Maliki and Hanbali schools of thought, the proper time to leave Mina on Dul Hijjah 12 is before sunset. This means that when your team leaders decided on an 8 p.m. departure, they were not doing well. However, the Hanafi school of thought allows departure through the night, until sunrise on Dul Hijjah 13. This view is not well-supported by evidence, but in the circumstances I am more inclined to consider your action as a genuine mistake based on a wrong advice. If so, no compensation is needed.
We can look at your case in a different way. The fact that you stayed in Mina until midnight that night means that you actually stayed three nights there. This means that you should have done the stoning on Dul Hijjah 13 as well. But your departure prevented that, which means that your stoning would be one day short and a compensation would be due in the form of sadaqah. Whichever way we look at the case, I do not feel that a sacrifice in compensation is called for. A sadaqah is sufficient, God willing.
