Aslam

Praise be to Allah.

Passing the Black Stone and acknowledging it, after praying two rak’ahs of Tawaaf

and drinking from the well of Zamzam and before going out to perform al-Saa’iee is

proven to be part of the saheeh Sunnah, but it is mustahabb (encouraged), not waajib

(obligatory), so there is nothing wrong with not doing it.

The proof (daleel) that it is in accordance with the Sharee’ah is the hadeeth of Jaabir

(may Allaah be pleased with him), reported by Muslim, in which he described the Hajj

of the Prophet

:

". . . Then he went back to the Rukn (the corner of the Ka’bah where the Black Stone

is situated) and acknowledged it, then he went out through the gate towards

al-Safaa’."

Al-Tirmidhi reported from Jaabir that: "When the Prophet

came to Makkah, he

entered the Mosque and acknowledged the Black Stone, then he passed to the right of

it and ran for three (circuits of Tawaaf) and walked for four. Then he came to

al-Maqaam and said: ‘Take Maqaam Ibraaheem as a place of prayer.’ He prayed two

rak’ahs with the Maqaam between him and the House (Ka’bah).’ Then he came to the

(Black Stone) after praying two rak’ahs and acknowledged it. Then he went out to

Safaa’ and I think he said, ‘Safaa’ and Marwa are of the Symbols of Allaah

[al-Baqarah 2:158].’" (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, 784).

Al-Tirmidhi said: The hadeeth of Jaabir is a saheeh hasan hadeeth and the scholars

ruled that we should act in accordance with it).

Al-Nawawi, may Allaah have mercy on him, said: "This is evidence in favour of the

opinion of al-Shaafi’i and other scholars, that after performing Tawaaf al-Qudoom

(the Tawaaf of Arrival) and praying behind the Maqaam, a person should go back to

the Black Stone and acknowledge it, then go out through the Gate of Safaa to perform

al-Saa’iee. The scholars agree that this acknowledgement is not obligatory, but it is

Sunnah; the one who does not do it is not obliged to offer a sacrifice in

compensation. (Saheeh Muslim bi Sharh al-Nawawi, 8/428).

And Allaah knows best.