The Story of Hagar — Origin of the Ritual
When Ibrahim (AS) brought Hagar and the infant Ishmael to the valley of Mecca — then uninhabited, without water — and left them with provisions that would soon run out, Hagar called after him: “Has Allah commanded you to do this?” When he affirmed it, she said: “Then He will not abandon us.” — The model of tawakkul (trust in Allah) expressed not through passivity but through human effort combined with divine reliance.
When the water ran out and the infant cried from thirst, Hagar climbed al-Safa to look for water or passing travelers. She saw nothing. She ran to al-Marwa and climbed it. She saw nothing. She went back and forth seven times in an agony of searching — the origin of sa’ee. At her seventh arrival at al-Marwa, she heard a sound. The earth beneath Ishmael’s feet (or, in some narrations, the angel Jibril’s wing striking the earth) produced the spring of Zamzam.
The Prophet (SAW): “May Allah have mercy on Ishmael’s mother — had she left it [Zamzam], it would have been a spring flowing on the surface of the earth.” — A gentle prophetic observation that her cupping the water with her hands to contain it for the infant shaped the spring into a welled source rather than an open river.
The Ritual — Rules and Method
Entering al-Sa’ee: After completing tawaf and its two rak’at, the pilgrim proceeds to al-Safa. At al-Safa, they face the Ka’ba and recite: “Inna al-Safa wal-Marwa min sha’air Allah” (Indeed, al-Safa and al-Marwa are among the symbols of Allah — the verse from 2:158) and perform du’a and dhikr.
The seven circuits:
- Safa → Marwa (shawt 1)
- Marwa → Safa (shawt 2)
- Safa → Marwa (shawt 3)
- Marwa → Safa (shawt 4)
- Safa → Marwa (shawt 5)
- Marwa → Safa (shawt 6)
- Safa → Marwa (shawt 7) — ends at Marwa
The green lights: Between the two green light markers (marking the low area where Hagar ran frantically), men are encouraged to run/walk briskly — the harwala — mirroring her urgency. Women walk at a normal pace throughout.
Du’a during sa’ee: There is no specific mandatory du’a for sa’ee — the pilgrim is encouraged to make du’a freely in whatever language, asking for whatever they need. The Prophet himself did not specify particular words, saying generally: “Make tawaf and sa’ee, for Allah has prescribed sa’ee for you.”
The Spiritual Teaching
The sa’ee embodies a profound theological teaching: divine provision (rizq) comes after striving (sa’ee). Hagar’s running between the hills is not a story of Allah abandoning his servant — it is a story of Allah honoring the effort of a servant who sought while trusting. The Zamzam did not come while she sat still; it came while she was in motion, searching with every limb she had.
The connection to the broader Islamic ethic: “And that there is not for man except that [good] for which he strives.” (53:39) — The sa’ee is the embodied ritual statement of this principle.
See also: Masjid Al Haram, Ihram, Tawaf, Zamzam, Tawakkul Trust In Allah, Ibrahim Alayhis Salam