While I was a youngster, I asked ʿAisha the wife of the Prophet. "What about the meaning of the Statement of Allah; "Verily! (the mountains) As-Safa and Al Marwa, are among the symbols of Allah. So, it is not harmful if those who perform Hajj or ʿUmra of the House (Kaʿba at Mecca) to perform the going (Tawaf) between them? (2.158) I understand (from that) that there is no harm if somebody does not perform the Tawaf between them." ʿAisha replied, "No, for if it were as you are saying, then the recitation would have been like this: 'It is not harmful not to perform Tawaf between them.' This verse was revealed in connection with the Ansar who used to assume the Ihram for the idol Manat which was put beside a place called Qudaid and those people thought it not right to perform the Tawaf of As- Safa and Al-Marwa. When Islam came, they asked Messenger of Allah ﷺ about that, and Allah revealed:-- "Verily! (the mountains) As-Safa and Al-Marwa Are among the symbols of Allah. So, it is not harmful of those who perform Hajj or ʿUmra of the House (Kaʿba at Mecca) to perform the going (Tawaf) between them." (2.158) Sufyan and Abu Muawiya added from Hisham (from ʿAisha): "The Hajj or ʿUmra of the person who does not perform the going (Tawaf) between As-Safa and Al-Marwa is incomplete in Allah's sight.  

أَنَّهُ قَالَ قُلْتُ لِعَائِشَةَ ؓ زَوْجِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ وَأَنَا يَوْمَئِذٍ حَدِيثُ السِّنِّ أَرَأَيْتِ قَوْلَ اللَّهِ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى {إِنَّ الصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةَ مِنْ شَعَائِرِ اللَّهِ فَمَنْ حَجَّ الْبَيْتَ أَوِ اعْتَمَرَ فَلاَ جُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَطَّوَّفَ بِهِمَا} فَلاَ أُرَى عَلَى أَحَدٍ شَيْئًا أَنْ لاَ يَطَّوَّفَ بِهِمَا فَقَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ كَلاَّ لَوْ كَانَتْ كَمَا تَقُولُ كَانَتْ فَلاَ جُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ لاَ يَطَّوَّفَ بِهِمَا إِنَّمَا أُنْزِلَتْ هَذِهِ الآيَةُ فِي الأَنْصَارِ كَانُوا يُهِلُّونَ لِمَنَاةَ وَكَانَتْ مَنَاةُ حَذْوَ قُدَيْدٍ وَكَانُوا يَتَحَرَّجُونَ أَنْ يَطُوفُوا بَيْنَ الصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةِ فَلَمَّا جَاءَ الإِسْلاَمُ سَأَلُوا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَنْ ذَلِكَ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى {إِنَّ الصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةَ مِنْ شَعَائِرِ اللَّهِ فَمَنْ حَجَّ الْبَيْتَ أَوِ اعْتَمَرَ فَلاَ جُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَطَّوَّفَ بِهِمَا} زَادَ سُفْيَانُ وَأَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ عَنْ هِشَامٍ مَا أَتَمَّ اللَّهُ حَجَّ امْرِئٍ وَلاَ عُمْرَتَهُ لَمْ يَطُفْ بَيْنَ الصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةِ  

I asked ʿAisha : "How do you interpret the statement of Allah,. : Verily! (the mountains) As-Safa and Al-Marwa are among the symbols of Allah, and whoever performs the Hajj to the Kaʿba or performs ʿUmra, it is not harmful for him to perform Tawaf between them (Safa and Marwa.) (2.158). By Allah! (it is evident from this revelation) there is no harm if one does not perform Tawaf between Safa and Marwa." ʿAisha said, "O, my nephew! Your interpretation is not true. Had this interpretation of yours been correct, the statement of Allah should have been, 'It is not harmful for him if he does not perform Tawaf between them.' But in fact, this divine inspiration was revealed concerning the Ansar who used to assume lhram for worship ping an idol called "Manat" which they used to worship at a place called Al-Mushallal before they embraced Islam, and whoever assumed Ihram (for the idol), would consider it not right to perform Tawaf between Safa and Marwa. When they embraced Islam, they asked Messenger of Allah ﷺ regarding it, saying, "O Allah's Apostle! We used to refrain from Tawaf between Safa and Marwa." So Allah revealed: 'Verily; (the mountains) As-Safa and Al-Marwa are among the symbols of Allah.' " Aisha added, "Surely, Allah's Apostle set the tradition of Tawaf between Safa and Marwa, so nobody is allowed to omit the Tawaf between them." Later on I (ʿUrwa) told Abu Bakr bin ʿAbdur-Rahman (of ʿAisha's narration) and he said, 'I have not heard of such information, but I heard learned men saying that all the people, except those whom ʿAisha mentioned and who used to assume lhram for the sake of Manat, used to perform Tawaf between Safa and Marwa. When Allah referred to the Tawaf of the Kaʿba and did not mention Safa and Marwa in the Qur'an, the people asked, 'O Messenger of Allah ﷺ! We used to perform Tawaf between Safa and Marwa and Allah has revealed (the verses concerning) Tawaf of the Kaʿba and has not mentioned Safa and Marwa. Is there any harm if we perform Tawaf between Safa and Marwa?' So Allah revealed: "Verily As-Safa and Al- Marwa are among the symbols of Allah." Abu Bakr said, "It seems that this verse was revealed concerning the two groups, those who used to refrain from Tawaf between Safa and Marwa in the Pre- Islamic Period of ignorance and those who used to perform the Tawaf then, and after embracing Islam they refrained from the Tawaf between them as Allah had enjoined Tawaf of the Kaʿba and did not mention Tawaf (of Safa and Marwa) till later after mentioning the Tawaf of the Kaʿba.'  

عُرْوَةُ سَأَلْتُ عَائِشَةَ ؓ فَقُلْتُ لَهَا أَرَأَيْتِ قَوْلَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى {إِنَّ الصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةَ مِنْ شَعَائِرِ اللَّهِ فَمَنْ حَجَّ الْبَيْتَ أَوِ اعْتَمَرَ فَلاَ جُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَطَّوَّفَ بِهِمَا} فَوَاللَّهِ مَا عَلَى أَحَدٍ جُنَاحٌ أَنْ لاَ يَطُوفَ بِالصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةِ قَالَتْ بِئْسَ مَا قُلْتَ يَا ابْنَ أُخْتِي إِنَّ هَذِهِ لَوْ كَانَتْ كَمَا أَوَّلْتَهَا عَلَيْهِ كَانَتْ لاَ جُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ لاَ يَتَطَوَّفَ بِهِمَا وَلَكِنَّهَا أُنْزِلَتْ فِي الأَنْصَارِ كَانُوا قَبْلَ أَنْ يُسْلِمُوا يُهِلُّونَ لِمَنَاةَ الطَّاغِيَةِ الَّتِي كَانُوا يَعْبُدُونَهَا عِنْدَ الْمُشَلَّلِ فَكَانَ مَنْ أَهَلَّ يَتَحَرَّجُ أَنْ يَطُوفَ بِالصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةِ فَلَمَّا أَسْلَمُوا سَأَلُوا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَنْ ذَلِكَ قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّا كُنَّا نَتَحَرَّجُ أَنْ نَطُوفَ بَيْنَ الصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةِ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى {إِنَّ الصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةَ مِنْ شَعَائِرِ اللَّهِ} الآيَةَ قَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ ؓ وَقَدْ سَنَّ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ الطَّوَافَ بَيْنَهُمَا فَلَيْسَ لأَحَدٍ أَنْ يَتْرُكَ الطَّوَافَ بَيْنَهُمَا ثُمَّ أَخْبَرْتُ أَبَا بَكْرِ بْنَ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ فَقَالَ إِنَّ هَذَا لَعِلْمٌ مَا كُنْتُ سَمِعْتُهُ وَلَقَدْ سَمِعْتُ رِجَالاً مِنْ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ يَذْكُرُونَ أَنَّ النَّاسَ إِلاَّ مَنْ ذَكَرَتْ عَائِشَةُ مِمَّنْ كَانَ يُهِلُّ بِمَنَاةَ كَانُوا يَطُوفُونَ كُلُّهُمْ بِالصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةِ فَلَمَّا ذَكَرَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى الطَّوَافَ بِالْبَيْتِ وَلَمْ يَذْكُرِ الصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةَ فِي الْقُرْآنِ قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ كُنَّا نَطُوفُ بِالصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةِ وَإِنَّ اللَّهَ أَنْزَلَ الطَّوَافَ بِالْبَيْتِ فَلَمْ يَذْكُرِ الصَّفَا فَهَلْ عَلَيْنَا مِنْ حَرَجٍ أَنْ نَطَّوَّفَ بِالصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةِ فَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى {إِنَّ الصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةَ مِنْ شَعَائِرِ اللَّهِ} الآيَةَ قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ فَأَسْمَعُ هَذِهِ الآيَةَ نَزَلَتْ فِي الْفَرِيقَيْنِ كِلَيْهِمَا فِي الَّذِينَ كَانُوا يَتَحَرَّجُونَ أَنْ يَطُوفُوا بِالْجَاهِلِيَّةِ بِالصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةِ وَالَّذِينَ يَطُوفُونَ ثُمَّ تَحَرَّجُوا أَنْ يَطُوفُوا بِهِمَا فِي الإِسْلاَمِ مِنْ أَجْلِ أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى أَمَرَ بِالطَّوَافِ بِالْبَيْتِ وَلَمْ يَذْكُرِ الصَّفَا حَتَّى ذَكَرَ ذَلِكَ بَعْدَ مَا ذَكَرَ الطَّوَافَ بِالْبَيْتِ  

I asked Anas bin Malik: "Did you use to dislike to perform Tawaf between Safa and Marwa?" He said, "Yes, as it was of the ceremonies of the days of the Pre-Islamic period of ignorance, till Allah revealed: 'Verily! (The two mountains) As-Safa and Al-Marwa are among the symbols of Allah. It is therefore no sin for him who performs the pilgrimage to the Kaʿba, or performs ʿUmra, to perform Tawaf between them.' " (2.158)  

قُلْتُ لأَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ ؓ: أَكُنْتُمْ تَكْرَهُونَ السَّعْىَ بَيْنَ الصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةِ؟ قَالَ: نَعَمْ، لأَنَّهَا كَانَتْ مِنْ شَعَائِرِ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ حَتَّى أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ {إِنَّ الصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةَ مِنْ شَعَائِرِ اللَّهِ فَمَنْ حَجَّ الْبَيْتَ أَوِ اعْتَمَرَ فَلاَ جُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَطَّوَّفَ بِهِمَا}