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The question

What is the ruling on one who reverses the direction of circumambulation (tawaf) out of necessity to pick up something that fell from them, or to embrace a relative, or to search for their companions?

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Source: FtawySummarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 20261 min readAlso available in العربية
The answer

For the validity of circumambulation (Tawaf), it is a condition that the Kaaba be to the left of the circumambulator, due to the action of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the consensus of Muslims. Therefore, whoever circumambulates with the House on their right, in front of them, or behind them, their circumambulation is invalid. If someone does this due to crowd congestion or an unforeseen circumstance, and then repeats these steps with the Kaaba to their left, their circumambulation is valid. This is the view of the majority of scholars, in contrast to Abu Hanifa, who holds that an inverted circumambulation (Tawaf Mankus) is sufficient, provided it is repeated or compensated for with a sacrificial offering (dam).

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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