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Performing Tawaf on Hoverboards: Allowed?

18 August, 2018
Q As-salamu `alaykum. Dear scholars, we have watched a video of a man performing tawaf around the Ka`abah on a hoverboard. Is this allowed in Hajj? Can a pilgrim perform the Hajj rituals such as Tawaf or Sa`i on such tools like roller-skates or hoverboard?

Answer

Wa `alaykum as-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.


In this fatwa:

As for your query, using such tools for performing Hajj rituals should be for need only, not for fun. It should be also taken in consideration that using these tools will cause much disturbance, especially in hajj crowded rituals such as Tawaf and Sa`i.

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Answering your question, Sheikh Muhammad Iqbal Nadvi, Imam of Calgary Mosque, Alberta, Canada, and former professor at King Saud University, Riyad, Saudi Arabia, states,

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed Tawaf on a camel. Ibn `Abbas reported that during the Farewell Pilgrimage the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed tawaf while riding his camel, and touched the Black Stone with a stick, which he was carrying. (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)

The jurists agreed to do tawaf both on a camel and on foot. But I feel uncomfortable with using roller-skates or hoverboards for performing tawaf for two reasons.

1- It is an issue of need not fun; so, if these means serve a purpose rather than enjoyment, then they are acceptable.

2- Tawaf is different from games, because it happens in a crowded area and if someone performs it on a hoverboard, surely he will either hit someone or disturb others. So, using these means will be causing hurt or pain to others, which is not acceptable in Hajj.

Allah Almighty knows best.

Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.

About Sheikh Muhammad Iqbal Nadvi
Imam of Calgary Mosque, Alberta, Canada, and Former Professor at King Saud University, Riyad, Saudi Arabia