Answer
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu waRahmatullahi 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:
There is no precedent in the practice of the Prophet (peace be upon him), his Companions and pious predecessors (Salaf al-Salih) that after farewell tawaf pilgrims should walk backwards to face the Kabah.
In responding to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:
Walk Backwards to Face the Kabah
What you have described above about walk backwards to face the Kabah after perfroming the Farewell Tawaf is indeed one of the superstitious practices that we ought to reject.
There is no precedent in the practice of the Prophet (PBUH), his Companions and pious predecessors that after farewell tawaf pilgrims should walk backwards to face the Kabah.
We may do well to remember one of the basic principles of the Shariah: it is not permissible to institute the rituals of worship based on our opinions or whims; rather we ought to wait for the sanction of the Law-Giver.
The Prophet (PBUH) said, “Whoever innovates any practice without the sanction of ours in this religion, it ought to be rejected.” (Al-Bukhari)
Inviting pilgrims to dinner after returning from Hajj
Inviting pilgrims to dinner after returning from Hajj is a good practice as Imam An-Nawawi has stated in his acclaimed work Al-Majmu’. He says: It is a recommendable act to gather people on a feast or food to express joy for the return of travelers (including those returning from Hajj or Umrah, etc.).
It is one of the best ways of expressing gratitude and thanks to Allah for a safe return. It also strengthens the bonds of brotherhood and mutual love among Muslims and neighbors. We have precedent for this in the practice of the Prophet (peace be upon him). He used to sacrifice a camel, prepare a feast and invite the people to partake of it.
Allah Almighty knows best.
Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.