Ads by Muslim Ad Network

aaa

Is an Interrupted Tawaf Al-Wada` Valid?

27 September, 2026
Q Alhamdulillah, I performed Hajj this year. However, a thought came to my mind regarding my last Tawaf, and I wanted to clarify whether what I did was permissible. On the day I was leaving Makkah, I performed Tawaf with the intention of Tawaf al-Wada. During approximately the 3rd or 4th circuit, the rows for Fajr prayer started forming, so I stopped at that point with the intention of continuing the Tawaf after Salah. When I checked the time, there were still around 20–30 minutes before Fajr. I performed Tahajjud during that time, followed by Fajr Salah with the Iqamah, and then continued and completed my Tawaf. My first question: Is such a long interruption in Tawaf permissible when it is due to waiting for and performing Fajr Salah? Does the Tawaf remain valid, or should it have been restarted? My second question: Before starting this Tawaf, my intention was that it was my Tawaf al-Wada. However, I had already performed a Tawaf with the same intention the previous day. Was it valid to perform another Tawaf al-Wada, or was the first one sufficient? If the interruption in the Tawaf was not valid, would I be required to give any dam (penalty)?

Answer

Dr. Mohsen Haredy
27 September, 2026

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:

An interruption in Tawaf for congregational prayer does not necessarily invalidate the Tawaf. The pilgrim may complete the remaining circuits afterward without a penalty solely for that interruption. The validity of Tawaf al-Wada and any requirement for dam should be assessed according to the details of the case.

Responding to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:

Ads by Muslim Ad Network

Yes. Your tawaf itself was valid, in shaʾ Allah.

In the Hanafi school, completing all the circuits without interruption is recommended but is not a condition for validity. If an obligatory prayer begins, you may stop the Tawaf, join the congregation, and then continue the remaining circuits afterward.

In your case, you stopped for Fajr, joined the congregational prayer, and afterward completed your Tawaf. This interruption did not invalidate the Tawaf, and there is no dam (sacrifice) required because of it.

If you are now unsure whether you had completed three or four circuits before Fajr, do not allow this later doubt to trouble you. You completed the Tawaf, and it was valid.

Your first Tawaf should not be counted as Tawaf al-wadaʿ if it was performed well before your actual departure. The farewell Tawaf is meant to be performed near the time of leaving Makkah, so that it is your final farewell to the Sacred House.

Therefore, the later Tawaf that you performed shortly before leaving was your proper Tawaf al-Wadaʿ.

There is no need to repeat anything or offer a sacrifice. Your first Tawaf was valid as a Tawaf, and your later Tawaf fulfilled the purpose of Tawaf al-Wadaʿ.

Ask Allah to accept your Hajj and all your acts of worship, and do not reopen completed acts because of later doubts.

👉 Read also:

Almighty Allah knows best.