Answer
Wa `alaykum as-salam 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:
What you are referring to in your question is called idtiba` which is to show the right arm while making Tawaf Al-Qudum (applicable only to male pilgrims). A pilgrim is recommended to make idtiba` in this first Tawaf.
In his response to your question, Sheikh Muhammad Nur Abdullah, Former President of the ISNA (Islamic Society of North America) and member of the Fiqh Council of North America, states,
A pilgrim is recommended to show his right arm while making the first tawaf, which is called Tawaf Al-Qudum (the arrival circumambulation).
It is also recommended to go around the Kabah in a faster pace in the first three rounds. After that, the pilgrim should cover his arm and remain as such during the rituals of 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.