Because they were scrupulous about performing tawaf between them, as tawaf between them in the Jahiliyyah was practiced by some of the people of shirk and idols from among the Arabs, those among them who would make ihram for some of their idols, and they were scrupulous about performing tawaf between them. So Allah—Glorious and Exalted—made known to His Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and his ummah that there is no sin upon them in performing tawaf between them, as some of them had imagined.

Hazrat Urwah (may Allah have mercy on him) narrates that I recited this verse in the presence of Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) «‏‏‏‏إِنَّ الصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةَ مِن شَعَائِرِ اللَّهِ» ‏‏‏‏ [ سورة البقرة: 108] "Indeed, Safa and Marwah are among the symbols of Allah." I said that if someone does not perform Sa'i between these two, I think there is no sin upon him. Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said, "My brother, you have said a very wrong thing. The real situation is that (in the time of ignorance) those who would enter into Ihram in the name of the idol Manat, which was located at the place called Mushallal, would perform Sa'i between Safa and Marwah. Then, when the era of Islam came, the Companions said, 'O Messenger of Allah, performing Sa'i between these two stones is among the practices of ignorance.' So this verse was revealed «‏‏‏‏إِنَّ الصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةَ مِن شَعَائِرِ اللَّهِ» ‏‏‏‏ [ سورة البقرة: 108] 'Indeed, Safa and Marwah are among the symbols of Allah.' Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) says, therefore, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) performed Sa'i between Safa and Marwah, thus this act became Sunnah. In another narration from a Companion, Allah Almighty said «‏‏‏‏فَمَن تَطَوَّعَ خَيْرًا» ‏‏‏‏ [ سورة البقرة: 184 ] 'So whoever does good willingly...' So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) performed this good deed willingly and performed Sa'i. Imam Zuhri says that I narrated this hadith to Abu Bakr bin Abdur Rahman, so he said, 'This is the only knowledge.' I heard many scholars say that those who performed Sa'i between Safa and Marwah said to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), 'O Messenger of Allah, we have been commanded to perform Tawaf of the Sacred House, but not commanded to perform Sa'i between Safa and Marwah.' So upon this, Allah Almighty revealed this verse «‏‏‏‏إِنَّ الصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةَ مِن شَعَائِرِ اللَّهِ» ‏‏‏‏ [ سورة البقرة: 108] 'Indeed, Safa and Marwah are among the symbols of Allah.' Therefore, in my opinion, this verse was revealed regarding both groups."

Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that the Ansar and the people of the Ghassan tribe, before accepting Islam, used to enter into Ihram in the name of the idol Manat. Therefore, they felt it objectionable to perform Sa’i between Safa and Marwah. And it was also their custom in those days that whoever entered into Ihram in the name of Manat would not perform Sa’i between Safa and Marwah. And when they became Muslims, they asked the Messenger of Allah, so Allah the Exalted revealed this verse «‏‏‏‏إِنَّ الصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةَ مِن شَعَائِرِ اللَّهِ» ‏‏‏‏ [ سورة البقرة: 108] “Indeed, Safa and Marwah are among the symbols of Allah.”Hazrat Urwah says that Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) says that this is a Sunnah which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) established and continued. Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that the correct view is the one narrated by Imam Yunus from Imam Zuhri, that those who entered into Ihram in the name of the idol Manat felt it objectionable to perform Sa’i between Safa and Marwah, not that they used to perform Sa’i between Safa and Marwah. As in the narration of Imam Ibn Uyaynah, the evidence for the correctness of Yunus’s narration is the narration of Hisham bin Urwah in this meaning, in which he has followed Yunus. I will mention Hisham bin Urwah’s narration in the next chapter, InshaAllah. The narration of Sayyiduna Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) is also evidence that before the revelation of this verse, it was only the Ansar who felt it objectionable to perform Sa’i between Safa and Marwah.

Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Ansari Companions disliked performing Sa’i between Safa and Marwah until this verse was revealed: «‏‏‏‏إِنَّ الصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةَ مِن شَعَائِرِ اللَّهِ» ‏‏‏‏ [ سورة البقرة: 158 ] "Indeed, Safa and Marwah are among the symbols of Allah." In the narration of Janab Salm bin Junadah, there is this addition: then they began to perform Sa’i.

Hazrat Urwah narrates that I asked Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), "In my opinion, if I do not perform Sa'i between Safa and Marwah, there will be no sin upon me." She asked, "How is that?" I replied, "Allah Almighty says «‏‏‏‏فَمَنْ حَجَّ الْبَيْتَ أَوِ اعْتَمَرَ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِ أَن يَطَّوَّفَ بِهِمَا» ‏‏‏‏ [ سورة البقرة: 158 ] 'So whoever performs Hajj or Umrah of the Sacred House, there is no sin upon him that he performs Tawaf (Sa'i) of them both.'" She said, "If the matter was as you are saying, then the verse should have been like this: 'فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِ أَن لَا يَطَّوَّفَ بِهِمَا' (So there is no sin upon him that he does not perform Tawaf of them both.) Indeed, this verse was revealed about some people of the Ansar. In the days of ignorance, they used to assume Ihram in the name of the idol Manat, so they did not consider Sa'i between Safa and Marwah permissible for themselves. Then, when they (after becoming Muslims) came to Makkah Mukarramah with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) for Hajj, they mentioned this to him, so Allah Almighty revealed this verse. By my life, whoever does not perform Sa'i between Safa and Marwah, Allah Almighty will not complete his Hajj, because Allah Almighty says «‏‏‏‏إِنَّ الصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةَ مِن شَعَائِرِ اللَّهِ» ‏‏‏‏ [ سورة البقرة: 158 ] 'Indeed, Safa and Marwah are among the symbols of Allah.'" Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that the statement of Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that it was not permissible for them to perform Sa'i means that according to their pre-Islamic beliefs, it was not permissible for them to perform Sa'i between Safa and Marwah.

Kuthair bin Jumhan Salmi narrates that I saw Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) walking at a normal pace in the area for running (the low area between Safa and Marwah), so I said to him, "Why are you walking at a normal pace in the running place between Safa and Marwah?" He replied, "If I run, then I have seen the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) running. And if I walk at a normal pace, then indeed I have seen the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) walking at a normal pace as well, and I am an old man (that is why I am walking at a normal pace)."

Kuthair bin Jumhan narrates that I saw Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) walking at a normal pace between Safa and Marwah, so I said to him (that you are walking at a normal pace at the place where people usually run). He replied, "If I walk at a normal pace, then I have seen the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) walking at a normal pace. And if I run, then I have also seen the Messenger of Allah running."

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) in a similar manner as mentioned above.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed sa’i (walking between Safa and Marwah) running one year and walking at a normal pace another year.