Sayyiduna Usamah bin Sharik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that I set out on a journey with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) for Hajj. People would come to him and someone would say, "O Messenger of Allah, I performed Sa'i before Tawaf." (Someone would say,) "I did this act afterwards," or "I did this act before." He would say to all of them: "There is no harm, there is no sin, except for the person who backbites his Muslim brother, and if that person is an oppressor, then he is the one who is sinful and has perished and is ruined."

Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abu Awfa (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) performed ‘Umrah, he circumambulated the Sacred House (Ka‘bah), then proceeded towards Safa and Marwah for Sa‘i. We were shielding him from the evil of the people of Makkah, lest any disbeliever might shoot an arrow at him or cause him any harm. During this time, I heard him supplicating against the groups of disbelievers. He was saying «‏‏‏‏اللَّهُمَّ مُنْزِلَ الْكِتَاب، سَرِيعَ الْحِسَاب، اهْزِم الأَحْزَاب، اللَّهُمَّ اهْزِمْهُمْ وَ زَلْزِلْهُم» ‏‏‏‏“O Allah, Revealer of the Book, Swift in reckoning, Defeater of the confederate groups! O Allah, defeat them and shake their feet.”

It is narrated from Hazrat Zainab bint Umm Salamah that when Sayyidah Umm Salamah came to Makkah Mukarramah, she was ill. She informed the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) about her illness, so he (peace be upon him) said: "Perform Tawaf while riding, behind the people." This is the narration of Janab al-Dawraqi.

And this is of the same kind which I have mentioned before: that the establishment of a sunnah may initially be for a certain reason, then the reason disappears but the sunnah remains until the end of time. For the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, only performed sa’i around the House and between Safa and Marwah so that the polytheists would see his strength, yet this sunnah has remained until the end of time.

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that indeed the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and his noble companions (may Allah be pleased with them) performed the Tawaf of the Sacred House and the Sa’i between Safa and Marwah so that the polytheists could see your strength and power. In the narration of Janab Makhromi, it is mentioned: so that the Quraysh could see your strength.

And if people need to ask him religious questions, and it is not possible due to his walking on foot, then because of such a crowd, the scholar can perform Sa'i between Safa and Marwah while riding.

Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with both of them) narrates that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed the Tawaf of the Sacred House and the Sa’i between Safa and Marwah during the Farewell Pilgrimage while riding, so that people could see him. Because the people had surrounded him from all sides. In the narration of Abdul Rahman and Ibn Ma’mar, there is this addition: so that people could ask you religious questions, because (while walking) the people had surrounded you.

When the one performing Sa’i faces difficulty due to the crowd of people. And the explanation of the evidence that it is permissible to ride between Safa and Marwah, and that this is neither an emphasized Sunnah nor a Sunnah of virtue, but rather it is for permissibility.

Sayyiduna Abu Tufail (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that I asked Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), "Tell me, what is the ruling on performing Sa’i between Safa and Marwah while riding? Because your people think that this is the Sunnah of the Prophet." He replied, "They have spoken the truth (that the Prophet performed Sa’i between Safa and Marwah while riding), and they have also erred in saying that this is Sunnah." (The real incident is that) when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to Makkah Mukarramah, he started the Sa’i between Safa and Marwah, so the people of Makkah came out, even the women came to see you. And no one was made to sit by force from your presence, nor did the people leave you alone. So you had your mount brought and rode upon it, and if the people had allowed you to perform Sa’i on foot, you would have preferred to do so. Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that the statement of Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that "they have spoken the truth and also erred," means that they have said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed Sa’i between Safa and Marwah while riding, and their statement is wrong that this is an emphasized Sunnah or a Sunnah of virtue. Indeed, this is only for permissibility, neither is it obligatory nor a cause of virtue.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) performed Tawaf during the Farewell Hajj while riding a camel, and he would touch the Black Stone with his staff.