Can السعي be performed by proxy for someone who is unable to do it themselves?

The ruling on السعي by proxy mirrors the ruling on الطواف by proxy. The majority of scholars hold that السعي cannot be delegated as an isolated act — it can only be performed by proxy as part of a complete proxy الحج or العمرة. If a الحاج is present in مكة but unable to walk the distance between الصفا and المروةh, they should be carried in a wheelchair, on a stretcher, or by another person. السعي performed while riding or being carried is fully valid عند all four schools of jurisprudence.

الشيخ ابن باز ruled that a person who cannot walk should perform السعي in a wheelchair, and their السعي is complete and valid. He emphasized that modern wheelchairs and the specially designed lanes in the Mas'a corridor make this accessible for virtually everyone. Only in cases of total incapacitation — where the person cannot be moved at all — does the question of proxy arise, and in such cases, a proxy should be appointed for the entire الحج or العمرة, not just the السعي.

الشيخ ابن عثيمين added that if a person completed الطواف but then became severely ill and cannot perform السعي even in a wheelchair, they should wait until they recover. If recovery is not expected, the scholars who permit proxy for individual rites would allow السعي by proxy in this extreme case, but this is a minority view. The safer position is to appoint a proxy for the complete الحج if the person is permanently incapacitated.