Is it permissible to perform sa'i before তাওয়াফ during হজ্জ or উমরাহ?

The question of performing sa'i before তাওয়াফ is one of the issues where scholars have significant differences of opinion. The majority of scholars — the Maliki, Shafi'i, and the well-known Hanbali position — hold that তাওয়াফ must precede sa'i, and sa'i performed before তাওয়াফ is invalid and must be repeated after performing তাওয়াফ. Their evidence is that নবী করীম (সাল্লাল্লাহু আলাইহি ওয়া সাল্লাম) performed তাওয়াফ before sa'i in all his হজ্জs, and he said: 'Take your rites from me,' establishing that his order is to be followed.

The Hanafi school takes a different position, holding that while performing তাওয়াফ before sa'i is the Sunnah and preferred order, sa'i performed before তাওয়াফ is valid, though it is contrary to the মুস্তাহাব practice. This is based on the hadith narrated on the Day of Sacrifice when a man came to নবী করীম and said: 'I performed sa'i before তাওয়াফ,' and নবী করীম replied: 'No harm' (la haraja), indicating that the order is not a strict condition.

Sheikh Ibn Taymiyyah supported the view that the order between তাওয়াফ and sa'i is মুস্তাহাব but not ওয়াজিব, citing the hadith about নবী করীম's response on the Day of Sacrifice. Ibn Uthaymeen, while generally following the majority position, acknowledged that the hadith provides evidence for flexibility. He মুস্তাহাব following the established order (তাওয়াফ then sa'i) as the safe and clear practice, while acknowledging that some scholars validate the reversed order based on the explicit hadith.