Can sa'i be performed by proxy for someone who is unable to do it themselves?

The ruling on sa'i by proxy mirrors the ruling on তাওয়াফ by proxy. The majority of scholars hold that sa'i cannot be delegated as an isolated act — it can only be performed by proxy as part of a complete proxy হজ্জ or উমরাহ. If a হাজী is present in মক্কা মুকাররমা but unable to walk the distance between Safa and Marwah, they should be carried in a wheelchair, on a stretcher, or by another person. সাঈ performed while riding or being carried is fully valid according to all four schools of jurisprudence.

Sheikh Ibn Baz ruled that a person who cannot walk should perform sa'i in a wheelchair, and their sa'i 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 হজ্জ or উমরাহ, not just the sa'i.

Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen added that if a person completed তাওয়াফ but then became severely ill and cannot perform sa'i 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 sa'i by proxy in this extreme case, but this is a minority view. The safer position is to appoint a proxy for the complete হজ্জ if the person is permanently incapacitated.