Taking breaks during tawaf is permissible for valid reasons, and the pilgrim generally may resume from where they stopped without restarting the entire tawaf. The most common scenario is when the iqamah (call to start) for an obligatory prayer is announced during tawaf. In this case, all scholars agree that the pilgrim should stop tawaf, join the congregational prayer, and then resume tawaf from where they left off. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: 'When the prayer is about to begin, there is no prayer except the obligatory one,' and this takes precedence over the voluntary continuation of tawaf circuits.
Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen ruled that breaks for genuine needs — such as using the restroom, drinking water, resting due to fatigue, or renewing wudu — are all valid reasons to pause tawaf, and the pilgrim may resume from where they stopped. He noted that the continuity (muwalah) of tawaf, while recommended, is not a strict condition (shart) for its validity in the stronger opinion. Therefore, a gap in tawaf does not invalidate the completed circuits.
Sheikh Ibn Baz similarly held that if a pilgrim needs to take a break during tawaf for a legitimate reason, they may resume from the point of interruption. However, he recommended not delaying unnecessarily, as completing tawaf continuously is from the Sunnah. Some scholars, particularly in the Maliki school, held that if the break is excessively long without a valid excuse, the pilgrim should restart the tawaf. The practical advice for pilgrims is to resume promptly from where they stopped after addressing their need.