سعی between Safa and Marwah is one of the essential rites of both حج and عمرہ, and scholars agree that it should be preceded by طواف. The question of whether سعی must immediately follow طواف or may be delayed is a practical concern for many حجاج, especially those who are elderly, ill, or overwhelmed by crowds. The general scholarly consensus is that performing سعی immediately after طواف is the Sunnah and preferred practice, as this is what نبی کریم Muhammad (صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم) consistently did. However, the schools differ on whether this immediate succession (muwalat) is واجب or merely مستحب.
The Hanafi, Shafi'i, and Hanbali schools all hold that while performing سعی immediately after طواف is strongly مستحب, delaying it for a valid reason (such as fatigue, illness, نماز time, or extreme heat) is permissible and does not affect the validity of the سعی. Even delaying until the following day is allowed in these schools, provided the سعی is still performed. The Shafi'i school notes that an unreasonable delay without excuse, while valid, is makruh (disliked). The Hanbali school similarly permits delay but emphasizes that the حاجی should not leave مکہ مکرمہ without completing سعی.
The Maliki school takes the strictest position on this matter. Imam Malik held that the immediate succession (muwalat) between طواف and سعی is a condition of validity. If the حاجی delays سعی for an unreasonable amount of time without a valid excuse, the سعی is invalidated and must be repeated preceded by a new طواف. However, a short delay for نماز, rest, eating, or drinking is excused and does not break the continuity. The definition of 'unreasonable delay' in the Maliki school is generally understood as a gap long enough that the two acts are no longer considered connected in customary terms.