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 طواف 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 حج or عمرہ. If a حاجی is present in مکہ مکرمہ but unable to walk the distance between Safa and Marwah, they should be carried in a wheelchair, on a stretcher, or by another person. سعی 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 حج or عمرہ, not just the sa'i.

Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen added that if a person completed طواف 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 حج if the person is permanently incapacitated.