Safa and Marwah are one of the major rituals of Hajj followed by every Muslims to accomplish their Hajj.

Generally, this ritual is practiced by running back and forth in the tiny hills of Safa and Marwah sited at Makkah, Saudi Arabia.

The journey of Sa’i begins from Safa and is finished at reaching Marwah that is located at a distance of 100 meters from Ka’bah.

However, the distance between Safa and Marwah is comparatively more than that from Ka’bah and Safa. The distance between these two hills is estimated to be 450 meters and it is necessitated for pilgrims to take seven circuits between the same which makes it a total of 3.15 kilometer.

The Story Behind Sa’i

According to the Islamic history, Ibrahim was ordered by Allah to leave his wife Hagar and son Ismail in a desert (the place is now known as Safa and Marwah).

However, when the basic provision of Hagar diminished, she went to search for water to protect the life of her son.

In order to ease her search for water, she left Ismail in the desert and ascended to Safa. With not finding the desired supplement, she then climbed Marwah.

Though she could spot her son while being in the hills of Safa and Marwah, Hagar was unable to observe Ismail while she was in between the hills. That is why she ran to the hillsides again to examine if her son was safe and alive.

She was entailed in this activity for seven trials and thus, Allah sent Jibril to the earth and rewarded Hagar’s patience by granting her the fresh spring of water (Zamzam) to accomplish the thirst of Ismail.

Hence, every pilgrim pays a visit to Safa and Marwah and walks back and forth to honor Hagar’s efforts and patience.

Source: https://eaalimtravel.com.