We should stress the fact that those whom Allah favored to perform Hajj and `Umrah, should be thankful to Allah (glorified and exalted be He) Who has chosen them from among His servants to perform these acts of worship, and they should implore Almighty Allah to accept their good deeds. That is very important, for it reflects their belief that being so favored by Allah to accomplish the task of traveling to the Sacred Land to perform Hajj and `Umrah is a favor that deserves gratitude to Allah.
Answering the question, , sheikh `Abdel Khaliq Hasan Ash-Shareef, a prominent Azharite scholar, stated,
- As for Tawaf al-Qudum, it is a sunnah, i.e. mandatory act for which one takes reward if he or she does it and deserve no punishment if they leave it.
- Tawaf al Wida` is obligatory, i.e. must be performed and if a pilgrim leaves it, he or she is asked for offering fidyah (sacrificial animal).
- As for sunnah salah, tahajjud salah and all mandatory prayer, the ruling is if you are able to do them it is much the better. However, if you are not able to offer them, I exhort you to observe both two sunnah rak`ahs before Fajr Prayer and witr (in addition to tahajjud) Prayer. It is reported in the authentic hadiths that the Prophet never neglected the prayers during night or the two rak’ah before al-fajr, neither in residence nor in travel.