Is Sa`i Only a Ritual of Hajj and `Umrah?

Sa`i is the devotional act of walking seven times back and forth between the two hills of As-Safa and Al-Marwah. This act retraces the footsteps of Hajar (wife of Prophet Ibrahim), during her desperate search for water for her infant son Isma`il after they were left in the desert by Prophet Ibrahim in response to a divine vision.

The late Sheikh Ibn `Uthaymeen, a prominent Saudi Muslim scholar, (may Allah shower mercy on his soul), issued the following fatwa: “It is not permissible to perform a voluntary Sa`i, because Sa`i is only prescribed as part of the rituals of Hajj and `Umrah. Allah says: “Surely Safa and Marwa are among the signs appointed by Allah; so whoever makes pilgrimage to the House or pays a visit (to it), there is no blame on him if he goes round them both; and whoever does good spontaneously, then surely Allah is Grateful, Knowing” (Al-Baqarah: 158).”