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Al-Safa and Al-Marwah
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Al-Safa and Al-Marwah (Safa and Marwah) (Arabic: الصفا Aş-Şafā ; المروة Al-Marwah) are two small hills now located in the Masjid al Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia between which Muslims travel back and forth seven times during the ritual pilgrimages of Hajj and Umrah.
In Islamic tradition, Abraham (Ibrahim) was commanded by God (Allah) to leave his wife Hagar (Hajarah) in the desert along with her infant son Ishmael and some provisions. When the provisions were exhausted, Hagar searched for water. To obtain a clearer view of the area, she climbed the two hills. After her apparently fruitless search, she returned to Ishmael and found that a spring had sprouted forth. Muslims believe that God provided her with the miraculous surge of water from the well, known as Zamzam.
The Masjid al Haram houses the holy Kaaba, the focal point of prayer for all Muslims. Safa — from which the ritual walking (sa`i, Arabic: سعى) begins — is located approximately half a mile from the Kaaba. Marwah is located about 100 yards from the Kaaba. The distance between Safa and Marwah is approximately 450 meters, so that seven trips amount to roughly 3.15 kilometers. The two points and the path between them are now inside a long gallery that forms part of the Masjid.
The length between Safa and Marwah is, to the centimetre, the same length between the shrines of Imam Hussein and Abo Fothlel Abbas in Karbala.
Performing the sa'i serves to commemorate Hagar's search for water and God's mercy in answering prayers.
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