During tawaaf we noticed that some people stand at the beginning of tawaaf and utter out loud their intention of doing tawaaf. We also noticed that some of them push and shove in order to reach the Black Stone, and even fight over it. What is your opinion about these actions?

Answer :
Praise be to Allah.
The following are mistakes that occur during tawaaf:

1. Uttering the intention aloud when when performing Tawaf. You may see some pilgrims facing the Black Stone when he wants to perform tawaaf, saying, “O Allah, I intend to circumambulate seven circuits for ‘Umrah” or “O Allah, I intend to do seven circuits of tawaaf for Hajj,” or “O Allah, I intend to circumambulate seven times around the House in order to seek nearness to You.”
Uttering the intention aloud is bid’ah (an innovation), because the Messenger, may Allah exalt his mention, did not command his ummah to do that. Anyone who worships Allah in a manner which is not in concordance with the Sunnah of the Prophet, may Allah exalt his mention, has indeed introduced an innovation in the Deen of Allah. Uttering the intention aloud when doing Tawaf is a mistake, and an innovation (which should be avoided); similarly, this action is a mistake when thought over rationally…what is the point of uttering the intention aloud, when this is a matter between you and your Rubb? Allah knows what is in the everyone’s heart, and that you are going to circumambulate around His House. If this is known…then there is no need to utter the intention aloud.
The Prophet, may Allah exalt his mention, performed tawaaf and he did not utter his intention aloud. The Sahaabah, may Allah be pleased with them all, performed tawaaf and did not utter the intention aloud for Tawaf or any other act of worship!

2. Those who want to kiss the Black Stone or touch the Yemeni Corner harm their fellow pilgrims by pushing and shoving them. They may even push or shove a woman; Shaytan may tempt him and cause him to do something evil around the House of Allah!
One should not shove or push anyone in order to touch the Black Stone or Yemeni Corner. If one can touch either in a calm and dignified manner, then it is appropriate for him to do so, and if it is not easy then pointing at the black stone is sufficient. As for the Yemeni Corner, it has no been reported that the Prophet, may Allah exalt his mention, pointed at it, and we cannot compare it to the Black Stone, because the Black Stone is greater than it, and it was proven that the Prophet, may Allah exalt his mention, pointed to the Black Stone.
Gathering in large crowds is inappropriate since it would lead to Fitnah, especially if women are in that crowd. One would possibly feel annoyed, and angry upon leaving the place.
When one performs Tawaf, he should remain calm and dignified. The Prophet, may Allah exalt his mention, said:
‘Tawaf around the House and (Sa’ee) between Safa and Marwah and stoning the Jimaar have only been prescribed to establish the Dhikr of Allah.’

3. Some believe that tawaf is invalid unless the Black Stone is kissed, and that it is a condition in the acceptance and completeness of one’s Hajj and Umrah.
This is incorrect. Kissing the Black Stone is a Sunnah act for the one who is performing Tawaf only. I know that kissing the Black Stone is a Sunnah act exclusive to Tawaf; based on this, kissing the Black Stone is not obligatory, nor is it a condtion in Tawaf. If a person does not kiss it, his tawaf would not be invalid or incomplete, and he would not have sinned; rather, his Tawaf would be valid. Pointing at the Black Stone may even be better than kissing it when there are large crowds, and this is what the Messenger of Allah, may Allah exalt his mention, did when the Tawaf area was crowded. When a person does this he would avoid harming his fellow pilgrims.
If someone were to ask: If the Mataaf (Tawaf area) is crowded, what is better…to push forward and touch or kiss it, or simply point at it?
We say that it is better to point at it, because this is the Sunnah, and the best guidance is the guidance of Muhammad, may Allah exalt his mention.

4. Kissing the Yemeni Corner. There is no proof concerning this from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah exalt his mention. If an act of worship is not proven from the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah exalt his mention, then it is an act of bid’ah, which whould not bring one nearer to Allah; based on this, it inappropriate to kiss the Yemeni Corner, because it has not been proven that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah exalt his mention, did it. It has only bee narrated in a da’eef (weak) hadeeth that cannot be taken as evidence. 

5. Some touch the Black Stone or Yemeni Corner with their left hands in a careless manner. This is inappropriate. One should touch the Black Stone and Yemeni Corner with his right hand, for it is more praiseworthy than touching these with the left hand. The left hand is only used for purification in general; thus, the right hand should be used when touching (the Black Stone or Yemeni Corner) and for respect.

6. Some believe that touching the Black Stone and Yemeni Corner is done to seek Barakah (goodness and blessings), and that it is not a ritual part of the Tawaf.
Touching the Black Stone or wiping it or kissing it is done to glorify Allah; hence, when the Prophet, may Allah exalt his mention, touched the Black Stone, he said: “Allahu akbar,” as an indication that the purpose of this action is to glorify Allah, not to seek barakah by touching this Stone. When the Khaleefah ‘Umar, may Allah be pleased with him, touched the Black Stone, he said: “By Allah, I know that you are just a stone and can neither cause harm nor bring benefit. Were it not that I had seen the Messenger of Allah, may Allah exalt his mention, kissing you, I would not have kissed you.”
This incorrect notion held by some –that the purpose behind touching the Yemeni Corner and the Black Stone is to seek barakah– has led some of them to bring their young children and touch the Corner or the Stone with their hands, then wipe their children with their hands. This is a corrupt belief that should be denounced. We should explain to people that these stones can neither harm nor benefit, and that the purpose of touching them is to glorify Allah and establish His remembrance (dhikr), and to follow the example of His Messenger, may Allah exalt his mention.
All of these matters are not prescribed in the Shari’ah; rather, they are innovations (bid’ah) and do not benefit those who do them in the least. If the pilgrim does any of these actions out of ignorance, while not realizing tha they are acts of Bid’ah (innovation) then there is hope that he may be forgiven. But if he knows that this is an act of Bid’ah or he does it negligently and does not seek knowledge in this regard, he would have sinned.

7. Some people recite a specific du’aa’ in each circuit. This is an act of bid’ah, it has not been mentioned that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah exal this mention, or his companions did it. The Prophet, may Allah exalt his mention, did not recite a specific du’aa’ for each circuit, neither did his companions. (The only du’aa the Prophet, may Allah exalt his mention, said continuously) was the Du’aa between the Yemeni Corner and the Black Stone. He, may Allah exalt his mention, used to say:
“Our Rubb! Give us in this world that which is good and in the Hereafter that which is good, and save us from the torment of the Fire!” [al-Baqarah 2:201]
And he (r) said:
“Tawaaf around the House and (Sa’ee) between as-Safa and al-Marwah and stoning the Jamaar have only been prescribed so that remembrance of Allah (dhikr) will be established.”
This bid’ah is worse when a person carries a small booklet in which there is a du’aa’ for each circuit, and he reads this booklet, not knowing what he is saying, either because he does not know Arabic and does not understand the meanings, or because although he is an Arab and speaks Arabic he does not know what he is saying. We even hear some of them say supplications that clearly deviate from Islamic teachings; for example, we have heard someone saying, “O Allah, make me independent of means by Your Majesty (jalaalika) so I have no need of that which You have forbidden” when he should have said, “by that which You have permitted (halaalika).”
We also see some people reading this booklet, and when they finish the du’aa’ for the circuit they are doing, they stop and do not recite any other du’aa’s for the rest of that circuit. If there are not many people in the Mataaf, they finish the circuit before they finish the du’aa’, so they cut the du’aa’ short.
The solution to this is to explain to the pilgrims that during tawaaf a person can say whatever supplication he wants, and he can remember Allah (dhikr) however he wants. If this is explained to the people this problem be resolved.

Ruling on one who falls into these innovations
With regard to these actions, people are either:
- Completely ignorant and do not realize that what they are doing is haram (prohibited). In this case there is hope that these people would not be chastised.
- Those who know but deliberately go astray and lead others astray as well. Such person is undoubtedly a sinner and would bear the burden of the sins of those who follow his example.
- Those who are unaware and negligent, and do not ask people who know. There is the fear that these people may be sinning because of their carelessness and their failure to ask.
These are the errors that we have noticed during tawaaf. We ask Allah to guide our Muslim brothers to apply the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah exalt his mention, for the best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad, may Allah exalt his mention. Deen is not based on emotions and inclinations, rather it is to be based on what has been narrated from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah exalt his mention.

What are the mistakes that some people make when shaving their heads or cutting their hair?
Answer:
Praise be to Allah.
1. Some people shave a portion of their hair and leave the rest. I have seen that with my own eyes. I saw a man ambulating between as-Safa and al-Marwah, and half of his head was completely shave and the other half was not. I asked him: “why did you do that?” He said, “I did it because I want to perform ‘Umrah twice, so I shaved half for the first and left half for this ‘Umrah.” Indeed this is ignorance and misguidance, and has not been approved by any scholar.

2. Some clip a few hairs upon completing the Umrah, from one side. This action does not concur with the apparent wording of the verse, in which Allah says:
“…(some) having your heads shaved, and (some) having your head hair cut short…” [al-Fath 48:27]
When one shortens his hair, it should be done in a manner that can be noticed. Cutting one or two hairs would go unnoticed, and thus his action would contradict the apparent meaning of the (above mentioned) verse.
The solution for these two mistakes is that the person should shorten his hair evenly, or shave it off completely, and not cut one or two hairs.

3. There are some who upon completing sa’ee are unable to find anyone to cut their hair, so they go back to their homes, wear normal clothes, and then shave off their hair or trim it evenly.
This is a grave mistake, for a person cannot exit the state of Ihram unless he shaves off or trims his hair evenly. The Prophet, may Allah exalt his mention, ordered his Companions who had not brought the Hadi (sacrifical animal) with them to exit the state of Ihram and consider it Umrah. He said to them during the Farewell Pilgrimage: ‘Let him cut his hair off and exit the state of Ihram.’ [Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1691; Muslim, 1229].
This indicates that one cannot exit the state of ihraam until he cuts his hair. Based on this, if a pilgrim completes the sa’ee and cannot find someone to cut his hair, he should remain in ihraam until he shaves his head or cuts his hair evenly, it is not permissible for him to exit ihraam before that.
If a person did that out of ignorance and exited the state of Ihraam before shaving or cutting his hair, thinking that it was permissible, he would not be chastised due to his ignorance, but when he realizes that he has made a mistake he should remove his regular clothes and wear the Ihraam garments (Izar and Rida), for it is impermissible for one to do what is unlawful after knowing so. When he has shaved his hair, or trimmed it evenly, he may exit the state of Ihram.

What is the ruling of touching the walls of the Ka’bah, its Kiswah (covering) and the Maqam Ibraheem (station of Ibraheem)?

Answer:
Praise be to Allah.
This question was answered by Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him). He said:
Some do this to seek nearness to Allah, and regard it as a type of worhsip. Any action which is done with the intention of seeking nearness to Allah and as an act of worship must be done in accordance with the Shari’ah. If the action is not substantiated by proofs from the Shari’ah it is an act of Bid’ah (innovation). The Prophet, may Allah exalt his mention, said: ‘Beware of innovated matters (in the Deen), for every innovation is a means of misguidance.’ [Tirmidthi 2676; Abu Dawood 4607]
It has not been narrated that the Prophet, may Allah exalt his mention, touched any part of the Ka’bah, apart from the Yemeni Corner and the Black Stone. 
If a person touches any corner or side of the Ka’bah apart from the Yemeni Corner and Black Stone, he would be considered an innovator. When Abdullah b. Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, saw Mu’awiyah b. Abi Sufyaan, may Allah be pleased with him, touching the two northern corners of the Ka’bah, he forbade him from doing that. Mu’aawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, said to him: “No part of the House should be disrgarded.’ Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said: “Indeed in the Messenger of Allah (Muhammad) you have a good example to follow” [al-Ahzaab 33:21]; and I saw the Prophet, may Allah exalt his mention, touching the two Yemeni corners,” meaning the Yemeni Corner and the Black Stone. So Mu’aawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, accepted what Ibn ‘Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him, said.
A graver form of bid’ah is what some people do when touching Maqaam Ibraaheem. It was not narrated that the Prophet, may Allah exalt his mention, touched any part of the Maqaam.
The same applies to other actions that some people do, namely touching the well of Zamzam or touching the pillars of the porticos – the ancient pillars built by the Uthmaanis. None of this was practiced by the Prophet, may Allah exalt his mention, so they are forms of bid’ah (religious innovations), and every innovation is a means of misguidance.

From Daleel al-Akhta’ allati yaqa’ fiha al-Haaj wa’l-Mu’tamir