WSID? My Wudhu is Invalidated During Tawaf

1. Details about the situation

Layaan, 45 years old, is performing Umrah with her sister for the first time.

Layaan begins her tawaf with focus and excitement; she carefully counts each round as she moves with the flow of pilgrims around the Kaaba. By her count, she has completed three full circuits and is partway through the fifth round when she suddenly realizes that her wudu has been invalidated.

Her heart sinks. She wonders, “Do I have to start all over again? Or can I just continue?”

With the crowds moving steadily, she steps aside, trying to recall what she learned about the rituals of Umrah. 

2. Background

For tawaf, ritual purity (wudu) is required, just like in prayer.

Because tawaf takes time and is performed in crowded conditions, it’s not uncommon for someone’s wudu to break midway.

The key question becomes: Does the entire tawaf need to be repeated, or can it be resumed from where the person left off?

3. Islamic Ruling

According to Sayyid Sistani:

If a person’s wudu breaks during tawaf, they must leave immediately to renew wudu.

There are different rulings on how to proceed based on the number of rounds they had completed at the time when their wudu became invalid. If their wudu was invalidated:

• Before completing 4 rounds of the tawaf:
  •  They must restart the tawaf from the beginning after renewing wudu.
• After completing 4 rounds:
  •  They may resume from where they left off after renewing wudu.

4. Action

Layaan quickly thinks through her situation: she had completed four full circuits and was partway through the fifth. She remembers the ruling about having completed the fourth round of tawaf. 

She calmly exits the tawaf area, performs wudu, and returns to the Kaaba. She does not wait to catch her sister coming back around, and instead of starting over, she resumes from where she left off and completes the remaining circuits.

Her initial anxiety fades, replaced by relief and confidence in following the correct ruling.