Twin Mountains in Mecca

Twins of mountains are two small mountains, that are now visited today by Muslims, following the first journey in search of water in Mecca. These are an integral part of the religious acts of Umrah as Muslim pilgrims are commanded to walk between the two hills.

Muslims walk between the two mountains (called Sa'ee), which they believe is a tribute to Hajar's search for water in the area when  Ibrahim left Bibi Hajar in the valley upon Allah's command. The space between the two mountains is called al-Mas'aa.

Significance of Sa'i:

In the Islamic religion, Umrah holds great importance. Every year, millions of Muslim trips go to these religious places. The acts of umrah comprise several rituals. One of the famous rituals of  Umrah is jogging between the twin mountains. It is mentioned in the holy  Quran that both mounts are symbols of Allah and it is compulsory to walk between them. It is compulsory for performing Umrah.

إِنَّ الصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةَ مِن شَعَائِرِ اللَّهِ

Inna ṣ-ṣafā wa l-marwata min sha’ā’iri llāh(i).

Thereafter, recite the following Dua:

أَبْدَأُ بِمَا بَدَأَ اللهُ بِهِ

Abda’u bimā bad’allahu bihi.

History of Safa and Marwa;

Two small hills  Safa and Marwa, connected to  Abu Qubais and Qaiqan mountains, in Mecca, and made part of the Masjid al-Haram. Muslims travel between them seven times in and it is known as the Sa'ee ritual of  Umrah.

The story of Twin Mountains marks the struggle of, Bibi Hajara (AS), who ran between these hills 7 times seeking water for Prophet Ismail (AS), her parched son. According to Islamic history, Prophet Ibrahim (AS) left his second wife Hajra (RA) with an infant son (Ismail) in the deserts of Arab.

Ancient well Zamzam:

Ancient well Zamzam is located in the Al-Haram mosque. It is a miraculous source of water from Allah. It is a great gift of Allah (SWT) for mankind. It is the best water to cure the sick. Performing the Sa'ee serves to commemorate Hajar's search for water-answering prayers. Selling Zamzam water in Saudi Arabia is a ban. The water coolers of this holy water are placed in both Mosques (Al-Haram & Al - Nabawi).

How to perform sa'i:

1st lap of Sa'i begins at the mounts of Safa and ends at Marwa. 2nd lap starts from Marwa and ends at Safa. So in this way pilgrims complete their 7 laps between the Twin mountains. If pilgrims accidentally forget their amount of laps, they should perform the minimum number of laps that they think they have completed.

Distance  between Safa and Marwa:

The distance between Safa and Marwa is  450 m,  and the fourth amount to roughly 3.6 km (2.2 mi). Today, a Muslim has to complete 7 times the distance under the green-lighted area between the two small hills as did the bibi Hajira (A.S).

Dhikr & Dua:

It is not compulsory for Dhikr or Dua during Sa’i, so people perform any prayers of their choice and send Salawat upon the Prophet ﷺ.

Make Dua at Marwa:

After reaching the hill of Marwa, move your face at the side of  Kaaba, raise your hands for dua and repeat the same dua you recited at Safa.

The twin Mountains in Mecca are a mark of an ancient incident in history. Today, Muslims who go to Mecca feel the same experience of walking between Safa and Marwa as Bibi Hajra (AS) had done.