Tafsir of Al-Baqarah 2:158

"Indeed, al-Safa and al-Marwah..."

• Al-Safa and al-Marwah: These are proper names for two mountains, like "al-Samman" and "al-Muqattam."
• Al-Sha'a'ir (The Symbols): The plural of sha'irah, meaning a sign—that is, one of the signs of His rites and places of worship.
• Al-Hajj (Pilgrimage): Originally meaning "to intend."
• Al-'Umrah (Visitation): Originally meaning "to visit."
• They became exclusively used for the two well-known rites of visiting the House (the Ka'bah). In terms of abstract concepts, they are like "the star" and "the house" in terms of concrete entities.

"That he should perform tawwaf (circumambulation) around them..."

• The origin of yattawwaf (he performs tawwaf) is yatatawwaf; the two 'ta's were assimilated. It is also recited as an yatufa (that he should perform tawwaf) from the verb tafa.

If you ask: How can it be said that they are among the symbols of Allah, and then immediately be told, "there is no blame upon him if he performs tawwaf around them"?

I say: There used to be Isaf on al-Safa and Na'ilah on al-Marwah. These were two idols. It is narrated that they were a man and a woman who committed adultery inside the Ka'bah and were transformed into stones, then placed there as a warning. As time passed, they were worshipped instead of Allah. During the Pre-Islamic era (Jahiliyyah), people would touch them when performing the sa'i (running between the hills). When Islam arrived and the idols were broken, the Muslims disliked performing tawwaf between them because of what the people of Jahiliyyah used to do. Thus, the "no blame" was revealed to remove that hesitation.

Regarding the ruling on Sa'i:

• Some say it is voluntary (tatawwu'): They cite the phrase "no blame" and the implication of choice between doing it or leaving it, similar to the verse: "There is no blame upon them if they return to each other" (2:230), and the verse: "And whoever does good voluntarily..." (2:184). This is narrated from Anas, Ibn Abbas, and Ibn al-Zubayr. It is supported by the reading of Ibn Mas'ud: "There is no blame upon him if he does not perform tawwaf around them."
• Abu Hanifah (may Allah have mercy on him): He holds that it is obligatory (wajib), but not a pillar (rukn). If one leaves it, a sacrifice (dam) is required. According to the first group, there is no penalty.
• Malik and al-Shafi'i: They hold that it is a pillar (rukn), based on the Prophet's (ﷺ) saying: "Perform sa'i, for Allah has prescribed sa'i upon you."

• "And whoever does good voluntarily..." It is also recited as man yattawwa' (assimilating the ta into the ta). In the reading of Abdullah (Ibn Mas'ud), it is: "And whoever does good voluntarily."

"Indeed, those who conceal what We sent down of the clear proofs and the guidance after We had made it clear for the people in the Scripture—those are cursed by Allah and cursed by those who curse." (159)