“I saw the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) performing circumambulation between Safa and Marwa while the people were in front of him and he was behind them. He was striving (yas'a) with such intensity that I could see his knees because his lower garment (Izār) was swirling around him due to the vigor of his pace, and he was saying: 'perform the Sa'y, for indeed Allah has prescribed the Sa'y upon you.'”

Narrated by Aḥmad (no. 27368, the wording is his), Ibn Khuzaymah (no. 2764), al-Ḥākim (no. 6943), al-Ṭabarānī in al-Kabīr (no. 572), and al-Daraqutnī (no. 2583), from the ḥadīth of Ḥabībah bint Abī Tijrāh (may Allah be pleased with her). The pronunciation of her name varies in the manuscripts: with a ḍamma or kasra on the t as in al-Azhār (al-Urdubīlī), with a kasra only (al-Fatḥ), or with a fatḥa and kasra (Ibn al-Malik). Al-Qārī stated that the ḍamma corresponds to the reading in the corrected manuscripts.
Authenticated in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Jāmiʿ (no. 968) and Irwā’ al-Ghalīl (no. 1072).

Brief Explanation of the Hadith

 Ṣafā and Marwah are among the symbols of Allah, and walking between them (Saʿy) is a pillar of Hajj and ʿUmrah. The practice of Saʿy was known during the pre-Islamic period, and when the Companions entered Islam, they felt uneasy about it because it was associated with the acts of the polytheists. Then Allah, Exalted is He, revealed: “Indeed, Ṣafā and Marwah are among the symbols of Allah” (Al-Baqarah 2:158), clarifying its legitimacy, removing the discomfort in their hearts, and affirming that it is a prescribed act of worship among the symbols of Islam.
Ṣafā and Marwah are two hills in Mecca, with the valley between them where Hājar (peace be upon her) walked searching for water for her son Ismāʿīl. This is the origin of the prescription of Saʿy.
In this ḥadīth, Ḥabībah bint Abī Tijrāh (may Allah be pleased with her) reports that she saw the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) circumambulating between Ṣafā and Marwah. He walked with such intensity in the valley that his garment swirled around his knees, and he commanded the people to perform Saʿy, saying: “Proceed with the Saʿy, for indeed Allah has prescribed the Sa'y upon you.”
Saʿy refers to walking between Ṣafā and Marwah for seven trips.
His statement, “Allah has prescribed the Sa'y upon you,” means that walking between Ṣafā and Marwah is obligatory upon you, for the term ‘prescribed’ in divine legislation indicates obligation, whether in Hajj or ʿUmrah.
It is recommended for men to hasten between the two green markers, following the example of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him); today these are marked by a strip of green lights on the ceiling to indicate their location. As for women, it is not prescribed for them to hasten, due to the potential for exposure or immodesty, for their principle is to maintain covering and modesty.
The ḥadīth indicates the obligation of the Sa‘y and that hastening (al-isrā’) is a Sunnah in its designated place; thus, if one walks throughout their Sa‘y without hastening, their Sa‘y is valid by scholarly consensus.
Among the spiritual benefits of Sa‘y is the evocation of the meanings of reliance (tawakkul), the pursuit of means (badhl al-sabab), and the excellence of depending upon Allah, the Exalted.