The travel route of the hajj mission is as follows: Cairo-Jeddah airport-Mecca-'Arafat-Muzdalifa-Mecca-Mina-Mecca such that pilgrims proceed to Mecca directly from Muzdalifa to perform tawaf al-ifada, sa'y for hajj and full release from ihram. They will then head to Mina to stone Jamarat al-'Aqaba al-Kubra. Is this route permissible for pilgrims on hajj tamattu' or must they depart from Muzdalifa and proceed to Mina to stone Jamarat al-'Aqaba al-Kubra before their full release from ihram?

Performing tawaf al-ifada before stoning Jamarat al-'Aqaba

According to the opinion of the majority of scholars, it is legally permissible to perform tawaf al-ifada before stoning Jamarat al-'Aqaba al-Kubra; Maliki scholars have maintained that inverting the order by performing tawaf al-ifada before stoning Jamarat al-'Aqaba al-Kubra may be rectified by slaughtering in expiation.

The majority of scholars who permit this substantiated their opinion with the hadith narrated by 'Abdullah Ibn 'Amr (may God be pleased with them both) who said, "A man approached the Prophet who was standing at the stoning site on yawm al-nahr and said, 'O Messenger of God! I shaved my head before stoning.' The Prophet replied, 'Stone and there is no harm in this.' Another man approached the Prophet and said, 'I slaughtered before stoning.' The Prophet replied, 'Stone and there is no harm in this.' A third man approached the Prophet and said, 'I performed tawaf al-ifada before stoning.' The Prophet replied, 'Stone and there is no harm in this.' Ibn 'Amr said, 'On that day, the Prophet was not asked about anything to which he did not reply, 'Do so and there is no harm in it" [Recorded by Imam Muslim in his Sahih].

Release from ihram

Release from ihram occurs in two stages:

1- The first or partial release from ihram renders permissible all of the things that were unlawful during ihram except for sexual intercourse or foreplay. It is accomplished by the following: shaving the head according to Hanafi scholars, stoning according to Maliki and Hanbali scholars and doing any two of the three rites of yawm al-nahr according to Shafi'i scholars (with the exception of slaughtering because it is not among the things necessary for release from ihram).

2- The second or full release from ihram renders permissible all of the things that were unlawful in ihram. It is accomplished by performing tawaf al-ifada only provided one shaves his head according to Hanafi scholars, performing tawaf al-ifada in addition to making sa'y according to Maliki and Hanbali scholars, and by completing the three rites according to Shafi'i scholars.

The ruling

There is no legal objection to proceeding to Mecca from Muzdalifa to perform tawaf al-ifada before stoning Jamarat al-'Aqaba and this does not entail any consequences.