When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ camped at Marr al-Zahran during his Umrah, word reached the companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ that Quraysh were saying, "The fever of Yathrib has worn them down."His companions said, "What if we slaughtered some of our riding camels, ate their meat, and drank their broth, so that tomorrow when we enter upon the people we would be refreshed?"He said, "Do not do that. Instead, gather for me whatever provisions you have left."So they gathered their provisions for him and spread out the leather mats. They ate until they were satisfied, and each one of them scooped what remained into his food bag.Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ proceeded until he entered the Mosque, while Quraysh sat near the Hijr. He wrapped his cloak under his right arm and over his left shoulder, then said, "Let the people not see any weakness in you."He touched the corner of the Kaaba, then entered, and when he was hidden from them by the Yemeni corner he walked normally until he reached the Black Corner. Quraysh said, "These people are not content with walking. They are leaping like gazelles."He did this for three circuits, and it became a Sunnah.Abu Tufayl said, "Ibn Abbas informed me that the Prophet ﷺ also did this during the Farewell Pilgrimage."
أن رسول الله ﷺ لما نزل مر الظهران في عمرته بلغ أصحاب رسول الله ﷺ أن قريشا تقول: ما يتباعثون العجف، فقال أصحابه: لو انتحرنا من ظهرنا فأكلنا من لحمه وحسونا من مرقه، أصبحنا غدا حين ندخل على القوم وبنا جمامة قال: لا تفعلوا ولكن اجمعوا لي من أزوادكم، فجمعوا له، وبسطوا الأنطاع، فأكلوا حتى تولوا، وحثا كل واحد منهم في جرابه، ثم أقبل رسول الله ﷺ حتى دخل المسجد، وقعدت قريش نحو الحجر، فاضطبع بردائه، ثم قال: لا يرى القوم فيكم غميزة. فاستلم الركن، ثم دخل حتى إذا تغيب بالركن اليماني مشى إلى الركن الأسود، فقالت قريش: ما يرضون بالمشي إنهم لينقرون نقز الظباء، ففعل ذلك ثلاثة أطواف، فكانت سنة. قال أبو الطفيل: وأخبرني ابن عباس: أن النبي ﷺ فعل ذلك في حجة الوداع.
Imam Ahmad narrated it (2782) from Muhammad bin Sabbah, who said, we were told by Ismail, meaning Ibn Zakariya, from Abdullah, meaning Ibn Uthman, from Abu Tufayl, from Ibn Abbas, and he related it.Haythami said in Majma (3/279), "It is in the Sahih in abridged form, and its narrators are the narrators of the Sahih."I say, it is as he said, except that Abdullah bin Uthman, who is Ibn Khuthaym, is "truthful," and he is among the narrators of Muslim.Abu Dawud narrated it (1889), and Ibn Khuzayma graded it sahih (2707), as did Ibn Hibban (3812), all of them through routes from Yahya bin Salim, from Ibn Khuthaym, except that Abu Dawud and Ibn Khuzayma abridged it.As for his statement, "it was a sunnah," perhaps he retracted his earlier statement once the matter became clear to him. Abu Tufayl heard denial from him the first time, then later heard affirmation from him, so he narrated it in two versions. And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.Then, the account of Ibn Abbas took place during the umrah of Qadaa, while the hadith of Jabir and Ibn Umar and others took place during the Farewell Pilgrimage, which came later.As for his earlier statement, "except to preserve it for them," meaning that the Prophet ﷺ did not stop them from doing the ramal in the first three circuits except as a continuation of what he and his companions had done during the umrah of Qadaa. This interpretation would be consistent with his statement, "it was a sunnah."As for Abu Tufayl's statement, "and Ibn Abbas informed me that the Prophet ﷺ did that during the Farewell Pilgrimage," meaning that the Prophet ﷺ repeated the ramal during the Farewell Pilgrimage as well. This points to its continuation, even though the original reason for which he had performed the ramal had already ended.This second statement from Ibn Abbas agreed with the view of the majority of the scholars, that the ramal in the first three circuits is a sunnah.