I said to Ayesha, Umm Muiminin, and I was young at the time, "What do you make of Allah's words 'Indeed Safa and Marwa are among the rites of Allah, so whoever performs Hajj to the House or performs Umrah, there is no blame on him in going between them' [Baqarah 2:158]? So there is nothing against a man if he does not go between them?"Ayesha replied, "Not at all. If it were as you say, it would have read, 'there is no blame on him in not going between them.' This verse was revealed concerning the Ansar. They used to enter their state of consecration for Manat, and Manat stood opposite Qudayd, and they felt it was wrong to go between Safa and Marwa. When Islam came, they asked the Messenger of Allah ﷺ about this, and Allah
revealed 'Indeed Safa and Marwa are among the rites of Allah, so whoever performs Hajj to the House or performs Umrah, there is no blame on him in going between them' [Baqarah 2:158]."
قلت لعائشة أم المؤمنين- وأنا يومئذ حديث السن-: أرأيت قول الله تبارك وتعالى{إن الصفا والمروة من شعائر الله فمن حج البيت أو اعتمر فلا جناح عليه أن يطوف بهما} [البقرة: ١٥٨]، فما على الرجل شيء أن لا يطوف بهما؟ فقالت عائشة: كلا! لو كان كما تقول، لكانت فلا جناح عليه أن لا يطوف بهما إنما أنزلت هذه الآية في الأنصار كانوا يهلون لمناة، وكانت مناة حذو قديد، وكانوا يتحرجون أن يطوفوا بين الصفا والمروة، فلما جاء الإسلام سألوا رسول الله ﷺ عن ذلك فأنزل الله تبارك وتعالى: {إن الصفا والمروة من شعائر الله فمن حج البيت أو اعتمر فلا جناح عليه أن يطوف بهما}.
Malik narrated it in Hajj (129) from Hisham bin Urwa, from his father, who said (as mentioned). Bukhari narrated it in Hajj (1790) via Malik with the same wording, similarly. He said, Sufyan and Abu Muawiya added, from Hisham, "Allah does not complete the Hajj or umrah of a person who does not perform tawaf between Safa and Marwa."Muslim did not narrate it via Malik, but he narrated it via Abu Muawiya (1277: 259) and Abu Usama (260), both from Hisham, with the same wording, and he added the addition mentioned. Abu Muawiya also added that the Ansar used to dedicate their pilgrim rites, in the pre-Islamic era, to two idols by the seashore called Isaf and Naila. They would come and perform tawaf between Safa and Marwa, then shave their heads. When Islam came, they were reluctant to perform tawaf between them because of what they used to do in the pre-Islamic era. She said, so Allah revealed, "Indeed, Safa and Marwa are among the symbols of Allah" [Baqarah 2:158], to the end of the verse. She said, so they performed tawaf.His saying, "Manat," Manat is an idol that Amr bin Luhay set up by the sea at Mushallal, a place near Qudayd. Ibn Kalbi said, "Manat" was a rock belonging to Huzayl at Qudayd. As for "Isaf and Naila," they were never by the sea. Rather, according to what is said, they were a man named Isaf bin Baqa, also said to be Ibn Amr, and a woman named Naila bint Dhib, also said to be Dik, also said to be bint Sahl. They were from Jurhum and committed fornication inside the Kaaba, so Allah transformed them into two stones, which were then set up beside the Kaaba. It is also said that they were instead set up on Safa and Marwa, so that people might take heed and be warned by them. Then Qusayy moved them, placing one of them next to the Kaaba and the other by Zamzam. It is also said that he placed both of them by Zamzam, and sacrificed there, and commanded that they be worshipped. When the Prophet ﷺ conquered Makkah, he smashed them. Mufhim by Qurtubi (3/384).Bukhari narrated it (4861) from the hadith of Sufyan, who said, Zuhri told us, saying, I heard Urwa say, I said to Ayesha
, and she said, "It was only those who dedicated their rites to Manat, the tyrant idol at Mushallal, who would not perform tawaf between Safa and Marwa. So Allah Most High revealed, "Indeed, Safa and Marwa are among the symbols of Allah" [Baqarah 2:158]. So the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the Muslims performed tawaf." This is how it appears in abridged form.Muslim narrated it (000: 262) through another route, from Aqeel, from Ibn Shihab, who said, Urwa bin Zubayr told me, and he mentioned the hadith, and Ayesha said, "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ established tawaf between them as a sunnah, so no one may forsake tawaf between them."Ibn Khuzayma narrated it (2769) from the hadith of Abdul-Raheem, meaning Ibn Sulayman, from Hisham bin Urwa, from Urwa, from Ayesha, and she mentioned the hadith, and said, "By my life, Allah does not complete the Hajj of one who does not perform tawaf between Safa and Marwa, because Allah says, "Indeed, Safa and Marwa are among the symbols of Allah" [Baqarah 2:158], for they are indeed among the symbols of Allah."