recommended. He says upon touching the Stone: "In the name of Allah, and Allah is the Greatest; out of faith in You, belief in Your Book, fulfilling Your covenant, and following the Sunnah of Your Prophet, Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)." It was reported by ‘Abd Allah ibn al-Sa’ib from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) (13).

Section: He shall align himself with the Stone with his entire body. If he aligns with it with only part of his body, it may be considered sufficient, as it is a ruling related to the body, so part of it suffices, as in the case of a boundary (hadd). It is also possible that it is not sufficient, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) faced the Stone and touched it, and the apparent meaning is that he faced it with his entire body; and because whatever one is required to face, one is required to face with one's entire body, like the Qiblah. If we say that this is obligatory and he does not do it, or if he begins the Tawaf from a place other than the corner, such as the door or the like, that circuit (shawt) is not counted for him. The second circuit and those thereafter are counted, and the second becomes the first, because he has therein aligned with the Stone with his entire body and completed it. If he completes seven circuits other than the first, his Tawaf is valid; otherwise, it is not valid.

Section: A woman is like a man, except that if she arrives in Makkah during the day and is safe from menstruation and postpartum bleeding, it is recommended for her to delay the Tawaf until the night, so that it may be more modest for her. It is not recommended for her to crowd among men to touch the Stone; rather, she should gesture toward it with her hand, like one who cannot reach it, as reported by ‘Ata’, who said: ‘A’ishah used to perform Tawaf in a space (hujrat) (15) away from the men, not mixing with them. A woman said to her, "Let us go and touch [the Stone], O Mother of the Believers." She said: