How to perform sa'i

The counting

This is where people go wrong. Safa → Marwah is length one. Marwah → Safa is length two. Continuing that way, the seventh length ends at Marwah.

If you finish at Safa, you have done six or eight and need to correct it. The counter displays along the corridor make this easy to track, use them rather than counting in your head while making dua.

Starting at Safa

Approach Safa reciting Innas-Safa wal-Marwata min sha'a'irillah. Face the Kaaba, say takbir three times, and make personal supplication. Then walk toward Marwah.

Between the two green markers, men perform a light jog. Women walk throughout. At Marwah, face the Kaaba and repeat the takbir and supplication, without the verse, which is recited only at the start.

Practical notes

The corridor is fully air-conditioned and flat, which makes sa'i considerably less demanding than tawaf despite being longer.

There is a separate accessible route for wheelchairs and electric carts running the full length, and a dedicated floor above the main corridor which is far less congested.

Zamzam coolers run the entire length. There is no need to carry water.

Order matters

Sa'i must follow a valid tawaf. Performing sa'i first, or performing tawaf without wudu and then sa'i, means the sa'i does not count and both must be repeated.