It is narrated from Abu Tufail that Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) stated that on the occasion of the Umrah of Qada, when the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) reached the place of Marraz-Zahran, the companions heard that the Quraysh were talking about the weakness of the Muslims’ bodies. So the companions suggested, “If we slaughter some of our camels and eat their meat and make broth to drink, then when we appear before them, we will look well-fed and healthy.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Do not do that, rather gather your provisions in one place.” The companions gathered all the food in one place, spread out leather mats, and everyone ate until they were full, and each one filled his own bag with food as well. After that, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) came to Masjid al-Haram, while the Quraysh were sitting towards the side of the Hijr (Hatim). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed idtiba’ with his cloak (i.e., during tawaf, he passed the middle part of his cloak under his right armpit and placed both ends over his left shoulder, thus exposing his right shoulder; this act is called idtiba’). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Let not these Quraysh feel any weakness in you.” Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) touched the Black Stone and began the tawaf with ramal (brisk walking), until when he reached the Yemeni Corner and was out of sight of the Quraysh, he walked normally up to the Black Stone. When the Quraysh saw their condition, they said, “These people are not content with walking normally during tawaf, rather they are leaping and skipping like deer.” The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed ramal in three circuits (and walked normally between the Yemeni Corner and the Black Stone), thus this act became a Sunnah. Abu Tufail says: Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) informed me that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also performed this act during the Farewell Hajj.
Hadith Referenceالفتح الربانی / أهم أحداث السنة السابعة للهجرة / 10836
Hadith Gradingمحدثین:صحیح
Hadith Takhrij«اسناده قوي، أخرجه بنحوه ابن حبان: 3812 ، (انظر مسند أحمد ترقيم الرسالة: 2782 ترقیم بيت الأفكار الدولية: 2782»
Brief Explanation
Benefits: … The statement of Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas radi Allahu anhu regarding this act being Sunnah, while it is also established from him that he denied this act to be Sunnah, can be reconciled in such a way that it is possible he retracted his denial and accepted it as Sunnah after the matter became clear to him. However, the problem is that the same narrator of this hadith, Abu Tufayl, is the one who has narrated the report of denial as well. It is possible that the answer to this is that he (Abu Tufayl) heard this statement from him (Ibn Abbas) again after his retraction.