Musnad Ahmad 3534 — Musnad of Abdullah ibn al-Abbas ibn Abd

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that once the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed Umrah from Ji‘irrana, and in the first three circuits of the Tawaf of the Ka‘bah he performed ramal, and in the remaining four circuits he walked as usual.

Abu Tufail says that I once asked Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), "Your people think that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) performed ramal during tawaf and that it is a Sunnah?" He replied, "These people say some things that are true and some that are false." I asked, "What is true and what is false?" He said, "The truth is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did perform ramal while circumambulating the House of Allah, but to consider it a Sunnah is incorrect. The reason is that during the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, the Quraysh had said, 'Leave Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) and his companions (may Allah be pleased with them), so that they may perish just as a camel dies when a worm comes out of its nose.' When they made peace with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) on this condition among other conditions, that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) could come to Makkah the following year with his companions (may Allah be pleased with them) and stay for three days, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came the following year. The polytheists were sitting towards Mount Qaiqan. Seeing them, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered his companions (may Allah be pleased with them) to perform ramal in three circuits. This is not a Sunnah."