Urwah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: I said to Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her), when I was still young: What is your view of this saying of Allah Almighty: "Indeed, Safa and Marwah are among the symbols of Allah; so whoever performs Hajj of the House or performs Umrah, there is no blame upon him for going around them both" [Surah Al-Baqarah: 158]? I think that even if someone does not go around them, there is no blame on him either. Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) said: Not at all! If it were as you say, the verse would have had to read: "There is no blame upon him if he does not go around them." This verse was revealed concerning the Ansar: they used to recite the talbiyah for Manat, and Manat stood opposite Qudayd, so for this reason they felt it sinful to go around Safa and Marwah. When Islam came, they asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about this, so Allah Almighty revealed this verse: "Indeed, Safa and Marwah are among the symbols of Allah." [Surah Al-Baqarah: 158]
Imam al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) said that Abu Mu'awiyah narrated these additional words from Hisham: "Allah does not complete the Hajj and Umrah of a person who did not go around between Safa and Marwah (did not perform the sa'y)."
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الحج / 9357