Short answer
Only within its days. In the Hanafi school tawaf al-ifadah (tawaf al-ziyarah) must be done by sunset on 12 Dhul Hijjah; delaying it later without an excuse is a sin and requires a dam, though the tawaf is still valid and still owed. A woman whose period prevented her owes nothing for the delay. The other schools allow delay without a dam.
Tawaf al-ziyarah is a pillar of Hajj. Its time starts at dawn on 10 Dhul Hijjah; doing it within the days of sacrifice (by sunset on the 12th) is wajib per Abu Hanifa, so delay without an excuse requires a dam. It never lapses: it must be done, and marital relations stay forbidden until it is.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- Its time has no end; delaying it past the days of tashreeq is disliked but no dam is due.
- Hanbali
- No end time; delay is allowed without a dam, though doing it on the day of sacrifice is best.
- Maliki
- Delaying it until after the month of Dhul Hijjah requires a dam.
Explanation
Tawaf al-ifadah, also called tawaf al-ziyarah, is the fard tawaf of Hajj done after Arafah. Without it Hajj is not complete. The Prophet ﷺ did it on the day of sacrifice, and the Quran mentions it among the rites that end the pilgrimage.
- Best time: 10 Dhul Hijjah, after stoning, sacrifice and shaving.
- Allowed time (Hanafi): until sunset on the 12th, nights included. Crowds on the 10th are a good reason to do it on the 11th or 12th.
- After sunset on the 12th: without an excuse, a dam is due for the delay in Abu Hanifa's view, which is the relied-upon fatwa. His two students held no dam is due.
- Period: a woman in menses waits until she is pure, even if that is after the 12th, and owes nothing for the delay. If she became pure early enough before sunset on the 12th to do most of the tawaf and did not, the dam is due. If her flight is close, see umrah and periods and ask a scholar.
- Left Makkah without it: you must come back and do it; no sacrifice replaces it. Until then husband and wife may not be intimate.
If you did a later tawaf, even one you intended as the farewell tawaf, while ifadah was still owed, Hanafi jurists count it toward the fard tawaf first; the farewell tawaf is then still owed. For all penalties, see dam in Hajj, and for the order of the days, our Hajj guide.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Hajj 22:29
ثُمَّ لْيَقْضُوا۟ تَفَثَهُمْ وَلْيُوفُوا۟ نُذُورَهُمْ وَلْيَطَّوَّفُوا۟ بِٱلْبَيْتِ ٱلْعَتِيقِ ﴿٢٩﴾
Then let them end their untidiness and fulfill their vows and perform Tawaf around the ancient House."
The tawaf after the sacrifice is a rite of Hajj.
Sahih al-Bukhari 305
Sahih... فافعلي ما يفعل الحاج غير أن لا تطوفي بالبيت حتى تطهري ...
"Do everything a pilgrim does, except do not perform tawaf of the House until you are pure."
A woman in menses delays tawaf until she is pure.
Sahih Muslim 1297
Sahih... لتأخذوا مناسككم فإني لا أدري لعلي لا أحج بعد حجتي هذه ...
"Take your rites from me, for I do not know whether I will perform Hajj after this Hajj of mine."
The timing of the rites is taken from the Prophet's Hajj.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Hajj, on tawaf al-ziyarah and its time. Its time is the days of sacrifice; Abu Hanifa requires a dam for delaying it after them.
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Hajj, chapter on penalties. The menstruating woman owes nothing for the delay.
- al-Majmu' (Nawawi), Kitab al-Hajj, on tawaf al-ifadah. The Shafi'i view that its time has no end.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.