Deliberation on Ṭawāf al-Nisā from the Perspective of the Qur ān

One of the obligations of Ḥajj from the point of view of the Shī‘a jurisprudence is ṭawāf al-nisā (second circumambulation after which one’s wife becomes lawful). To prove its obligatoriness, the Shī‘a jurists have invoked the noble verse, ﴾and circumambulate the Ancient House.﴿ (Q. 22: 29). In view of most Shī‘a interpreters, what is meant by circumambulate in this verse is exclusively ṭawāf al-nisā. However, the Sunnī jurists have other viewpoints. In this writing, first the evidences of the renowned Shī‘a interpretation are quoted and then, in order of priority, the interpretation of the verse to obligatory circumambulation that is the late Ardabīlī’s choice, and the interpretation of the verse to circumambulation in general, including the obligatory, are defended.