﴿ ۞ إِنَّ ٱلصَّفَا وَٱلْمَرْوَةَ مِن شَعَآئِرِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ فَمَنْ حَجَّ ٱلْبَيْتَ أَوِ ٱعْتَمَرَ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِ أَن يَطَّوَّفَ بِهِمَا ۚ وَمَن تَطَوَّعَ خَيْرًۭا فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ شَاكِرٌ عَلِيمٌ ﴾

“[Hence,] behold, As-Safa and Al-Marwah are among the symbols set up by God; and thus, no wrong does he who, having come to the Temple on pilgrimage or on a pious visit, strides to and fro between these two: for, if one does more good than he is bound to do-behold, God is responsive to gratitude, all-knowing.”

(Lo! (the mountains) As-Safa and Al-Marwah are among the indications of Allah...) [2:158]. Sa�id ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Zahid informed us> Abu �Ali ibn Abi Bakr al-Faqih> �Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn �Abd al-�Aziz> Mus�ab ibn �Abd Allah al-Zubayri> Malik> Hisham> his father> �A�ishah who said: �This verse was revealed about the Helpers. They used to make a pilgrimage to Manat which was close to Qudayd. They also used to avoid going between al-Safa and al-Marwah. When Islam came, they asked Allah�s Messenger, Allah bless him and give him peace, about this, and Allah, exalted is He, revealed this verse�. This is narrated by Bukhari from �Abd Allah ibn Yusuf from Malik. Abu Bakr al-Tamimi informed us> Abu�l-Shaykh al-Hafiz [al-Asfahani]> Abu Yahya al-Razi> Sahl al-�Askari> Yahya and �Abd al-Rahman> Hisham> his father> �A�ishah who said: �This verse was revealed about a group of people from the Helpers. Before Islam, they used to make pilgrimage to Manat and were forbidden from going between al-Safa and al-Marwah. When they went to pilgrimage with Allah�s Messenger, Allah bless him and give him peace, they mentioned this to him. And so Allah revealed this verse�. This is narrated by Muslim from the report of Abu Bakr> Ibn Abi Shaybah> Abu Usamah> Hisham> his father> �A�ishah. Said Anas ibn Malik: �We disliked going in between al-Safa and al-Marwah, because they were the shrines of Quraysh in the pre-Islamic period, and so we abandoned them in Islam. Then Allah revealed this verse�. Said �Umar ibn Hubshi: �I asked Ibn �Umar about this verse and he said: �Go to Ibn �Abbas and ask him�. The latter said: �There was on al-Safa an idol in the form of a man called Isaf, and on al-Marwah an idol in the form of a woman called Na�ilah. The people of the Book claimed that these two had committed adultery in the Ka�bah and as a punishment Allah turned them into two stones which were placed on al-Safa and al-Marwah so that people can take heed. But after a long time had passed, they were worshipped instead of Allah, exalted is He. Whenever the people of the pre-Islamic period went in between them, they stroked the two idols. When Islam came and the idols were destroyed, the Muslims disliked going between al-Safa and al-Marwah because of these two idols.