Q: I performed Hajj last year, 1400 A.H. When I returned from Mina on the second of the Days of Tashriq (11th, 12th and 13th of Dhul-Hijjah) just after midday, I went to perform tawaf-ul-Wada‘ (circumambulation around the Ka‘bah on leaving Makkah). We had walked from our tents, which were at the furthest part of Mina, to the Jamarat (stone pillars at which pebbles are thrown during Hajj) and then to the Ka‘bah. When we arrived at Al-Haram (the Sacred Sanctuary of Makkah), we found a huge crowd of people circumambulating the Ka‘bah who almost reached the corridors of the Masjid (mosque). It was midday and we were very tired from all the walking we did. My friend said to me, “Come, let us perform Tawaf (circumambulation around the Ka‘bah) upstairs to avoid the crowds and the heat of the sun.” We performed Tawaf and then returned to country. This year, when we came to perform Hajj, I asked about that some shaykhs at the Department of Scholarly Research, Ifta’, Daw‘ah, and Guidance in Mina. Some of them said that due to the crowds performing Tawaf downstairs, there was nothing wrong with our performing it upstairs. Others said that it was not permissible, because the second floor is higher than the Ka`bah. I hope that you will explain this point.