Say - The Truth Sought Between Two Hills

Sa’y

“The Truth Sought Between Two Hills”

The search that begins at Safa reaches union at Marwah,
But that union gives birth to a new seeking.
Sa’y is the name of the never-ending thirst within the human soul.

Sa’y – The Meaning of Each Step

Sa’y is not just a sequence of steps.
It is a journey of the heart, of patience, of prayer, and of surrender.

Feet move between Safa and Marwah,
But they carry the prayer of a mother,
The thirst of a child,
The longing of a nation.

It is the struggle of Lady Hajar—
Yet her struggle is not a sign of despair,
But a mark of faith, trust, and submission.

Sa’y is the step a servant takes in search of the mercy of their Lord.
It is the embodiment of the search.
This act of worship is outwardly a run, inwardly a plea.

Lady Hajar – The Silent Teacher of Sufism

The subject of Sa’y is a woman: Lady Hajar.
She was not a prophet,
Yet her faith was grand enough to become a model for a nation.

Her name is inscribed in the mirror of patience and submission.
She ran seven times between two hills saying:
“Surely, Allah will make a way.”

For this reason, Sa’y is seen in Sufism
as a path toward fanā’ fī-llāh (annihilation in God).
Because seeking first teaches man his own helplessness,
And in that helplessness, one finds the mercy of union.

Sa’y is the moment Lady Hajar spoke not from thirst,
But by divine inspiration.
Each step echoes:
“O my Lord! Leave a trace that will lead me to You!”

The Safa and Marwah Within the Heart

Safa and Marwah are not merely two hills.
One symbolizes the beginning, the other the end.

• Safa: The purity of the heart. The first turning.

• Marwah: The reward of purification and closeness.

As the body moves between the two hills,
An inner battle takes place between the ego, heart, and soul.

• To begin at Safa: “I am weak; I am searching.”

• To reach Marwah: “My Lord is sufficient for me. I surrender to Him.”

Sa’y is the spiritual journey made between these two realizations.
Each going is a letting go.
Each return, a drawing nearer.

The Seeker’s Sa’y – The Etiquette of Longing

In Sufism, Sa’y is a metaphor for the path of spiritual journey (sulūk).
The seeker begins at Safa with love,
Wrestles with the ego, purifies the heart,
Questions the truth, and stays silent for nights...

At Marwah, the seeker hopes for union.
But even that union gives birth to separation again.

The Sufi knows this world is a place of searching.
Even after drinking Zamzam, the heart remains thirsty.
Because absolute union can only be completed
in witnessing the Divine Beauty.

Thus, even if Sa’y ends, the journey does not.
The steps may stop,
but the search remains eternal.

Sa’y and the Lady Hajar Within Us

There is a Lady Hajar in every person.

Like a child left thirsty somewhere,
Like a heart turning to God with hope...

Sa’y is to recognize the Hajar within us.
To run with her.
Not in despair, but with hope.

Because we know:
Allah never leaves seekers deprived.

Zamzam is not the result of Hajar’s struggle—
It is the fruit of her trust in Allah.
Sa’y is the sound of footsteps born of that trust.

Step by Step Toward Truth

Sa’y tires the body,
But revives the heart.

It is the footprint of surrender.
A mother’s prayer,
A prophet’s patience,
A nation’s gratitude.

From a Sufi perspective,
Sa’y symbolizes the soul’s inner quest.

Man begins from the Safa within,
And reaches truth at Marwah by the grace of his Lord.

Yet every arrival becomes a new journey—
Because the path of truth never ends.

It must never end…

Dr. Özer Akpınar
Researcher – Historian