Ruling if a pilgrim neglected Tawaf-ul-Wada`

Q: Allah (Exalted be He) blessed me, my wife, and our son and daughter with the chance of performing Hajj this year. We performed all the rituals of Hajj except for Tawaf-ul-Wada` (circumambulation of the Ka`bah on leaving Makkah). We thought that it is not an obligatory part of Hajj and it is just Sunnah (supererogatory act of worship following the example of the Prophet). After we reached the place of our residence and reviewed some books on Hajj, we discovered that Tawaf-ul-Wada` is an obligatory part of Hajj. Moreover, the only thing that makes up for it is Dam (sacrificial animal offered as an atonement) or fasting three days during the Hajj and seven days after one's return to homeland. The Dam should be offered in Makkah during the days of Hajj.The question is: What should we do to make up for this missed obligatory act of Hajj so that our Hajj becomes perfect, bearing in mind that we performed Tawaf-ul-Ifadah (final obligatory circumambulation of the Ka`bah in Hajj) on the twelfth day, threw the pebbles and then left Makkah in the morning of the thirteenth day? If we should fast, what do we have to do with regard to the three days that should have been fasted during Hajj?

A: It is obligatory for each of you to offer a Fidyah (ransom, i.e., sacrificial animal) for omitting Tawaf-ul-Wada` to make up for this ritual. The Fidyah is a sheep meeting the same conditions of Ud-hiyah (sacrificial animal offered by non-pilgrims). It is to be slaughtered in in Makkah and its meat distributed among the poor of the Haram, even if the slaughtering is not on the days of Hajj. If any of you cannot afford a sheep, they have to fast ten days. If your wife was menstruating during the time of leaving Makkah, she does not have to offer a sacrifice.May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.