Today, we will discuss the incident of the Hajjat al-Wada' (حجة الوداع - Farewell Hajj), the last and only Hajj of the Prophet PBUH. There is a lot of material to discuss in this particular section.
When Was the Verse of Hajj Revealed?
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Must You Go for Hajj as Soon as You Are Financially Capable?
When did Allah reveal the obligation for Hajj? This is actually a very difficult question and it has a fiqhi analogous problem/scenario, and that is: Can a person delay Hajj for a few years once they are qualified to go? There are two opinions:
1. One group of scholars says you can. One of the evidences this group uses is that, according to them, the verse of Hajj was revealed a few years before the Prophet PBUH went for Hajj (i.e., they are saying the Prophet PBUH delayed for a few years).
2. The other opinion is that no, you can't. And this group says the verse of Hajj was revealed in the 9th year of the Hijrah (or the early part of the 10th), and according to them, the Prophet PBUH went as soon as Allah revealed the obligation for Hajj.
This controversy lingers onto the four madhahib. Must you go for Hajj as soon as you are financially capable? Or are you allowed to wait for a future year of your life thinking, "Insha'Allah, I will be alive in a few years and I can go then"? This is a classic controversy from the beginning of time, and it goes back to, among other things, when did Allah actually reveal the obligation for Hajj. Ibn al-Qayyim and many scholars follow the opinion that it is not allowed to delay the Hajj once you have the means to do so. They also then say the ayah of Hajj came down in the beginning of the 10th year. So, according to them, as soon as the ayah came down, the Prophet PBUH went for Hajj in the same year.
However, the fact of the matter is that we don't know for sure when the ayah really came down. Also, historically speaking, the bulk of the Muslim world has not gone for Hajj the same year that they get the means to do so. So insha'Allah, as long as you have a reasonable/legitimate intention that, "Insha'Allah, I am going for Hajj soon," and you don't delay it forever and ever, then insha'Allah, it is permissible to delay, even though it is better not to delay it. Nonetheless, there is an ikhtilaf over when Allah revealed the verse of Hajj. And what is this verse? Surah Ali-Imran verse 97:
فِيهِ آيَاتٌ بَيِّنَاتٌ مَّقَامُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ ۖ وَمَن دَخَلَهُ كَانَ آمِنًا ۗ وَلِلَّهِ عَلَى النَّاسِ حِجُّ الْبَيْتِ مَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيلًا ۚ وَمَن كَفَرَ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ عَنِ الْعَالَمِينَ
3:97. In it are clear signs [such as] the standing place of Abraham. And whoever enters it [i.e., the Haram] shall be safe. And [due] to Allah from the people is a pilgrimage to the House — for whoever is able to find thereto a way. But whoever disbelieves [i.e., refuses] — then indeed, Allah is free from need of the worlds.Some ulama say this ayah came down in the 10th year of the Hijrah, even though it is a part of Surah Ali-Imran. (Note: The bulk of Surah Ali-Imran was revealed at the time of Uhud, i.e., 3 AH.) Jabir RA narrates, "The Prophet PBUH spent 9 years [after Hijrah] not performing Hajj. And then in the 10th year of the Hijrah, he announced he would be going for Hajj, so multitudes of people came to Madinah, all of them wanting to do Hajj with the Prophet PBUH and follow his actions."
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The Farewell Hajj
So from across the lands, people flocked to Madinah, and the city swelled up — tens of thousands of people continued to come. And even along the way throughout the entire journey [from Madinah to Makkah], tens of thousands of people continued to flock. A number of ahadith report that the sahaba said, "As far as the eye could see, we could see flocks of humanity. We looked in front, behind, left, and right, and we could see nothing but man." Never in the seerah did the Prophet PBUH have a larger audience and group of people following him. The Prophet PBUH told them, "Take your rites of Hajj from me." Of course, the Prophet PBUH only did one Hajj, and therefore, all of the fiqh of Hajj comes from this one Hajj. All of the controversies that discuss what the Prophet PBUH did, how he did it, whether it is obligatory, sunnah, etc., they come from one Hajj of the Prophet PBUH.
Ibn Ishaq and others say the Prophet PBUH left for Hajj on the 25th of Dhu al-Qa'dah in the 10th year of the Hijrah. (Of course, he PBUH is going to pass away on the 12th of Rabi' al-Awwal in the 11th year of the Hijrah, so this is just a few months before he passes away.) He prayed Zuhr in the masjid, and he left Madinah on the 25th. And he made his way to Dhu al-Hulayfah right outside Madinah, prayed two rak'at there, and entered the state of ihram.
Ibn Ishaq and others say the Prophet PBUH left for Hajj on the 25th of Dhu al-Qa'dah in the 10th year of the Hijrah. (Of course, he PBUH is going to pass away on the 12th of Rabi' al-Awwal in the 11th year of the Hijrah, so this is just a few months before he passes away.) He prayed Zuhr in the masjid, and he left Madinah on the 25th. And he made his way to Dhu al-Hulayfah right outside Madinah, prayed two rak'at there, and entered the state of ihram.
From the time of the Prophet PBUH, the people called this Hajj "Hajjat al-Wada'." This name was given even in the lifetime of the Prophet PBUH. Where did this name come from? We learn in a hadith in Sahih Muslim that Ibn Umar says, "The Prophet PBUH stood on the Yawm al-Nahr (يوم النحر - Day of Sacrifice) (i.e., the 10th of Dhu al-Hijjah), and he said, 'This is the Day of the Hajj al-Akbar (حج الأكبر - Big Hajj),' and he kept on saying, 'O Allah, bear witness,' and he was bidding farewell/saying goodbye to the people. So the people began calling this Hajj the Farewell Hajj." So the term comes from the seerah, sunnah, and the actions of the sahaba while the Prophet PBUH was still alive. And of course, the Prophet PBUH had a premonition — he knew this was the end, and that's why he was bidding farewell to the tens of thousands of people. Ibn Umar says, "We did not understand the implication" — that is, they were calling it the Farewell Hajj, but it didn't click in their minds that the Prophet PBUH was literally bidding farewell, that he PBUH was going to pass away.
By the way, we don't know how many people were there at the Farewell Hajj, so our early scholars just gave a nice round number that 100,000 people were there. But it's worth noting that this is a complete guesstimation. Nonetheless, there is no question this was the largest gathering of sahaba, the bulk of whom we don't even know their names.
By the way, we don't know how many people were there at the Farewell Hajj, so our early scholars just gave a nice round number that 100,000 people were there. But it's worth noting that this is a complete guesstimation. Nonetheless, there is no question this was the largest gathering of sahaba, the bulk of whom we don't even know their names.
As we mentioned, the Prophet PBUH left on the 25th of Dhu al-Qa'dah. And he arrived in Makkah on the 4th of Dhu al-Hijjah. The journey took 10 days exactly — it would take 10 days on average for a large caravan that is going at an average speed. Not too slow, not too fast.
Then our Prophet PBUH camped outside of Makkah because he arrived at night; it was not his sunnah to enter any city at nighttime. It's also for adab for the Ka'bah — he didn't want to visit it in a tired state. He rested, woke up in the morning, prayed Fajr, and then took a ghusl in the state of ihram. This is of course well known with no ikhtilaf that you can take a ghusl in the state of ihram.
He then entered Makkah in the daytime —early morning on a Sunday— and he performed the tawaf — the first three of them quickly, and the rest of the four slowly. And then he announced a change in the plans and said, "If I had known then (at the beginning of my journey) what I know now, I would not have made the intention of combining the Hajj and Umrah, and I would have made the intention of separating the Hajj and Umrah (i.e., would have made the intention to do Tamattu'), and I would not have brought my animals with me." (Note 1: The Prophet PBUH had told Ali RA to bring 100 consecrated camels from Yemen. And in the fiqh of Hajj, when you have consecrated animals with you, you must remain in the state of ihram until those animals are sacrificed and distributed to the poor.) (Note 2: Hajj al-Tamattu' [حج التمتع] means you do Umrah and Hajj separately in one journey, i.e., you do the Umrah first, then get out of ihram, remain in Makkah without ihram until the 8th of Dhu al-Hijjah, re-enter ihram, and then do Hajj.)
He then entered Makkah in the daytime —early morning on a Sunday— and he performed the tawaf — the first three of them quickly, and the rest of the four slowly. And then he announced a change in the plans and said, "If I had known then (at the beginning of my journey) what I know now, I would not have made the intention of combining the Hajj and Umrah, and I would have made the intention of separating the Hajj and Umrah (i.e., would have made the intention to do Tamattu'), and I would not have brought my animals with me." (Note 1: The Prophet PBUH had told Ali RA to bring 100 consecrated camels from Yemen. And in the fiqh of Hajj, when you have consecrated animals with you, you must remain in the state of ihram until those animals are sacrificed and distributed to the poor.) (Note 2: Hajj al-Tamattu' [حج التمتع] means you do Umrah and Hajj separately in one journey, i.e., you do the Umrah first, then get out of ihram, remain in Makkah without ihram until the 8th of Dhu al-Hijjah, re-enter ihram, and then do Hajj.)
So the Prophet PBUH announced to the people, "Everyone who came without animals, get out of your ihram and become halal again." This was unique and new, so some sahaba asked, "Ya Rasulullah, how can we become halal again? Do you expect us to even be intimate with our families?"—getting out of ihram in between Umrah and Hajj was unimaginable for them. And the Prophet PBUH said, "Yes, everything is halal."
Aisha RA narrates, "Therefore, some people made the intention for both Umrah and Hajj together (Qiran), others made the intention only for Umrah (at that time) (i.e., Umrah then Hajj, i.e., Tamattu'), and some people made intention only for Hajj (Ifrad)." This hadith is in Bukhari, and from this, we get the famous fiqh that there are three types of Hajj:
1. Hajj al-Qiran (حج القران) — joining Umrah and Hajj in one journey, with one ihram; you stay in ihram throughout.
2. Hajj al-Ifrad (حج الإفراد) — only doing Hajj.
3. Hajj al-Tamattu' (حج التمتع) — separating Umrah from Hajj (Umrah first, then Hajj), with separate ihram for each, but still in one journey.
All three types are ja'iz (جائز - permissible); there is a controversy as to which one is better, but all three are permissible. Our Prophet PBUH performed Qiran, but he clearly told the sahaba to do Tamattu'. And some of them also did Ifrad.
Aisha RA narrates, "Therefore, some people made the intention for both Umrah and Hajj together (Qiran), others made the intention only for Umrah (at that time) (i.e., Umrah then Hajj, i.e., Tamattu'), and some people made intention only for Hajj (Ifrad)." This hadith is in Bukhari, and from this, we get the famous fiqh that there are three types of Hajj:
1. Hajj al-Qiran (حج القران) — joining Umrah and Hajj in one journey, with one ihram; you stay in ihram throughout.
2. Hajj al-Ifrad (حج الإفراد) — only doing Hajj.
3. Hajj al-Tamattu' (حج التمتع) — separating Umrah from Hajj (Umrah first, then Hajj), with separate ihram for each, but still in one journey.
All three types are ja'iz (جائز - permissible); there is a controversy as to which one is better, but all three are permissible. Our Prophet PBUH performed Qiran, but he clearly told the sahaba to do Tamattu'. And some of them also did Ifrad.
As we said, Ali RA was in Yemen, and the Prophet PBUH had sent word to him, "Bring 100 camels from Yemen and meet me in Makkah for the Hajj." And now he arrives in Makkah with an entourage plus the 100 camels. And he immediately entered into the tent of Fatima RA to greet her since he had not been with her for a long time. Now Ali is in ihram, so obviously, intercourse is not allowed. But then he sees Fatima and she is wearing perfume, and is out of ihram wearing normal clothes, and is beautified with kuhl (كحل - eyeliner) around her eyes. At this, he says, "What are you doing? We are doing Hajj; how can you be dressed like this?" She says, "My father (the Prophet PBUH) told me to get out of ihram." And this is of course news to him; so he marches to the Prophet PBUH and says, "Ya Rasulullah, Fatima is dressed in such-and-such a way and she says you told her to do this." The Prophet PBUH said, "Yes, she has spoken the truth; I commanded them to get out of ihram. And you as well can get out of it. Which intention did you come with?" Now, if Ali came with the intention of only doing Hajj, this is okay, because it can become Tamattu', and he can get out of ihram. But Ali RA said, "Ya Rasulullah, when I came from Yemen, I said, 'Labbayk upon the intention of the Prophet PBUH,'" and that meant Qiran, so he had to stay in ihram. (Side note: And wallahi, this shows us the wisdom of Ali ibn Abi Talib RA. He didn't know which intention the Prophet PBUH came to do Hajj with, so he just basically said, "Whatever the Prophet's PBUH intention is, that is also mine.")
The bulk of the sahaba ended up doing Tamattu', some of them Ifrad (especially those who came later), and a very small few —i.e., those who brought their animals with them— did Qiran, including the Prophet PBUH.
So the Prophet PBUH camped outside of Makkah on Saturday, entered Makkah on Sunday morning, did tawaf Sunday morning, stayed in Makkah on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday —four full days— and on the morning of Thursday, which was the 8th of Dhu al-Hijjah, he prayed Fajr in the Ka'bah, and he then made his way towards Mina (منى). From here, the books of seerah and hadith all mention hundreds of narrations of he did this in Hajj and he did that in Hajj — but that discussion is more befitting in a fiqh class. Every single hadith of fiqh pertaining to Hajj takes place now. We have literally hundreds of books dedicated to this topic. And there is one hadith that is considered to be the mother of all hadiths when it comes to the Hajj of the Prophet PBUH, and that is the hadith of Jabir ibn Abdillah. Why? Because it is the longest — around 3-4 pages long. We will quickly discuss it just to be thorough, but do realize that most of this is fiqh related, so we are not going to unpack it sentence by sentence:
So the Prophet PBUH camped outside of Makkah on Saturday, entered Makkah on Sunday morning, did tawaf Sunday morning, stayed in Makkah on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday —four full days— and on the morning of Thursday, which was the 8th of Dhu al-Hijjah, he prayed Fajr in the Ka'bah, and he then made his way towards Mina (منى). From here, the books of seerah and hadith all mention hundreds of narrations of he did this in Hajj and he did that in Hajj — but that discussion is more befitting in a fiqh class. Every single hadith of fiqh pertaining to Hajj takes place now. We have literally hundreds of books dedicated to this topic. And there is one hadith that is considered to be the mother of all hadiths when it comes to the Hajj of the Prophet PBUH, and that is the hadith of Jabir ibn Abdillah. Why? Because it is the longest — around 3-4 pages long. We will quickly discuss it just to be thorough, but do realize that most of this is fiqh related, so we are not going to unpack it sentence by sentence:
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The Farewell Hajj: The Hadith of Jabir
This is recorded in Sahih Muslim, that it's reported by Ja'far ibn Muhammad (جعفر بن محمد) (the famous Ja'far al-Sadiq from the Ahl al-Bayt) from his father Muhammad, that, "We went to Jabir ibn Abdillah, and he began asking about who all of us were, until it was my turn." (Note 3: So this hadith is narrated from Ja'far ibn Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Husayn ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib, i.e., the great-great-great-grandson of the Prophet PBUH. And of course, for the Twelver Shia, he along with his fathers are all their Imams. From our perspective, they are extremely righteous, but they don't have the [godlike] powers & attributes that other groups give them.) (Note 4: Jabir ibn Abdillah was one of the last sahaba to die. At this point in time, he was a blind old man.)
The narration continues: "When I said I am Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Husayn ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib, he stood up, placed his hand on my head, and he opened up my shirt, and he touched me." Jabir wanted to touch and feel the great-grandson of the Prophet PBUH. "And he then said, 'Ask what you want. You are welcome, my nephew,'" i.e., he is showing respect to the Ahl al-Bayt, and this is a part of Sunni Islam to do this. Eventually, Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Husayn says, "Tell me about the Hajj of the Prophet PBUH."
So this is the great-great-grandson of the Prophet PBUH asking Jabir about the Hajj of the Prophet PBUH, and Jabir begins his long hadith. He pointed out with nine fingers and said, "For nine years, the Prophet PBUH did not perform the Hajj. Then he made an announcement in the 10th year that he was about to perform the Hajj, so large numbers of people came to Madinah, all of them eager to follow the Prophet PBUH and be behind him as he did the Hajj. When we reached Dhu al-Hulayfah, Asma bint Umays gave birth to Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr." (Note 5: Abu Bakr had married Asma, who gave birth to his final son, Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr.) "And she sends a message to the Prophet PBUH to ask, 'What should I do?' The Prophet PBUH said, 'Take a bath, bandage your private parts, put on ihram.'" So from this, we learn that women can enter ihram even though they can't pray or do tawaf while they are bleeding.
The Prophet PBUH prayed at Dhu al-Hulayfah, mounted on al-Qaswa' (his camel) and it stood with him with his back to al-Bayda' (البيداء - one of the valleys). And Jabir says, "As far as I could see in front of me, there was nothing but riders and pedestrians; and to my right, and my left, and behind, the same. And the Prophet PBUH was prominent amongst us (meaning in the middle), and the Quran was still coming down!" Subhan'Allah, this is 70 years afterward and Jabir is reminiscing, and he is saying the Quran was still being revealed at that time (i.e., the Prophet PBUH was still alive), so he himself is getting excited. "And he PBUH was the most knowledgeable of the Quran. And whatever he did, we followed him in all that he did. And when he got on his camel, he said the talbiyah: 'اَلله أَكْبَر ، لَا إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا الله ، لَبَّيْكَ اللَّهُمَّ لَبَّيْكَ ، لَبَّيْكَ لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ لَبَّيْكَ ، إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ وَالنِّعْمَةَ لَكَ وَالْمُلْكَ'. Other people also pronounced other talbiyahs (i.e., they had slight variations as well, and all of them are praise of Allah, as mentioned in the books of sunnah), and the Prophet PBUH did not say anything to them (i.e., it is all fine). And we did not have any intention other than the Hajj." Here Jabir is saying he didn't know the concept of Tamattu', i.e., doing Umrah + Hajj. "When we came with him (PBUH) to the House (Ka'bah), he touched the Black Stone and made seven rounds of tawaf — three of them running and four of them walking. Then he prayed behind the Maqam Ibrahim (مقام إبراهيم), and he recited the verse from the Quran, 'وَٱتَّخِذُوا۟ مِن مَّقَامِ إِبْرَٰهِـۧمَ مُصَلًّى ([You may] take the standing-place of Ibrahim as a site of prayer)' [Quran, 2:125]. And he took the Maqam between him and the Ka'bah. And he recited Surah al-Kafirun and Surah al-Ikhlas in the first and second rak'at. Then he returned once again to the pillar (where the Black Stone is) and he kissed it. He then went out of the gate to al-Safa, and when he reached it, he recited the verse in the Quran, 'إِنَّ ٱلصَّفَا وَٱلْمَرْوَةَ مِن شَعَآئِرِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ فَمَنْ حَجَّ ٱلْبَيْتَ أَوِ ٱعْتَمَرَ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِ أَن يَطَّوَّفَ بِهِمَا ۚ (Indeed, [the hills of] Safa and Marwa are among the signs of Allah. So whoever performs the Hajj or Umrah, let them walk between [the two hills])' [Quran, 2:158]. And he said, 'I shall begin with what Allah began with (i.e., Safa).' And he climbed up al-Safa until he could see the Ka'bah, he turned around, faced the Ka'bah, and said a du'a, 'الله أكبر ، الله أكبر ، الله أكبر ، لا إله إلا الله وحده ، صدق وعده ، ونصر عبده ، وأعز جنده ، وهزم الأحزاب وحده ، لا اله إلا الله ولا نعبد إلا إياه مخلصين له الدين ، ولو كره الكافرون'." (Note 6: In this du'a, the Prophet PBUH says Allah has fulfilled His promise, and He has spoken the truth, and He has aided His servant, and He has destroyed all of the ahzab by Himself. What a perfect thing to say when Makkah is now returned to the Prophet PBUH. Remember, the Prophet PBUH did not have to fight any battle for the Conquest of Makkah. He PBUH took an army, but there was no war. Allah averted the battle. So the Prophet PBUH is now praising Allah for having given him Makkah and fulfilling His promise.)
The Prophet PBUH prayed at Dhu al-Hulayfah, mounted on al-Qaswa' (his camel) and it stood with him with his back to al-Bayda' (البيداء - one of the valleys). And Jabir says, "As far as I could see in front of me, there was nothing but riders and pedestrians; and to my right, and my left, and behind, the same. And the Prophet PBUH was prominent amongst us (meaning in the middle), and the Quran was still coming down!" Subhan'Allah, this is 70 years afterward and Jabir is reminiscing, and he is saying the Quran was still being revealed at that time (i.e., the Prophet PBUH was still alive), so he himself is getting excited. "And he PBUH was the most knowledgeable of the Quran. And whatever he did, we followed him in all that he did. And when he got on his camel, he said the talbiyah: 'اَلله أَكْبَر ، لَا إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا الله ، لَبَّيْكَ اللَّهُمَّ لَبَّيْكَ ، لَبَّيْكَ لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ لَبَّيْكَ ، إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ وَالنِّعْمَةَ لَكَ وَالْمُلْكَ'. Other people also pronounced other talbiyahs (i.e., they had slight variations as well, and all of them are praise of Allah, as mentioned in the books of sunnah), and the Prophet PBUH did not say anything to them (i.e., it is all fine). And we did not have any intention other than the Hajj." Here Jabir is saying he didn't know the concept of Tamattu', i.e., doing Umrah + Hajj. "When we came with him (PBUH) to the House (Ka'bah), he touched the Black Stone and made seven rounds of tawaf — three of them running and four of them walking. Then he prayed behind the Maqam Ibrahim (مقام إبراهيم), and he recited the verse from the Quran, 'وَٱتَّخِذُوا۟ مِن مَّقَامِ إِبْرَٰهِـۧمَ مُصَلًّى ([You may] take the standing-place of Ibrahim as a site of prayer)' [Quran, 2:125]. And he took the Maqam between him and the Ka'bah. And he recited Surah al-Kafirun and Surah al-Ikhlas in the first and second rak'at. Then he returned once again to the pillar (where the Black Stone is) and he kissed it. He then went out of the gate to al-Safa, and when he reached it, he recited the verse in the Quran, 'إِنَّ ٱلصَّفَا وَٱلْمَرْوَةَ مِن شَعَآئِرِ ٱللَّهِ ۖ فَمَنْ حَجَّ ٱلْبَيْتَ أَوِ ٱعْتَمَرَ فَلَا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْهِ أَن يَطَّوَّفَ بِهِمَا ۚ (Indeed, [the hills of] Safa and Marwa are among the signs of Allah. So whoever performs the Hajj or Umrah, let them walk between [the two hills])' [Quran, 2:158]. And he said, 'I shall begin with what Allah began with (i.e., Safa).' And he climbed up al-Safa until he could see the Ka'bah, he turned around, faced the Ka'bah, and said a du'a, 'الله أكبر ، الله أكبر ، الله أكبر ، لا إله إلا الله وحده ، صدق وعده ، ونصر عبده ، وأعز جنده ، وهزم الأحزاب وحده ، لا اله إلا الله ولا نعبد إلا إياه مخلصين له الدين ، ولو كره الكافرون'." (Note 6: In this du'a, the Prophet PBUH says Allah has fulfilled His promise, and He has spoken the truth, and He has aided His servant, and He has destroyed all of the ahzab by Himself. What a perfect thing to say when Makkah is now returned to the Prophet PBUH. Remember, the Prophet PBUH did not have to fight any battle for the Conquest of Makkah. He PBUH took an army, but there was no war. Allah averted the battle. So the Prophet PBUH is now praising Allah for having given him Makkah and fulfilling His promise.)
The Prophet PBUH stood a long time making du'a, repeated these words three times, and then he descended and walked towards Marwa, and when his feet came to the bottom of the valley, he ran. (Note 7: In our times, we run between the green lights. In the Prophet's PBUH time, it was still two mountains which you literally go under.)
"He did the same at Marwa. Then when he finished, he said, 'If I knew then what I know now, I would not have brought my sacrificial animals, and would only have performed Umrah now. Whoever amongst you does not have his animals should only perform an Umrah and get out of the ihram (i.e., do Tamattu').'" Jabir says, at this, Suraqa ibn Malik stood up. (Note 8: This is that same Suraqa who the Prophet PBUH met during the Hijrah. Now he has come to Makkah just to do Hajj.) Suraqa said, "Ya Rasulullah, is this rule only for this year? Or is it for every year?" The Prophet PBUH intertwined the fingers of his hands and said, "Hajj and Umrah has been combined together until the Day of Judgment," meaning this new law of being able to do Umrah and Hajj in one journey while getting out of ihram (Tamattu'), is until the Day of Judgment.
Ali RA came back from Yemen with the hadi of the Prophet PBUH and found Fatima RA to be there amongst those who had taken the ihram off (as we mentioned). She was wearing colorful clothing and had applied kuhl. Ali RA became confused, so she told him, "My father told me to do so."
Jabir said, "The total number of animals brought by Ali from Yemen was 100." This is a massive amount of wealth which the Prophet PBUH had purchased from the people of Yemen.
On Yawm al-Tarwiyah (يوم التروية - the Day of Quenching Thirst) (i.e., the 8th of Dhu al-Hijjah), the rest of the sahaba clipped their nails, entered into the state of ihram, and went to Mina. The Prophet PBUH led the way and prayed in Mina: Zuhr and Asr, Maghrib and Isha, and then Fajr. (So the Prophet PBUH is telling us what to do in Mina.)
Jabir continues: "The Prophet PBUH then waited until the sun rose a little..."—this is the 9th of Dhu al-Hijjah now—"...and commanded that a tent be pitched for him at Namirah (نمرة)." (Note 9: Namirah is the land right outside Arafah [عرفة]; it's the one stop before Arafah.) "The Prophet PBUH then set out (towards Namirah), and the Quraysh did not doubt that he would stop at al-Mash'ar al-Haram (المشعر الحرام - the Sacred Site)."
(Note 10: What is the Sacred Site? One needs to understand the Quraysh's rituals of hajj in the time of Jahiliyyah. Muzdalifah [مزدلفة] and Mina are inside the Haram area of Makkah. That is where all the rules apply: You cannot hunt animals, pluck trees, carry weapons, etc. That is the Haram area defined by the Sunnah and seerah. Now, Mina and Muzdalifah are both inside this area; as for Arafah, it is holy, but it's not inside the Haram. Arafah is holy for the Hajj, but it's not inside the Haram area. So the Quraysh invented a new doctrine; they said, "We are the people of the Haram, how can we leave the Haram in hajj and stand at Arafat? That's for the rest of you guys. We will stay at the very boundary of the Haram, which is Muzdalifah, at a place called al-Mash'ar al-Haram (which is a particular mountain)." So they reinvented the rules of hajj to make it elitist for themselves. So the Quraysh would not stand at Arafah, believe it or not. They would not go to the pillar of hajj, thinking they were too holy to leave the Haram. So when the Prophet PBUH said, "Set my tent at Namirah," the Quraysh who were new Muslims assumed, "Okay, he will stick with our tradition," because Namirah is right outside Arafah; it's not inside. So they thought he would stop at al-Mash'ar al-Haram.)
The Prophet PBUH however passed on that point, he continued going until he came to Arafah and he camped at Namirah. (Note 11: In our times, there is literally a line in the masjid of Arafah, called Masjid Namirah, signifying where Arafah begins. And the Prophet PBUH camped a stone's-throw away from the line, i.e., right outside the Plains of Arafah.) "Then he got down until the sun had passed the meridian (i.e., when zawal [زوال - noon] begins), and as soon as the zawal begins, then he commanded, 'Bring my camel to me,' and he continued going inside Arafah." In other words, the Prophet PBUH waited until right at the beginning of Zuhr, and then he entered Arafah. He literally camped waiting for the millisecond after Zuhr began, then he entered Arafah, which was new for the Quraysh. "And he made his way to Batn al-Wadi (بطن الوادي)..."—this is the Valley of Aranah (وادي عرنة) which is there inside of Arafat—"...and he addressed the people over there"—so he gave them a khutbah over there. (Note 12: By the way, there is a common misconception in our time that the Prophet PBUH gave only one 'final' khutbah; but in reality, he gave at least three khutbahs: He gave a khutbah on the Day of Arafah [i.e., right now] [and this was the most important as it established the Sunnah that every year the imam/khatib gives a khutbah on Arafah], he also gave khutbahs in Mina as well on the 10th and 11th [and maybe even on the 12th]. Of course, there were 100,000+ people, and he had multiple opportunities to speak to the masses, so he took advantage of conveying different information in each khutbah.)
"Then the Prophet PBUH asked Bilal to make the iqama (إقامة), and he PBUH led the people in Zuhr and Asr, and he did not pray anything in between." As we know, in Hajj, when you get to Arafah, you pray Zuhr and Asr together: two and two. "Then the Prophet PBUH, after giving the khutbah, mounted his camel again, and made his way to where the rocks are." That is, the place we now call Jabal al-Rahma (جبل الرحمة). So from the masjid (which of course wasn't there, and was built afterward), he gives the khutbah, and then goes to what is now Jabal al-Rahma. And in all likelihood, he did not climb the mountain; and even if he climbed it, he only climbed a little. No narration says he climbed to the top. In any case, what he said there was, "I happen to stand here, but all of Arafah is a place of standing." So he is literally saying, "There is nothing special about coming to Jabal al-Rahma." (Note 13: That's something very important to know, because a lot of people in our time go to extreme lengths to go to Jabal al-Rahma when there is no need to do that. Anywhere in Arafah is the same. And the Prophet PBUH said the same in Mina, by the way, that, "I happen to camp here, but all of Mina is a camping ground." And the same in Muzdalifah, "I spent the night here [at this particular spot], but all of Muzdalifah is a spending night ground." Wallahi, this shows us the fiqh of the Prophet PBUH and his care and concern: He fully understood that people might somehow think, "Only that area." But no, all of Arafah, all of Mina, all of Muzdalifah, is the same.)
Back to the hadith of Jabir: "And he PBUH continued to stand there (at the bottom of Jabal al-Rahma) from [basically] after Zuhr until sunset. And he continued to make du'a." Wallahi, you read this and your mind boggles. Anyone who has been to Hajj knows that it's physically impossible to stand there for more than 20-30 minutes. You need to freshen up, etc. The Prophet PBUH however stood non-stop from the time of Zuhr until Maghrib; he is standing there with his hands raised making du'a upon du'a. Hours go by. And of course, that is the essence of Hajj — as the Prophet PBUH said in a hadith, "[The essence of] Hajj is Arafah."
And Jabir says, "Until the sun had set and the yellow light had disappeared in the sky and the disc of the sun had completely gone below, he then put Usama ibn Zayd (the son of Zayd ibn Harithah the 'adopted son' of the Prophet PBUH) on the camel behind him and he pulled the nose-string of al-Qaswa' (his camel) until it almost touched his saddle." Meaning the Prophet PBUH is holding his camel back. He is not rushing it forward, i.e., he is taking the camel very slowly. "And he continued to go towards Muzdalifah telling the people with his hands to slow down." (Note 14: All of us who have been to Hajj know that this is the most chaotic time. Our Prophet PBUH, even though no one was going to block him, he wanted to set the example for us —Subhan'Allah— he wanted to show us, so he told the people with his hands, 'Slow down,' 'No need to hurry,' 'You will get there.') "And he proceeded this way until he reached Muzdalifah. Someone asked him, 'Ya Rasulullah, al-salah?! (i.e., what about Maghrib?)' And he PBUH pointed forward and said, 'The salah is in front of you,'" meaning they will pray Maghrib and Isha together in Muzdalifah.
"The Prophet PBUH continued until he reached Muzdalifah, and there he led them in Maghrib and Isha with one adhan and two iqamas." Again, it's shortened: three rak'at for Maghrib, and two for Isha. "The Prophet PBUH then laid down and rested, until he offered the dawn prayer. He then made du'a in Muzdalifah until the sun had become bright." (Note 15: This is a sunnah, to stay in Muzdalifah and make du'a.) "And then he made his way to al-Mash'ar al-Haram, faced the qibla, and supplicated to Allah and glorified Him. He then hastened before the sun rose up to go to Mina, and followed the middle road which comes out at Jamrah al-Kubra (الجمرة الكبرى - the Great Jamrah), and there he threw his seven pebbles, saying 'اَلله أَكْبَر' with each of these pebbles, and he threw from the bottom of the valley." (Note 16: The Prophet PBUH threw from the bottom of the valley, but we can throw from anywhere.) "Then he went to the place of sacrifice and sacrificed 63 camels with his own hands." 63 out of the 100 that Ali RA had brought him. Jabir's report does not mention this, but it's reported in another hadith that when the Prophet PBUH took the knife, the 100 camels were rushing and racing to see who would be the first to be slaughtered by the hands of the Prophet PBUH. "He then gave the remaining to Ali to slaughter (37)." So the Prophet PBUH slaughtered one camel for every year of his life (he is 63 years old now).
"He then commanded that a piece of flesh be taken from each of those animals, put them in a pot to cook, and when it was cooked, he took some meat out, he ate, and he drank a bit of its soup." This is a sunnah that we all do — the meat of the udhiyah (أضحية - sacrificed animal) is halal for us, so we can eat a bit ourselves; and then we should distribute it to the poor and fuqara (فقراء - the needy).
"The Prophet PBUH continued until he reached Muzdalifah, and there he led them in Maghrib and Isha with one adhan and two iqamas." Again, it's shortened: three rak'at for Maghrib, and two for Isha. "The Prophet PBUH then laid down and rested, until he offered the dawn prayer. He then made du'a in Muzdalifah until the sun had become bright." (Note 15: This is a sunnah, to stay in Muzdalifah and make du'a.) "And then he made his way to al-Mash'ar al-Haram, faced the qibla, and supplicated to Allah and glorified Him. He then hastened before the sun rose up to go to Mina, and followed the middle road which comes out at Jamrah al-Kubra (الجمرة الكبرى - the Great Jamrah), and there he threw his seven pebbles, saying 'اَلله أَكْبَر' with each of these pebbles, and he threw from the bottom of the valley." (Note 16: The Prophet PBUH threw from the bottom of the valley, but we can throw from anywhere.) "Then he went to the place of sacrifice and sacrificed 63 camels with his own hands." 63 out of the 100 that Ali RA had brought him. Jabir's report does not mention this, but it's reported in another hadith that when the Prophet PBUH took the knife, the 100 camels were rushing and racing to see who would be the first to be slaughtered by the hands of the Prophet PBUH. "He then gave the remaining to Ali to slaughter (37)." So the Prophet PBUH slaughtered one camel for every year of his life (he is 63 years old now).
"He then commanded that a piece of flesh be taken from each of those animals, put them in a pot to cook, and when it was cooked, he took some meat out, he ate, and he drank a bit of its soup." This is a sunnah that we all do — the meat of the udhiyah (أضحية - sacrificed animal) is halal for us, so we can eat a bit ourselves; and then we should distribute it to the poor and fuqara (فقراء - the needy).
"Then the Prophet PBUH rode again, and he went to the Ka'bah and prayed the Zuhr prayer in the Haram. He then went to the Banu Abdul Muttalib who were in charge of taking the zamzam water out, and he asked them, 'Draw water out, O Banu Abdul Muttalib. And were it not for the fact that the people would take this right away [from you] if I were to do it, I would have helped along with you.'" Meaning what? It's amazing that the Prophet PBUH understood that if he were to draw water, everybody would try to draw water too because it would then become a sunnah and people are so eager to follow him. So in order to save the ummah that, he did not do it. Rather, he drank from the water they gave him — they handed him a cup, and he drank from the water.
This is the long hadith of Jabir ibn Abdillah. And as we said, there are hundreds of ahadith about the Hajj of the Prophet PBUH, each one of which gives primarily fiqh rulings. But we are not really that concerned in this seerah class about those fiqh rulings. Most important for us for this seerah episode is the khutbahs of our Prophet PBUH:
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The Farewell Sermon
As we said, the Prophet PBUH gave multiple khutbahs, one in Arafat and 2-3 in Mina.
On the Day of Arafah of that year, it happened to be a Friday. And the Prophet PBUH said, "This is the day of al-Hajj al-Akbar (الحج الأكبر - the Great Hajj)." (Note 17: This is where the misconception comes that some people say, "If the Day of Arafah falls on a Friday, it becomes al-Hajj al-Akbar, and you will get 70 times more ajr than a normal Hajj." But this is not true. Al-Hajj al-Akbar simply means the 9th of Dhu al-Hijjah, and every Hajj that we go to is al-Hajj al-Akbar. If there is anything called al-hajj al-asghar [الحج الأصغر - the small hajj], it is Umrah. No doubt, if Arafah does fall on a Friday, there is some extra blessings, as Friday is blessed, and the Day of Arafah is blessed in itself, so نور على نور [light upon light], and we thank Allah for that; but if it doesn't, the Hajj is no lesser of a Hajj. Every single Hajj is al-Hajj al-Akbar, and in particular the 9th of Dhu al-Hijjah is the day of al-Hajj al-Akbar.)
And it was at this moment when the Prophet PBUH was standing on the Plains of Arafah that Allah revealed wahy to him. It came down on this auspicious occasion. What was revealed is the famous verse in the Quran:
It's worth mentioning that this wasn't the last verse revealed, but it was one of the last verses — and what a beautiful verse. (Side note 18: Some years later, a Jew came to Umar RA and said, "O Amir al-Mu'minin, you have a verse in your Quran which if we had its equivalent, we would have taken that day as the day of eid [عيد - celebration]." Umar RA said, "What verse?" And the Jew recited verse [5:3] to him. Umar said, "I know exactly when this verse was revealed: The Prophet PBUH was standing on the Plains of Arafah on the day of al-Hajj al-Akbar and Allah revealed this verse"—so it's already a day of celebration for us.)
Wallahi, what a fitting ayah to come down, when Islam is at its glorious peak, when 100,000+ people are doing Hajj, when the entire Arabian Peninsula is upon Islam, when there isn't a single idol that is being worshiped in the entire peninsula, and when all of the Arabs have embraced Islam.
الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِينًا
5:3. ...This day, I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion...It's worth mentioning that this wasn't the last verse revealed, but it was one of the last verses — and what a beautiful verse. (Side note 18: Some years later, a Jew came to Umar RA and said, "O Amir al-Mu'minin, you have a verse in your Quran which if we had its equivalent, we would have taken that day as the day of eid [عيد - celebration]." Umar RA said, "What verse?" And the Jew recited verse [5:3] to him. Umar said, "I know exactly when this verse was revealed: The Prophet PBUH was standing on the Plains of Arafah on the day of al-Hajj al-Akbar and Allah revealed this verse"—so it's already a day of celebration for us.)
Wallahi, what a fitting ayah to come down, when Islam is at its glorious peak, when 100,000+ people are doing Hajj, when the entire Arabian Peninsula is upon Islam, when there isn't a single idol that is being worshiped in the entire peninsula, and when all of the Arabs have embraced Islam.
So this verse came down, and it was here the Prophet PBUH stood up (or some said he was on his camel, or some said he stood on his camel) and he gave a sermon and told al-Abbas and Ali to quieten the crowd, and he told Abbas to repeat after him. And in a version in the Sunan of Abu Dawud, it's said that one of the sahaba said, "We listened to the Prophet's PBUH khutbah and we could hear it even from our tents." So what appears to be the case is that somehow the voice of the Prophet PBUH was amplified, i.e., it was a miracle.
This is the important khutbah of Arafah. The Prophet PBUH said:
"O people, listen to me, for I know not whether I shall meet you again after this year."
— So he clearly had a premonition that he would die soon.
"Your blood and your money are haram for you (meaning you cannot kill each other or steal each other's money) just like this day has its sanctity, and this month has its sanctity, and this land has its sanctity."
"O people, listen to me, for I know not whether I shall meet you again after this year."
— So he clearly had a premonition that he would die soon.
"Your blood and your money are haram for you (meaning you cannot kill each other or steal each other's money) just like this day has its sanctity, and this month has its sanctity, and this land has its sanctity."
— Here, he PBUH abolished the law of the jungle which was rampant in Arabia. The 'survival of the fittest' is gone — nobody can steal, rape, or plunder other people anymore. As we have said many times, the Arabs —all of them— despite their paganism, upheld the sanctity of the Haram. They respected the Haram, the Ka'bah, the hajj, and Dhu al-Hijjah — no blood was ever shed in this month. So the Prophet PBUH is saying, "You understand how sacred this land is and how blessed this day is; each one of your lives and properties are just as sacred."
"Verily, everything from the time of Jahiliyyah, it is under my foot."
— Meaning everything from the time of Jahiliyyah is now gone and obliterated forever. Everything. Cultural ways, rituals, idol worship, etc. This is such a comprehensive and powerful statement. All of Jahiliyyah is now gone; Islam has come with something new.
"All of the blood feuds from the days of Jahiliyyah are gone."
— All of the tribal warfare is gone — and this too was rampant in Arabia. Every single tribe had a long list of enemies and a long list of allies written in blood. Every tribe had its feuds and grievances — this was what was preventing the tribes from uniting. But what did our Prophet PBUH say? "All of these feuds are gone; obliterated."
"The first blood money that I obliterate is the blood money from my own family, the son of Rabi'ah ibn al-Harith ibn Abdul Muttalib (ربيعة بن الحارث بن عبد المطلب)."
— All of the tribal warfare is gone — and this too was rampant in Arabia. Every single tribe had a long list of enemies and a long list of allies written in blood. Every tribe had its feuds and grievances — this was what was preventing the tribes from uniting. But what did our Prophet PBUH say? "All of these feuds are gone; obliterated."
"The first blood money that I obliterate is the blood money from my own family, the son of Rabi'ah ibn al-Harith ibn Abdul Muttalib (ربيعة بن الحارث بن عبد المطلب)."
— Al-Harith is the uncle of the Prophet PBUH, and Rabi'ah is his cousin. Brief story: One of the sons of Rabi'ah was killed in a war between two tribes, the Banu Sa'd and the Hudhayl (هذيل). The boy was being raised by the Banu Sa'd (just like the Prophet PBUH), and he was caught in the battle and killed by the tribe of Hudhayl. So the Quraysh had a long feud against the Hudhayl because of this; they wanted blood money (100 camels) which hadn't been paid, and they were willing to go to war. So this is something owed *to* the Quraysh — yet what did the Prophet PBUH say? "The first blood money that I obliterate is my own family's." He is being the role model here.
"Verily, the riba (ربا - interest/usury) from the days of Jahiliyyah is under my foot, abolished. And the first riba that I abolish is that of my uncle al-Abbas ibn Abdul Muttalib."
— Abbas was a wealthy man, well known for giving out loans with riba. When Islam prohibited riba, he was still owed substantial interest from loans given before the prohibition. Yet, the Prophet PBUH declared, "The first money that I obliterate from riba is the money of my uncle Abbas," meaning you pay him back what he loaned out, not a penny more. Subhan'Allah. This is leading by example. His family would have benefited from the blood money and the riba, but he abolished it. He PBUH is showing the people that he is serious about this.
"And fear Allah with regards to women and their rights, for you have taken them with the protection of Allah, and made them permissible with the name of Allah SWT."
— In a society where women had no rights whatsoever —and this is very important to note— there was no reason for Islam to come and talk about women; there was no reason for our Prophet PBUH to mention women in the Farewell Pilgrimage on the Day of Arafah in the most important khutbah he ever gave in his life — yet he did. He has a paragraph about women. Why? Because no society can flourish if its women are mistreated. No ummah can rise if its women are not treated with dignity and respect. So he said fear Allah with regards to our women, because Allah has given us the women, i.e., the nikah contract happens in His name, so they are with us under Allah's protection — and nobody is watching us other than Allah, so fear Allah with regards to them.
"And your right upon them is that they do not allow anyone to step on your bed for that you would hate."
— Meaning the women have to be faithful and loyal to their husbands.
"And if they do something (meaning disobey you), you have the right to discipline them in a manner that is not painful."
— This phrase may be problematic for some people of our time, but the fact of the matter is, in the jahili society when it was the norm that men would beat their wives without any question, what did our Prophet PBUH say? "If they do something of a serious consequence, then you may discipline them WITHOUT [inflicting] any pain" — and wallahi, this is groundbreaking. (Note 19: Whether this should be done in our time is a separate discussion beyond the scope of this seerah lesson.)
"And they have a right over you, that you give them their rizq (رزق) and nafaqa (نفقة) (i.e., sustenance and livelihood) in a manner that is suitable to you."
— Meaning the men are obligated to financially care for their women and fulfill all their needs based on what men can afford. The Prophet PBUH emphasizes the importance of family rights in his Farewell Sermon by reminding husbands that their wealth should be spent equitably on their wives and children, according to what they can afford.
"And I have left amongst you something that as long as you hold it, you will never go astray: the Kitabullah (كتاب الله - Book of Allah ﷻ)."
— This was the Khutbat al-Wada' (خطبة الوداع - Farewell Sermon) that was in Arafah (we will get to another one in the next episode). Then he PBUH said:
"You shall soon be asked about me, so what shall you say?" The people replied, "We will testify in front of Allah that you have conveyed the Message, done your duty, and that you were sincere."
And when they said this, the Prophet PBUH raised his hands/fingers to the sky and said three times, "Allahumma fashhad (اللهم فاشهد - O Allah, bear witness [that they have said they have heard me and understood me])." Why? Because Allah says in the Quran:
فَلَنَسْأَلَنَّ الَّذِينَ أُرْسِلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَنَسْأَلَنَّ الْمُرْسَلِينَ
7:6. [On the Day of Judgment,] We will surely question those who received Messengers, and We will question the Messengers [themselves].— Both the Messenger and the people will be asked on the Day of Judgment, so our Prophet PBUH wants his ummah to respond on that Day, that, "O Allah, our Prophet PBUH has done the job."
Other Sermons
On the next day —the Yawm al-Nahr (the 10th of Dhu al-Hijjah)— the Prophet PBUH gave another khutbah and said:
"Verily, time has returned to its rightful place as it was on the day that Allah created the heavens and the earth. A year is 12 months, four of which are sacred: three of them are consecutive: Dhu al-Qa'dah, Dhu al-Hijjah, and Muharram; and the Rajab of Mudar which is between Jumada and Sha'ban."
— As we discussed in episode 32, the Quraysh had a weird custom of changing the months around whenever they wanted. So if they wanted to go to war and it happened to be one of the Sacred Months, they would say, "Let's just swap months" — and literally, they would just swap, for example, Muharram for Safar. Obviously, this will jumble up all the months. But this year in which the Prophet PBUH did Hajj, it just so happened —qaddar'Allah (قدر الله - Allah willed)— that the months were perfectly aligned, i.e., just as how it should be; the order of the months was the same as when Allah created the heavens and the earth. So the Prophet PBUH is basically saying, "Keep the calendar as it is this year. Don't mess the months around anymore."
"Verily, time has returned to its rightful place as it was on the day that Allah created the heavens and the earth. A year is 12 months, four of which are sacred: three of them are consecutive: Dhu al-Qa'dah, Dhu al-Hijjah, and Muharram; and the Rajab of Mudar which is between Jumada and Sha'ban."
— As we discussed in episode 32, the Quraysh had a weird custom of changing the months around whenever they wanted. So if they wanted to go to war and it happened to be one of the Sacred Months, they would say, "Let's just swap months" — and literally, they would just swap, for example, Muharram for Safar. Obviously, this will jumble up all the months. But this year in which the Prophet PBUH did Hajj, it just so happened —qaddar'Allah (قدر الله - Allah willed)— that the months were perfectly aligned, i.e., just as how it should be; the order of the months was the same as when Allah created the heavens and the earth. So the Prophet PBUH is basically saying, "Keep the calendar as it is this year. Don't mess the months around anymore."
Then he PBUH paused and asked, "What month is this?" They said, "Allah and His Messenger know best." He PBUH remained silent until the people thought he might give it another name. Then he said, "Isn't this the month of Dhu al-Hijjah?" They said, "Yes." Then he said, "What city is this?" They said, "Allah and His Messenger know best." He PBUH remained silent until the people thought he might give it another name. Then he said, "Isn't this al-Baldah (البلدة) (i.e., Makkah)?" They said, "Yes." Then he said, "What day is this?" They said, "Allah and His Messenger know best." He PBUH remained silent until the people thought he might give it another name. Then he said, "Isn't this Yawm al-Nahr?" They said, "Yes."[1][2][3]
— The Prophet PBUH is asking them these questions to make them realize how holy Makkah is, how holy Dhu al-Hijjah is, and how holy the Day of Sacrifice is.
Then he said, "Verily, your lives, money, and honor, are haram upon you just as sacred as this month is upon you, this place is upon you, and this day is upon you."
— What is the Prophet PBUH doing in all of this? Subhan'Allah, he is uniting the ummah and making it one. He is saying, "Forget everything; you must all be one ummah under Allah SWT." "Your honor is haram" means do not backbite or slander other people. Do not dishonor others by backbiting or slandering them.
"Woe to you. Do not return to being kuffar, killing one another."
— He is saying, "Those were such ridiculous, pagan, evil ways — don't go back to that."
"Let the one who is present go and inform the one who is absent (meaning go and tell people about this khutbah); for those who are absent might understand (what I have said) better than the present audience."
Then he said, "Verily, your lives, money, and honor, are haram upon you just as sacred as this month is upon you, this place is upon you, and this day is upon you."
— What is the Prophet PBUH doing in all of this? Subhan'Allah, he is uniting the ummah and making it one. He is saying, "Forget everything; you must all be one ummah under Allah SWT." "Your honor is haram" means do not backbite or slander other people. Do not dishonor others by backbiting or slandering them.
"Woe to you. Do not return to being kuffar, killing one another."
— He is saying, "Those were such ridiculous, pagan, evil ways — don't go back to that."
"Let the one who is present go and inform the one who is absent (meaning go and tell people about this khutbah); for those who are absent might understand (what I have said) better than the present audience."
In one version in Tirmidhi, the Prophet PBUH said, "Shaytan has given up hope of being worshiped in this peninsula/land..."—Arabia will not return to idolatry until the days of Dajjal—"...BUT he is hopeful in you obeying him in matters that you consider trivial." And in another version, he PBUH said, "What he (shaytan) is hoping for is to rile you up so that you fight one another," i.e., disunity.
— This is where shaytan is optimistic: He won't trick the Muslims into worshiping idols anymore; the ummah as a whole will not return to that; but he will make us fight one another.
"The Muslim (مسلم) is the one from whose hands and tongue other Muslims are safe from. And the Mu'min (مؤمن) is the one whom the people trust with their money and property. And the muhajir (مهاجر) is the one who has left the sins. And the mujahid (مجاهد) is the one who is striving in the Path of Allah SWT."
"The Muslim (مسلم) is the one from whose hands and tongue other Muslims are safe from. And the Mu'min (مؤمن) is the one whom the people trust with their money and property. And the muhajir (مهاجر) is the one who has left the sins. And the mujahid (مجاهد) is the one who is striving in the Path of Allah SWT."
— All of these are different ahadith, by the way.
In Tirmidhi, the Prophet PBUH said, "Fear Allah, pray your 5 prayers, fast your month of Ramadan, give your zakat, and obey your rulers, and you shall enter the Jannah of your Lord."
— Meaning concentrate on the arkan (أركان - pillars) of Islam. Be good Muslims; you will enter Jannah. This is the famous hadith that we quote all the time; it was originally said in Hajjat al-Wada'.
In the Musnad of Imam Ahmad, in the famous authentic hadith as well which all of us have heard since we were children, the Prophet PBUH said, "O people, your Lord is one, and your father Adam is one. There is no superiority of an Arab over a non-Arab, nor a non-Arab over an Arab, and neither white skin over black skin, nor black skin over white skin, except by taqwa."
In Tirmidhi, the Prophet PBUH said, "Fear Allah, pray your 5 prayers, fast your month of Ramadan, give your zakat, and obey your rulers, and you shall enter the Jannah of your Lord."
— Meaning concentrate on the arkan (أركان - pillars) of Islam. Be good Muslims; you will enter Jannah. This is the famous hadith that we quote all the time; it was originally said in Hajjat al-Wada'.
In the Musnad of Imam Ahmad, in the famous authentic hadith as well which all of us have heard since we were children, the Prophet PBUH said, "O people, your Lord is one, and your father Adam is one. There is no superiority of an Arab over a non-Arab, nor a non-Arab over an Arab, and neither white skin over black skin, nor black skin over white skin, except by taqwa."
— This is completely revolutionary, especially in the 7th century. No philosopher, thinker, or intellectual leader in the history of humanity up until that time had ever said, "All humans are equal." Nobody. Every society thought, "We are better." Whether it was race, whether it was ethnicity, they always thought, "We are better." The first person to contradict this was the Prophet PBUH. Clearly, this is from the Divine — because this is not something the son of Abdul Muttalib would want to say if he simply wanted to 'take advantage of the people' as the Islamophobes claim. He PBUH had the most noble lineage amongst all of the Arabs and could have taken advantage of it if he wanted to; yet he is the one who is saying, "It doesn't matter whether you are Arab or not, white or black, it's all irrelevant — except by taqwa."
— Footnote: Do realize that the big poster about Hajjat al-Wada' that we usually see, it is a conglomeration of all of these different khutbahs. The fact of the matter is the Prophet PBUH gave a khutbah in Arafah, on the 10th, 11th, and 12th, and all of them put together, we get that big poster. There is nothing wrong with that, but do realize that poster is not one khutbah; it's a mixture of all of them.
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Returning to Madinah
We conclude: The Prophet PBUH spent three nights in Mina. Typically, we spend two and leave on the 12th — but the Prophet PBUH spent three and left on the 13th. At night, he went to perform Tawaf al-Wada' (طواف الوداع - Farewell Tawaf), and he then returned on his journey to Madinah.
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The Eagerness of Aisha RA
Aisha RA narrates that when the Muslims first arrived in Makkah (4th of Dhu al-Hijjah), the Prophet PBUH entered in her tent and she was crying. The Prophet PBUH asked, "What is the matter? Have you started your menses?" And indeed, she was crying because her menses had begun when she was literally right outside of Makkah. (Note 20: So for the sisters who get their menses during the blessed times [e.g., last 10 days of Ramadan, Umrah, Hajj], take solace in knowing that Aisha RA also experienced this.) The Prophet PBUH said, "Don't worry, this is something that Allah has written/ordained for all of the daughters of Adam. Do everything the hujjaj do, except for tawaf."
And before the 13th (we don't know exactly when), she finished her menses. So on the 13th, after she did the tawaf of Ifadah (الإفاضة) after her Hajj, as the Muslims were going to go back to Madinah, she asked, "Ya Rasulullah, are all of your wives going to go back having performed an Umrah and a Hajj and I only have Hajj?" The Prophet PBUH said, "Ya Aisha, it's sufficient." But she insisted, "Your wives will have double and I will have one? No." So the Prophet PBUH then told her brother Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr (عبد الرحمن بن أبي بكر) to take her to Tan'im —the closest place to Makkah outside of its Haram (it's the smallest distance from the Ka'bah to the circle of the Haram)— put her in ihram, and let her do Umrah. (Note 21: Abd al-Rahman himself however did not do Umrah with her. And from this and more, we infer that it's permissible but not particularly encouraged to do multiple Umrahs in one journey.)
Then they met up with the Prophet PBUH who was already on his way back to Madinah, and made their way back to the city.
Then they met up with the Prophet PBUH who was already on his way back to Madinah, and made their way back to the city.
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Another Sunni-Shia Controversy: The Sermon of Ghadir Khumm
We will discuss one final incident for today, which is a very big source of controversy between the Sunni and Shia schools of thought. For the Shia, this story becomes the basis of Ali RA becoming the first khalifa; but for us, the story is so innocent that Ibn Hisham and others mention it almost in passing. This story is in the books of hadith, and it's well known. (Note 22: There is a charge that some claim we Sunnis hide the blessings of Ali RA. But no, wallahi, we Sunnis do not change history. We say Ali RA was one of the best of the sahaba, and his blessings were countless, and he was the son-in-law and cousin of the Prophet PBUH, he was an Ahl al-Bayt, and his blessings go on and on. But we say Abu Bakr and Umar and Uthman radiAllahu-anhum were also blessed. And Abu Bakr deserved to be the khalifa before him — there's no doubt. Ali RA was deserving of it at a later time. We don't compete between the sahaba. Ali RA deserved to be the khalifa, and he became it when it was his time.)
In any case, what is this incident? It is the Incident of Ghadir Khumm (غدير خم - Pond of Khumm) which occurred the next day outside of Makkah — and it's an innocent story from the Sunni perspective. What happened? Recall Ali RA came from Yemen to do Hajj. And as he was coming, he obviously had his people with him. And he had the wealth of Yemen (the zakat and sadaqa) along with the 100 camels for the Prophet PBUH. He arrived in Makkah, he was very excited and so he rushed to meet the Prophet PBUH and left someone else in charge of the entourage. That person decided to distribute new clothes to the entire entourage from the treasury, i.e., the sadaqa of the people of Yemen. And this, of course, is not allowed. So when Ali RA came back, he was incensed: He told them to take the clothes off and put them back. How would they feel? Not too happy. And so as soon as they got the opportunity, right after Hajj, they complained to the Prophet PBUH. So the Prophet PBUH then gave that paragraph which is known as the Sermon of Ghadir Khumm:
He PBUH said, "Whoever is the mawla (مولى) of Ali, I am the mawla of Ali. And Ali is to me like Harun and Musa were." So he PBUH praised Ali RA in a very high manner — and there is no denying this. And he rebuked those people for criticizing Ali RA — and they deserved to be rebuked. Who are they to take the garments out of the treasury? That is not their right.
In any case, what is this incident? It is the Incident of Ghadir Khumm (غدير خم - Pond of Khumm) which occurred the next day outside of Makkah — and it's an innocent story from the Sunni perspective. What happened? Recall Ali RA came from Yemen to do Hajj. And as he was coming, he obviously had his people with him. And he had the wealth of Yemen (the zakat and sadaqa) along with the 100 camels for the Prophet PBUH. He arrived in Makkah, he was very excited and so he rushed to meet the Prophet PBUH and left someone else in charge of the entourage. That person decided to distribute new clothes to the entire entourage from the treasury, i.e., the sadaqa of the people of Yemen. And this, of course, is not allowed. So when Ali RA came back, he was incensed: He told them to take the clothes off and put them back. How would they feel? Not too happy. And so as soon as they got the opportunity, right after Hajj, they complained to the Prophet PBUH. So the Prophet PBUH then gave that paragraph which is known as the Sermon of Ghadir Khumm:
He PBUH said, "Whoever is the mawla (مولى) of Ali, I am the mawla of Ali. And Ali is to me like Harun and Musa were." So he PBUH praised Ali RA in a very high manner — and there is no denying this. And he rebuked those people for criticizing Ali RA — and they deserved to be rebuked. Who are they to take the garments out of the treasury? That is not their right.
The Prophet PBUH said: Ali RA is indeed the mawla, and Allah loves him, so, "Stop complaining to me about Ali." And he PBUH also said, "I leave behind two things: (i) As for the first of them, hold onto it — it is the Book of Allah; (ii) As for the second, fear Allah with regards to my family, fear Allah with regards to my family." Notice the Prophet PBUH didn't say, "Hold onto my family" — rather, he said, "Fear Allah with regards to them," meaning, "Make sure you treat them well."
The context is crystal clear. And that is why —a simple point— when the Prophet PBUH passed away four months later and the sahaba were gathered together, none of them —including the supporters of Ali— mentioned the Sermon of Ghadir Khumm. It wasn't even in their minds that the sermon was about who would be the khalifa. It was simply in the context of what was going on; we don't read in the politics as the Shias do.
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Points of Benefit From the Farewell Sermons of the Prophet PBUH
Of the main benefits of the Farewell Sermons of the Prophet PBUH:
1. Obliterating all of the customs and ways of Jahiliyyah — beginning with his own family to demonstrate the reality of what he is preaching.
— This is a new beginning for the ummah. All old laws are gone and the new laws of Islam are now in place.
2. The Prophet PBUH stressed the rights of Muslims amongst each other — strengthening the ties of the ummah.
2. The Prophet PBUH stressed the rights of Muslims amongst each other — strengthening the ties of the ummah.
— This is of paramount importance. Indeed, if the ummah was not united, the Persian Empire would not have been conquered in a few years, and the Roman Empire would not have been carved into half.
3. Obliterating jahili tribalism and jahili racism.
3. Obliterating jahili tribalism and jahili racism.
— These are the two main things that divide the ummah to this day. We don't have tribes anymore, but unfortunately, now we divide ourselves based on nation-state and skin color.
4. Emphasized the rights of women.
5. Most importantly, the Prophet PBUH left us with the primary source of law —the Book of Allah SWT— and told us to hold firm to it.
4. Emphasized the rights of women.
5. Most importantly, the Prophet PBUH left us with the primary source of law —the Book of Allah SWT— and told us to hold firm to it.
[Transcribed by Br. Safwan Khan & Faizan]
safwan-khan@hotmail.com
[Revised by Br. Syed Haq & MAR, March 2022]
[Revised by Br. Syed Haq & MAR, March 2022]
