Farewell Pilgrimage of the Messenger of Allah

As narrated by the Sahaabee, Jaabir Ibn 'Abdullah. When Jaabir ibn 'Abdullaah died in Madinah at the age of ninety, he was the last living companion of the Prophet. Some time before his death, Muhammad ibn 'Ali, the grandson of Husain went to see him along with a few of his companions. Muhammad ibn 'Ali said that when he disclosed his identity to Jaabir, the latter was very delighted. Jaabir wished Allah's blessings on him and welcomed him to his place, and then invited him to ask what he had come to ask.

Muhammad reported that when he began asking questions, the time for prayer approached, Jaabir then put on a short cloak of his and stood up for the prayer. The cloak was so short that it would slip down over and over again, but he completed the prayer in it, though he had a larger one lying on a clothing rack nearby. 

After the prayer, Muhammad asked him to narrate the complete details of the Farewell Pilgrimage of the Messenger of Allah ( صلى الله عليه وسلم ). Jaabir counted nine on his fingers and said that the Prophet did not go for Hajj during the first nine years of his stay at Madinah.

Then in the tenth year after the Hijrah (migration to Madinah, he publicly announced that he would be going for Hajj that year. People started pouring into Madinah from everywhere in order to accompany the Prophet ( صلى الله عليه وسلم ) to Makkah and learn the correct method of Hajj directly from him. The Hajj caravan moved out from the city headed by the Prophet ( صلى الله عليه وسلم ) and halted at Dhul-Hulayfah for a day or so. During the stay at Dhul-Hulayfah, Asmaa bint 'Umais, a wife of Abu Bakr, gave birth to Muhammad ibn Abu Bakr. Asmaa then asked the Prophet ( صلى الله عليه وسلم ), through a messenger, what she should do. The Prophet ( صلى الله عليه وسلم ) sent a message back to her that she should bathe, put a cloth pad on her private parts and put on Ihram (clothes for Hajj).

After leading the prayer at Dhul- Hulayfah, the Prophet ( صلى الله عليه وسلم ) mounted his camel called Qaswaa, and rode to a nearby elevated plain called Baidaa. When Jaabir looked around in all directions as far as he could see, there were multitudes of people, some riding and some on foot. Jaabir said, "The Messenger of Allah was in our midst, and since he was receiving revelation, we followed him in whatever he did." Here, at Baidaa, the Prophet ( صلى الله عليه وسلم ) recited the following Talbeeyah aloud: لبيك اللهم لبيك لبيك لا شريك لك لبيك إن الحمد والنعمة لك والملك لا شريك لك Labbayk, Allahumma Labbayk! Labbaykaa, Laa shareeka laka labbayk. Innal-hamda wan-ni'mata laka wal-mulk, laa shareeka lak Here I am, O Allah, here I am You have no partner; here I am! You alone deserve all praise and gratitude! To you belong all favors, blessings and Sovereignty and You have no partner. The companions also recited their Talbeeyahs aloud adding a few words, but the Prophet ( صلى الله عليه وسلم ) did not mind the additions, he just went on reciting his own Talbeeyah." Jaabir went on to say: "The main purpose of our journey was to accomplish Hajj and not 'Umrah. So when we reached the House of Allah, the Prophet ( صلى الله عليه وسلم ) kissed the Black Stone and then started walking around the Ka'bah. He completed the first three circuits at a swift pace and the last four at the normal walking pace. Then he came to the place of Abraham (Maqaam Ibraaheem) and recited the following verse: Wattakhidhoo mim-maqaami Ibraaheema musallaa. Dedicate for prayer the place where Abraham stood. (2:125)

He then stood up for prayer with the place of Abraham between him and the Ka'bah and offered two Rak'ahs (units of prayer) in which he recited Qul yaayyuhal-kaafiroon (109) and Qul hu-wAllahu Ahad (112 ). Then he returned to the Black Stone, kissed it and went out through a gate towards Mt. Safaa. When he reached it, he recited:   Innan-Safaa wal-Marwata min sha'aairillaah Indeed Safaa and Marwah are among the signs of Allah. (2:158) Then he said; I begin my Sa'yi from Safaa since Allah mentioned it before Marwah. He then climbed Mt. Safaa till he could clearly see the House of Allah and stood facing it while declaring the Oneness and Greatness of Allah, and saying: Laa ilaaha il-lal-laah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahul-mulk wa lahul-hamd wa huwa 'ala kulli shai'in Qadeer. Laa ilaaha il-lal-laah wahda anjaza wa'dah wa nasara 'abdah, wa hazamal-ahzaaba wahdah. There is no god but Allah, the One who has no partner; Sovereignty and praise are His and He has full power over everything. There is no god but Allah, the One; He has fulfilled His promise (by subduing the whole of Arabia to Islam) helped His servant and defeated the forces of disbelief by Himself.

He recited these words three times with a prayer in between. Then he descended Safaa, walked toward Marwah, and repeated on Marwah the same prayers that he recited on Safaa.

When he came to Marwah for the last time, he addressed his companions from the top, saying: Had I known before what I now know, I would not have brought the sacrificial animals with me and would have converted this Tawaaf and Sa'yi into that of 'Umrah and I would have taken off Ihram after the performance of 'Umrah. However, those of you who have not brought the sacrificial offering along with them may regard this Tawaaf and Sa'yi as that of 'Umrah and take off their Ihram.

Hearing this, Suraaqah ibn Maalik stood up and asked: "O Messenger of Allah! Is this command meant for this year only, or is it for the future as well?" The Prophet intertwined the fingers of his two hands and said: 'Umrah and Hajj have been combined like this not only for this year, but forever! When 'Ali arrived from Yemen with more sacrificial animals for the Prophet ( صلى الله عليه وسلم ) and noticed that his wife Fatimah had set aside her Ihram, put on colored clothes and applied antimony, he expressed his displeasure over this; but she told him that her father, the Prophet ( صلى الله عليه وسلم ), himself, had allowed her to take off Ihram. The Prophet ( صلى الله عليه وسلم ) turned to 'Ali and asked: What was your intention while putting on Ihram? (That is did you have the intention of performing Hajj only, or Hajj and 'Umrah both?) 'Ali replied that he had said, 'O Allah! My intention is the same as your Prophet's.' The Prophet ( صلى الله عليه وسلم ) then said: Since I have brought the sacrificial offering along with me, I cannot take off Ihram, and as your intention was the same as mine, you also cannot. Jaabir continued, "The total number of camels brought by the Prophet ( صلى الله عليه وسلم ) and 'Ali as a sacrificial offering was 100. All the Sahaabah (companions of the Prophet) who had come without sacrificial animals took off their Ihram garments and got their hair trimmed, while those who had brought sacrificial offerings with them remained in Ihram. When the Day of Tarweeyah (i.e. 8th of Dhul-Hijjah) came, the people started moving towards Minaa, and those who had taken off their Ihram of 'Umrah resumed their Ihram for Hajj. The Prophet ( صلى الله عليه وسلم ) rode on his she-camel, Qaswaa, to Minaa where he led all the five prayers from Dhuhr to Fajr. He then waited till sunrise and left for 'Arafah where he ordered a tent pitched at Namirah. The Quraysh were sure that he would halt at Mash'ar al-Haraam as had been the custom among them in the days of ignorance, but the Prophet crossed the limits of Mash'ar al-Haraam entered the bounds of 'Arafah and stayed in the tent that had been pitched for him at Namirah.

When the sun began to incline to the west, he ordered that Qaswaa should be saddled for him, and he rode to the bottom of the valley of 'Uranah where he sat on his camel and addressed the people saying: O People! Shedding of blood and seizing the properties of others in unlawful ways are forbidden to you just as they are forbidden on this day, in this month and in this city. Note well that all customs and practices of the days of ignorance are trampled under my feet; the blood-feuds of the past are abolished, and first of all, I give up our family's claim as regards the son of Rabee'ah ibn al-Haarith ibn 'Abdul-Muttalib, who was being suckled by Banoo Sa'd when he was killed by Banoo Hudhail. Abolished also are all the claims of interest (Ribaa) of the past, and first of all I give up the claims in this respect of my uncle, 'Abbaas ibn 'Abdul-Muttalib.

O People! Fear Allah with regard to the rights of your women; you have married them in Allah's name and they have become lawful to you only by His law. Your special right on them is that they should not entertain anyone whom you dislike in your home; but if they commit an error in this regard, you may punish them lightly. The women's special right on you is that you should clothe and feed them generously according to your means.

O People! If you hold fast to what I am leaving behind for you, and follow its teachings, you will never go astray. It is the Book of Allah. O People! Listen! Each Muslim is a brother to every other Muslim, and all Muslims are brother of one another. Therefore, the property of one is unlawful for the other unless given willingly, so do not be unjust to one another.

On the Day of Resurrection, when you will be asked (about whether I have conveyed fully Allah's message or not), what will you say?

The whole congregation spoke out with one voice: "We bear witness that you have conveyed to us the whole Divine Guidance in the best way possible and given us the best advice." At this the Prophet ( صلى الله عليه وسلم ) raised his forefinger towards the sky and then pointing to the congregation said thrice: O Allah! May You also be a witness! I have conveyed Your Message and Your Commands to Your people, as has been confirmed by them. Then Bilaal called the Adhaan and pronounced the Iqaamah and the Prophet ( صلى الله عليه وسلم ) led the Dhuhr prayer; Bilaal once again pronounced the Iqaamah and the Prophet ( صلى الله عليه وسلم ) led the 'Asr prayer. After performing the Dhuhr and 'Asr prayers together, the Prophet ( صلى الله عليه وسلم ) rode to the plain of ('Arafat) and stopped there. He turned the back of his camel towards the big rock and the front towards the multitude of people who had gathered there. He remained seated on the camel facing the Qiblah till the sunset, and the yellowness of the evening was gone. Then he set off for Muzdalifah with Usaamah ibn Zaid seated behind him on the camel. When we reached Muzdalifah, he led the Maghrib and 'Ishaa prayers together with one Adhaan and two Iqaamahs and nothing else between them. 

After this he lay down for rest till it was dawn. He then led the Fajr prayer with one Adhaan and an Iqaamah, and rode to Mash'ar al-Haraam, where he stood facing the Qiblah and declaring Allah's Greatness, His Oneness and His Glory for quite some time. When the daylight spread, he left for Minaa a little before sunrise with Fadl ibn 'Abbaas behind him on his camel. When he came to the bottom of the Valley of Muhassir, he urged his she-camel to go a bit faster. He then followed the middle path leading to the largest Jamrah, which was near a tree, and he threw seven pebbles at it, saying Allahu Akbar each time he threw. These were small pebbles, which he threw from the valley side. After this he went to the place of sacrifice and slaughtered 63 camels with his own hand. The rest were slaughtered by "Ali, whom he had taken as a partner in his sacrificial offerings. Then he ordered that a piece of flesh from each camel should be taken and cooked. After it was ready, he and 'Ali ate some of the meat and drank some of the soup. Then the Prophet ( صلى الله عليه وسلم ) mounted his she-camel and left for the House of Allah (to make Tawaaf al-Ifaadah). He led the Dhuhr prayer at Makkah, and then approached the people of his clan (Banoo 'Abdul-Muttalib) who were drawing Zamzam water for the people to drink. He also asked them for water, saying, If I had not feared that the people in their eagerness to follow me, I would have forcibly taken this service of supplying water from you, I would have also drawn its waters along with you. They gave him a bucketful of water from which he drank. (Collected by Muslim)

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