In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his family and companions.
Dear brothers and sisters! Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was born around 570 CE in Makkah – the city where we now undertake Hajj.
Upon receiving the first revelation and sharing the message of Allah Almighty, Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) faced ongoing persecution and was forced to flee Makkah for Madinah in 622.
After many years in Madinah, following the call from Allah Almighty to undertake Hajj, Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) and his followers returned to Makkah in 629 CE. Allah the Most High says:
“Call all people to the Hajj. They will come to you on foot and on every lean camel from every distant path.” [Qur’an, 22:27]
And so The Prophet (Peace be upon him) went back to the Ka’abah and removed the idols, declaring the Oneness of Allah:
“Say, the Truth has come and falsehood gone. Verily falsehood is bound to vanish.” [Qur’an, 17:81]
He however kept the Black Stone inside that was given to Prophet Ibrahim (AS) by the Angel Jibril.
Ten years later, Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) completed the first official Hajj. Realising this would be his last, he made this final Hajj in 632 CE and established the final steps of Hajj. Alhamdulillah!
On the 9th of the month of Zul-Hijjah, Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) delivered his final sermon on Mount Arafah. He preached racial and gender equality and the importance of good deeds.
Shortly after, aged 62/63, he then returned to our Creator, Allah Almighty, his Message and the journey of Hajj established for generations to follow.
Respected servants of Allah! All Muslims know that to follow the example of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) in matters of religion is required as a duty. To follow him in other aspects is always good and fruitful, except where he expressly stated that what he did was specific to him. In as far as offering the Hajj is concerned, we have no option but to follow his guidance. As he started his pilgrimage, he said:
“Learn from me your rituals.”
This is an all-embracing Hadith that makes clear that the way the Prophet did his Hajj is the proper way we should all follow. We have a very detailed Hadith narrated by Jabir Ibn Abdullah telling us of everything the Prophet (Peace be upon him) did on his Hajj, and, where necessary, adding comments to provide a full picture that helps us in offering this great act of worship. Jabir reports:
“Allah’s Messenger stayed in Madinah nine years without offering the Hajj. In his tenth year in Madinah it was announced to all people that Allah’s Messenger would be offering the Hajj. Many people flocked to Madinah seeking to follow the Prophet’s guidance and to do like him.”
Several reasons led to the delay of the Prophet’s offering of the Hajj. In the first few years of his stay in Madinah, he could not have traveled to Makkah, while the Quraish, its inhabitants, were raising one army after another to fight him. When Makkah fell to Islam toward the end of Year 8, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) chose not to offer the Hajj the following year because he did not wish to see the abominable practices of the unbelievers which they introduced into the Hajj, such as being naked when doing the tawaf. In Year 9, Abubakar was the leader of the Hajj (Amirul Hajj) and a ban was declared prohibiting idolaters from coming to Makkah for Hajj, and banning the practice of doing the tawaf naked. With that done, the Hajj could be offered in the proper Islamic way, and this is what the Prophet (Peace be upon him) did. With him was no less than one hundred thousand people, all eager to offer this great act of worship with him.
“We went out with him until we arrived at Zul-Hulaifah where Asma’u Bint Umais gave birth to Muhammad Ibn Abubakar. She sent a message to the Prophet asking what she should do (considering that she would be in her postnatal period). He told her to have a bath and to wrap herself properly (putting a wide piece of cloth at the place of discharge, tying both ends from the front and the back and sticking that wrapping tight to a belt she has around her waist). She could then enter into ihram, or consecration. The Prophet offered his prayers at the mosque there and mounted his she-camel, Al-Qaswa.’ When his she-camel was well into the desert, I looked up and saw all around me people walking or riding animals, accompanying him. I could not see the end of them in any direction: Front or rear, right or left. The Prophet was with us receiving Qur’anic revelations, the interpretation of which we knew very well. Whatever he did, we did likewise. He raised his voice with phrases stressing Allah’s oneness:
” Labbaikallahummah labbaik. Labbaika La sharika laka labbaik. Innal-hamda wal-ni’mata laka wal-mulk. La sharika lak.”
People raised their voices with whatever praises they wished to repeat, and the Prophet did not take exception to any of that. He, however, maintained his own form of talbiyah.”
A woman’s discharge, whether menstrual or postnatal, does not stop her from offering the Hajj. She can indeed perform all the duties and rituals required, but she obviously cannot offer her prayers. She is exempt from these. Here we have the detailed guidance the Prophet (Peace be upon him) gave to Asma’u making clear that she could conduct her Hajj easily, but she must not do any tawaf until she has been cleansed of all discharge. It should be noted that she gave birth to her son shortly after departure from Madinah, when she arrived at the point of miqat, which is Zul-Hulaifah or Abyar Ali as it is better known nowadays. The ruling given to her applies to all women who start such discharge at any time during their Hajj. We also learn that there could be different forms of declaring our response to Allah’s call to do the Hajj. However, the Prophet’s preferred form is the one that millions of pilgrims repeat all the time.
“We did not intend to do anything other than the Hajj. We knew nothing about the Umrah. When we arrived at the House (i.e. the Ka’abah) with the Prophet, he touched the corner (i.e. kissed the Black Stone) then he moved in a jogging movement for three rounds and walked the other four. He then went to Maqam Ibrahim and recited: ‘Make the place where Ibrahim stood as a place of prayer.’ He stood with that place (Maqam Ibrahim) between himself and the Ka’abah. In his two raka’ahs he read Surah 112, Al-Ikhlas, and Surah 109, Al-Kafirun. He then returned to the corner (of the Ka’abah, where the Black Stone is) and kissed it. He then left through the door nearer to the hill of Al-Safa.”
“When he reached Al-Safa, he read:
“Safa and Marwah are among the symbols set up by Allah. Whoever visits the Sacred House for Hajj or Umrah, would do no wrong to walk to and fro between them. He who does good of his own accord shall find that Allah is most thankful, all-knowing.” [Qur’an, 2:158]
He also said:
“Al-Safa and Al-Marwah are two places which Allah has made sacred.”
He went first to Al-Safa and climbed up until he could see the Ka’abah. He turned his face toward the qiblah and declared Allah’s oneness and glorified Him. He then said: ‘There is no deity other than Allah. He has no partners. To Him belongs the Kingdom as well as all praise. He is able to do everything. There is no deity other than Allah. He has fulfilled His promise, given victory to His servant and has defeated the confederate forces on His own.’ He also prayed to Allah. He repeated these phrases three times then descended toward Al-Marwah. When he was at the bottom of the valley (marked nowadays with two green lights) he started jogging. When we were again climbing up, he walked. When he arrived at Al-Marwah, he did there the same as he did at Al-Safa. He finished his sa’yi at Al-Marwah.
Thus, there is nothing special to be done on the way to Makkah other than repeating the phrases of talbiyah. These make clear that offering the Hajj is dedicated to Allah alone, in response to his order stated in the Qur’an. Purity of faith is emphasised as Allah’s oneness is repeated over and over again. The mention of Allah’s support of His Messenger (Peace be upon him) is a reference to the defeat of the allied forces of unbelievers who tried to annihilate the Muslim community, but they suffered a humiliating defeat without being fought by any human forces.
On arrival in Makkah, a pilgrim should offer the tawaf and the sa’yi. If he is doing his Hajj in the ifrad or qiran methods, these count as his tawaf of arrival and the obligatory sa’yi of Hajj. Indeed in the case of qiran, it counts for both the pilgrimage and the Umrah. If the pilgrim opts for the tamattu’i method, which is the one preferred by the Prophet (Peace be upon him), these count for his Umrah and he releases himself from consecration immediately after he finishes these duties. When he had completed them, he said:
“Were I to start my Hajj anew, I would not have brought my sacrificial animals with me, and would have started with an Umrah. Whoever of you has not brought his sacrificial animal with him should release himself from ihram and make this an Umrah.”
Suraqah Ibn Malik Ibn Ju’shum stood up and said: ‘Messenger of Allah, does this apply to this year only or forever?’ The Prophet inter-crossed his fingers as he put his two hands together, and said: ‘The Umrah has intermingled with the Hajj.’ He repeated this twice and said: ‘Indeed, till the end of time.’”
Ali Ibn Abi Talib brought the sacrificial animals (cows and camels) which belonged to the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and came from Yemen. When he arrived he found Fatimah (his wife and the Prophet’s daughter) having released herself from ihram and put on a colourful dress and coloured her eyelashes. He objected to what he saw, and she told him: ‘My father has ordered me to do so.’ Ali used to say later when he was in Iraq that he went to the Prophet complaining of what Fatimah did. He asked the Prophet’s opinion concerning what she attributed to him. Ali said: ‘I told the Prophet (Peace be upon him) that I objected to her action.’ He said: ‘She has told the truth. She has told the truth. What did you say when you started your Hajj?’ I told him that I said: ‘My Lord! I intend to do the same as Your Messenger (Peace be upon him).’ He said: ‘I have my sacrificial animals with me. Do not, then, release yourself from ihram.’”
All the sacrificial animals that Ali brought with him from Yemen and the ones the Prophet (Peace be upon him) brought with him numbered one hundred. All people released themselves from ihram and shortened their hair except the Prophet (Peace be upon him) and those who had their sacrifice with them.
There is no doubt that the tamattu’i method is the one the Prophet (Peace be upon him) preferred for all Muslims, although he himself had to continue with the qiran method, explaining that the reason was that he had brought his sacrifice with him. This ruling applies for all time, although nowadays no one brings his sacrifice from distant land. Still, it is possible that motorist pilgrims, particularly those using goods vehicles may do so. Consistent with his practice throughout his life, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) preferred the easier of any two options, as long as both were permissible. Undoubtedly, the tamattu’i method is the easiest of the three because it completes the Umrah on arrival and allows the pilgrim to be out of consecration until the start of the Hajj days. The other two methods require the observance of all ihram restrictions throughout one’s stay in Makkah until the major part of the Hajj has been completed.
On the Day of Tarwiyyah (8 Zul-Hijjah) they proceeded to Mina resolving to do the Hajj. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) mounted his she-camel and prayed at Mina the prayers of Zuhr, Asr, Maghrib, Isha and Fajr (meaning that he stayed all day and throughout the night in Mina). He stayed on until after sunrise. He ordered that a dome of animal hair be erected for him at Namirah (in Arafah).
The Prophet then proceeded. The Quraish people were certain that he would stop at Al-Mash’ar Al-Haram (in Muzdalifah, short of Arafah), in the same way as the Quraish used to do before Islam. The Prophet (Peace be upon him), however, proceeded until he came to the dome, which was erected for him at Namirah and dismounted there. When it was midday, he ordered that his she-camel, Al-Qaswa’, be prepared for him and proceeded to the middle of the valley (of Arafah).
In breaking with the Quraish traditions, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) put the Hajj rituals back to their original state, as performed by the Prophet Ibrahim (AS) and his son the Prophet Ismail (AS). Their practice continued to be followed until the Arabs deviated from the pure divine faith, introducing idolatry and polytheism. This led them to invent new practices, some of which meant giving the Quraish, the tribe living in Makkah, a status with special privileges, such as refraining from attendance at Arafah. They argued that since they lived in the Haram area, they could not leave it to Arafah, which is outside it, because the Haram area is the blessed one. This is contrary to the Qur’an and the Prophet’s practice.
Perhaps we should briefly comment on the fact that after her Umrah, Fatimah, the Prophet’s daughter, put on a colourful dress and wore make up (among her family members). This is perfectly normal in Islam, and it is practiced in many Muslim countries, such as Pakistan and African countries, where Muslim women even go out wearing Islamic dress of all colours.
“The Prophet addressed the people and said: ‘Your blood and your properties are forbidden among you in the same degree of sanctity as this day, in this month, in this city. Everything, which belonged to jahiliyyah (the state of ignorance that is the antithesis of Islam) is hereby forgone and placed under my feet. The blood (i.e. revenge killing) of jahiliyyah is hereby forgone. The first (victim) whose blood I forgo from among our own people is Ibn Rabi’ah Ibn Al-Harith (the Prophet’s own cousin). He was nursed in the tribe of Bani Sad and was killed by the tribe of Huzail. All the usury of the days of jahiliyyah is wiped off. The first of it I wipe off is that which belongs to Al-Abbas Ibn Abd Al-Muttalib (the Prophet’s own uncle). All of it is hereby forgone. Fear Allah in (your treatment of) women. You have taken them on to yourselves with peace from Allah, and they are lawful to you with Allah’s word…’ He continued his speech until he said: ‘They (women) have a right against you to provide for them and to dress them in accordance with what is reasonable. I am leaving with you Allah’s book. If you hold fast to it you will never go astray. You will be asked about me, but what will you say?’ They (i.e. the people present) replied: ‘We declare that you have delivered the message perfectly and have given sound counsel.’ He pointed his forefinger raising it to the sky and, pointing it to the people, said: ‘My Lord! Bear witness.’ (He repeated this three times).”
The Prophet’s (Peace be upon him) speech at Arafah was longer than what is quoted here, but Jabir quotes the most relevant parts, re-emphasising the total prohibition of vengeance killing and usury. The Prophet (Peace be upon him) gives the lead, making clear that what belonged to his own relatives in these two areas was ended and forgone.
The Prophet (Peace be upon him) again speaks about the importance of kindness to women. It is well known that women were ill-treated in pre-Islamic Arabia, as they have been, and remain, ill-treated in many parts of the world. Islam gives women equal status with men and requires all men to be most kind to their womenfolk. Unfortunately, many Muslims do not heed the Prophet’s orders, even in our own time. This is a depressing state of affairs. No Allah-fearing Muslim could abuse a woman under his care or deny her what Allah has given her and remain Allah-fearing.
“He then said the azan (i.e the call to prayer) and followed it by the iqama (i.e. the call to start the congregational prayer) and prayed zuhr. He then said another iqama and prayed Asr. He did not pray any Sunnah between them. He then mounted his she-camel until he arrived at the place where he stood.
He put the tummy of his camel against the large rocks and turned toward those who were walking, facing the qiblah.
“The Prophet remained in attendance at Arafah until the sun had set and a little yellowness appeared, and the whole of the round shape of the sun had completely disappeared. He carried Usamah behind him on his camel and moved onward pulling the rein of his she-camel right back, to the extent that her head could touch his saddle. He motioned with his right hand and said: ‘Be calm! Be calm!’ Every time he came to a hill he would relax his grip on the rein a little so that the camel could go up hill. When he arrived at Muzdalifah he prayed there the two prayers of Maghrib and Isha with one azan and two iqamas.
He (Peace be upon him) did not separate the two obligatory prayers with any glorification of Allah. He then reclined until dawn. He then prayed Fajr or dawn prayers, when he was sure that it was due. An azan and iqama were said before that prayer.
He (Peace be upon him) then mounted his she-camel and moved on until he arrived at Al-Mash’ar Al-Haram and, facing the qiblah, he prayed to Allah, glorifying Him and repeating phrases confirming Allah’s oneness and declaring that he believed in no deity other than Allah until the light of day was very bright. He then moved forward before sunrise.
We note that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) used most of his time at Arafah and Muzdalifah in Allah’s glorification. His prayers were combined, with each two offered together in the shortened form making every 4-raka’ah prayer in two raka’ahs only. This makes clear that during the time when a pilgrim is fully engaged with his Hajj duties, he should concentrate on these. Even prayers are shortened and combined so that his full attention is given to the Hajj rituals only.
We note that on arriving in Muzdalifah, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) offered his two obligatory prayers and went to sleep. All pilgrims are very tired at this point after having spent the day in Arafah and moved on to Muzdalifah.
To have maximum rest is of paramount importance. They continue to be fully engaged in a major and fully rewarding act of worship, even when they sleep at Muzdalifah. Therefore, they need not entertain any thought of offering voluntary night prayers. Even supplication can wait until the morning, following the Prophet’s example as he said all his supplication, or Du’a, in the morning, moving on to Mina shortly before sunrise.
“The Prophet carried Al-Fadl Ibn Abbas (his cousin) behind him on his she-camel. Al-Fadl was a man of fine hair, fair complexion and generally handsome. When the Prophet moved on he came across some women riding on their camels and moving fast. Al-Fadl gazed at them and the Prophet put his hand on Al-Fadl’s face. Al-Fadl then turned his face the other way and gazed at the women. The Prophet put his hand again from the other side to turn Al-Fadl’s face away from the women. When he arrived at Muhassar Valley, he increased his speed a little and proceeded along the middle road (which was different from the one he used on his way to Arafah) which led to the Grand Jamrat.
“He proceeded up to the Jamrat, which is by the tree where he did the stoning. He threw at it seven little stones and each time he threw a stone, he said: ‘Allahu Akbar’, which means ‘Allah is supreme.’ When he finished his stoning he stood at the bottom of the valley (so that Mina, Arafah and Muzdalifah were on his right-hand side and Makkah was to his left). He then went to the slaughter place where, with his own hand, he sacrificed 63 animals and asked Ali to slaughter the rest. Ali did that, and the Prophet made Ali his partner in his sacrifice. He ordered that a small piece of meat should be taken from each animal he sacrificed and they were all put in a large saucepan to cook. When it was ready, the Prophet and Ali had some soup and ate of the meat of that cooking.
“The Prophet then mounted his she-camel and went straight on to Makkah. Arriving at the Sacred Mosque he did the tawaf of ifadah and prayed zuhr at Makkah. He then went toward Zamzam where members of the clan of Abd Al-Muttalib (the Prophet’s own clan) were serving people, getting the water from the well of Zamzam to give a drink of its water to anyone who cared to have one. The Prophet said to his tribesmen: ‘You Bani Abd Al-Muttalib! Work hard at providing drinks for people. I would have joined you in your service except for my fear that people would overpower you to do this service.’ They gave him a bucket of water and he drank from it.”
The last statement by the Prophet (Peace be upon him) means that he feared that if he were to join his relatives in providing drinks for pilgrims, people would think this to be one of the Hajj rituals and everyone would try to emulate the Prophet. This would have led to chaos. Hence, he refrained from doing it.
The Hadith mentions the order in which the Prophet did the four duties due on the day of sacrifice, i.e. 10 Zul-Hijjah. However, his companions did these in different orders. When they reported this to him, he approved all permutations. Thus, he made it easy to fulfill these duties for all time. Had he insisted on any particular order, this would have become obligatory. With the large numbers of pilgrims we see nowadays, it would have been impossible to fulfill these duties. The latitude the Prophet (Peace be upon him) allowed ensures that all pilgrims can fulfill their duties without much difficulty.
The Hadith Jabir reported on the Prophet’s (Peace be upon him) Hajj is thus concluded. It practically covers all aspects of the pilgrimage up to the end of 10th of Zul-Hijjah, leaving out only the stay in Mina and stoning on the following days and the tawaf of farewell.
Respected brothers and sisters! As Muslims, the Ka’abah is central to a large part of our faith. As the first House of Worship, it is fundamental to Hajj and to our history as Muslims. It’s also the qibla (direction) towards which we turn towards in prayer five times a day. But that’s not all. Did you know that the Ka’abah itself was built by Prophet Ibrahim (AS) and his son Prophet Ismail (AS)?
Commanded by Allah Almighty, Prophet Ibrahim (AS) first built the Ka’abah:
“And remember Ibrahim and Isma’il raised the foundations of the House (With this prayer): “Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us: For you are the All-Hearing, the All-knowing.” [Qur’an, 2:127]
When it was first built, it was a simple rectangular structure with no roof.
The Quraish tribe who ruled Makkah then re-built the Ka’abah in 608 CE with wood and stone.
When Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon him) was then forced out of Makkah in 620 CE, upon his return in 629/30 CE, he removed the idols housed in the Ka’abah, however keeping the Black Stone inside that was given to Prophet Ibrahim by the Angel Jibril.
When Prophet Muhammad made his final pilgrimage in 632 CE, the final steps of Hajj were then established. Alhamdulillah!
Every day we pray facing the direction of Makkah and if we’re fortunate enough to undertake Hajj, we make tawaf around the Ka’abah.
During Eid al-Adha when we mark the end of Hajj and make our sacrifice (slaughtering) for the sake of Allah Almighty, we replicate the sacrifice of Prophet Ibrahim (AS), ready to sacrifice his son Prophet Ismail (AS) for the sake of Allah.
By giving sacrifice, we follow in the footsteps of Prophet Ibrahim (AS) and remember his devotion to Allah Almighty. Don’t forget to make your sacrifice and buy your animal in time for Eid!
All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of all creation; may Allah extol the mention of our noble Prophet Muhammad in the highest company of Angels, bless him and give him peace and security―and his family, his Companions and all those who follow him correctly and sincerely until the establishment of the Hour.
*Murtadha Muhammad Gusau is the Chief Imam of Nagazi-Uvete Jumu’ah and the late Alhaji Abdur-Rahman Okene’s Mosques, Okene, Kogi State, Nigeria. He can be reached via: [email protected] or +2348038289761.
