Hajj of the Prophet (peace be upon him)

Note: originally posted last year in my seerah blog here

Ja‘far ibn Muhammad narrated on the authority of his father: “We went to Jaabir ibn ‘Abdullaah and he began inquiring about the people (who had gone to see him) until it was my turn. I said: ‘I am Muhammad ibn ‘Ali ibn Husayn. He placed his hand upon my head and opened my upper button and then the lower button and then placed his palm on my chest (in order to bless me), and I was, during those days, a young boy, and he said: ‘Welcome, nephew! Ask about anything you want.’ I asked him, noting that he was blind. As the time for prayer was due, he stood up covering himself in a blanket. Whenever he placed it on his shoulders, its tail end slipped down as it was small. His upper garment, however, was lying on the clothes rack. He led us in the prayer.

I said to him: ‘Tell me about the Hajj of the Messenger of Allaah  .’ He gesticulated the number nine with his hand and then remarked: ‘The Messenger of Allaah  stayed in (Al-Madeenah) for nine years but did not make pilgrimage, then it was announced in the tenth year that the Messenger of Allaah  would make pilgrimage. A large number of people came to Al-Madeenah and they all were keen to be led by the Messenger of Allaah  and to act like him. We set out with him until we reached Thul-Hulayfah, where Asmaa’ bint ‘Umays gave birth to Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr.

She sent someone to the Messenger of Allaah  asking him: ‘What should I do?’ The Messenger  replied: ‘Take a bath, bandage your private parts and enter the state of Ihraam.’

The Messenger of Allaah  then prayed in the mosque and then mounted Al-Qaswaa’ (his she-camel) and it stood erect with him on its back at Al-Baydaa’. I saw as far as I could see and found none but riders and pedestrians in front of him, on his right, on his left, and behind him. The Messenger of Allaah  was among us and the (revelation) of the Quran was descending upon him.

He was acquainted with its interpretation, and every thing that he applied thereof we applied. He pronounced Tawheed (the Oneness of Allaah), saying: “Labbayka Allaahumma labbayk. Labbayka laa shareeka laka labbayk. Inna Al-Hamda wan-Ni‘mata laka wal-Mulk, laa shareeka lak (O Allaah, here I am at Your service.

There is no partner to be associated with You. Praise, graces and dominion are Yours. There is no partner to be associated with You).” People also pronounced the same Talbiyah which they pronounce (today).

The Messenger of Allaah  did not reject anything of it, but he adhered to his own Talbiyah. Jaabir, may Allaah Be Pleased with him, said: ‘We had no intention for other than pilgrimage, as we were unfamiliar with ‘Umrah (at that season). When we arrived in his company at the (Sacred) House, he touched the corner and walked (around the Ka‘bah) quickly three times and leisurely four times. And then he went to the Station of Ibraaheem (Abraham) where he recited (what means): “And take, [O believers], from the standing place of Abraham a place of prayer.” 

He stood at a place whereby the station was between him and the House. My father said, reporting none to have done it but the Prophet  that he recited in the two Rak’ahs respectively the chapter of Al-Ikhlaas [Quran 112] and the chapter of Al-Kaafiroon [Quran 109]. He then returned to the corner and touched it. He then left to As-Safa, and as he drew near it he recited (what means): “Indeed, As-Safa and Al-Marwah are among the symbols of Allaah” adding: ‘I shall begin with what Allaah Mentioned first (i.e. As-Safa).’

He first mounted As-Safa until he saw the House, and while facing the Qiblah he declared the Oneness of Allaah, glorified Him (by saying Allaahu Akbar), and said: “Laa Ilaaha illa Allaah, wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahul Mulk, wa lahul Hamd, wa Huwa ‘ala Kulli shay’in Qadeer. Laa Ilaaha illa Allaah wahdah, Anjaza Wa‘dah, wa Nasara ‘abdah, wa Hazama Al-Ahzaaba Wahdah (There is none worthy of worship except Allaah.

There is no partner to be associated with Him. To Whom belong the dominion and perfect praise, and He Is Competent over all things. There is none worthy of worship except Allaah, Who Fulfilled His Promise, Granted victory to His slave, and Defeated the confederates by Himself alone).”

He then made supplication in the course of that, saying these words three times. He then descended towards Al-Marwah, and when he reached the middle of the valley, he hastened. When he began to ascend he walked until he reached Al-Marwah. There he did as he had done at As-Safa. When it was his last running at Al-Marwah, he said: “If I had to reverse what I did, I would have not driven the sacrificial animals and would have made Ihraam for ‘Umrah first. So, let anyone of you who has no sacrificial animals terminate his Ihraam and make it an ‘Umrah.”

Suraaqah ibn Maalik ibn Ju‘sham got up and said: ‘Messenger of Allaah, does it apply to the present year, or does it apply forever?’ Thereupon, the Messenger of Allaah intertwined the fingers (of one hand) into the fingers of the other hand and said twice: ‘The ‘Umrah has already been incorporated in the pilgrimage. This applies forever.’

‘Ali came from Yemen driving camels that belonged to the Prophet . He found Faatimah had terminated her Ihraam and had worn dyed clothes and applied kohl. Therefore, he disapproved of her, yet she told him that her father commanded her to that effect. ‘Ali used to tell people in Iraq that he approached the Messenger of Allaah  to incite him against Faatimah for what she had done. He sought the Fatwa of the Messenger of Allaah  on what Faatimah reported him to have said. He told the Messenger  that he disapproved of her, and the Messenger  said twice that Faatimah had spoken the truth. The Messenger  asked ‘Ali: What did you say when you contemplated the performance of pilgrimage?” ‘Ali  said: “I said: ‘O Allaah, I am making Ihraam for whatever your Messenger made Ihraam. The Messenger  consequently said: ‘I have sacrificial animals, so do not terminate Ihraam.’ Jaabir said that the total number of sacrificial animals that ‘Ali brought from Yemen and of those which the Prophet  brought was one hundred. All the people except the Prophet  and those who had sacrificial animals terminated the state of Ihraam and had their hair shortened. When it was the Day of Tarwiyah (8^th of Thul-Hijjah) they went to Mina and made Ihraam for pilgrimage. The Messenger of Allaah  rode and led them in the Thuhr, ‘Asr, Maghrib, ‘Ishaa’ and Fajr prayers. He then waited for some time until the sun rose, and ordered a hair tent to be pitched at Namirah. The Messenger of Allaah  then set out and the Quraysh had no suspicion that he would stop at Al-Mash‘ar Al-Haraam (the sacred site) as the Quraysh used to do in the pre-Islamic era.

Nevertheless, the Messenger of Allaah  passed on until he arrived at ‘Arafah and he found that the tent had been set up for him at Namirah and stayed therein. When the sun set, he commanded that Al-Qaswaa’ be saddled for him.

Then he went to the bottom of the valley, and addressed people saying: ‘Your blood and property are as inviolable to you as the inviolability of this day, this month, and this land. All evil practices of the pre-Islamic era are abolished, and all blood (retaliation for it) that was shed in the pre-Islamic era is abolished as well. The first blood of ours that I do abolish is the blood of Rabee‘ah ibn Al-Haarith, who was breastfed in Banu Sa‘d and was killed by Huthayl tribe. Riba, which was common in the pre-Islamic era, is abolished as well, and the first Riba that I do abolish is that of Al-‘Abbaas ibn Abdul-Muttalib, all of which is abolished. Fear Allaah regarding your wives, for you took them (in marriage) by virtue of the Covenant of Allaah, and you had lawful sexual intercourse with them pursuant to the Word of Allaah. As a right to you over them, they must not allow anybody whom you hate to enter your homes; if they did so, you might beat them lightly. As a right to them over you, they are entitled to reasonable provision and clothing. I have left something, which if you hold fast to it, you will never get astray: the Book of Allaah. When you will be asked about me, what will you say?

They replied: “We testify that you have communicated (the message), delivered (the trust), and advised (the Ummah).

Hence, the Prophet  pointed his forefinger to the sky and beckoned to people saying three times: “O Allaah! Be my witness.” (Bilaal then) called for prayer and later on made Iqaamah. The Messenger  led the Thuhr prayer. Bilaal called the Iqaamah again and the Messenger  led the ‘Asr prayer and he observed no extra prayers in between the two. The Messenger of Allaah  then rode until he came to the place of standing where he exposed the camel’s abdomen to the Rocks (which means that he stood over the rocks riding the camel), and he let the throngs of people walk in front of him and faced the Qiblah. He kept standing there until the sun set, and the yellow light dwindled until the disk of the sun disappeared.

The Messenger  let Usaamah ride behind him and charged on, pulling the noseband of Al-Qaswaa’ so forcefully that its head touched the saddle. He kept on pointing to people with his right hand to be moderate (in speed), and whenever he reached a little mound of sand, he loosened the noseband of the camel to let her climb it. This was his conduct until he reached Al-Muzdalifah where he performed Maghrib and ‘Ishaa’ prayer with one Athaan for both and one Iqaamah for each. He did not perform voluntary prayer between Maghrib and ‘Ishaa’ prayers.

The Messenger of Allaah  then slept until dawn and offered the Fajr prayer with Athaan and Iqaamah when the dawn was clear. He again mounted Al-Qaswaa’, and when he came to Al-Mash‘ar Al-Haraam, he faced the Qiblah, supplicated Allaah, Glorified Him, and pronounced His Oneness (Laa Ilaaha illa Allaah), and kept standing until it was very bright in the early morning. He then went quickly before the sunrise, and seated Al-Fadhl ibn Al-‘Abbaas behind him, and the latter was a young man with fine hair, fair complexion, and handsome face. As the Messenger of Allaah  charged on, a group of riding women passed by him at a quick pace. Al-Fadhl looked at them, yet the Messenger of Allaah  put his hand on the face of Al-Fadhl who consequently turned his face to the other side and looked at the women.

The Messenger of Allaah  shifted his hand to the other side and put it on his face until he reached Batn Muhassir. He spurred the she-camel a little bit, and taking the middle route that leads to the major Jamrah, he reached the Jamrah that is next to the tree and threw seven pebbles, saying Allaahu Akbar each time he threw a pebble that was so small that he hurled it with his fingers, and he threw from the middle of the valley.

He then moved to the place of slaughter and slaughtered sixty-three camels with his own hands. Then, he gave the remaining number to ‘Ali to slaughter them and gave him a share in the sacrificial animals. He ordered a slice of flesh from each slaughtered camel to be put in a pot for cooking. Both the Messenger  and ‘Ali ate from the meat and drank from the soup.

The Messenger of Allaah  rode to the House and offered the Thuhr prayer at Makkah. He came to Banu ‘Abd Al-Muttalib who were providing people with water from Zamzam and addressed them, ‘Draw water, Banu ‘Abd Al-Muttalib. Were it not that people would usurp this right of supplying water from you, I would have drawn it along with you.’ They handed him a bucket whereof he drank.”

In his commentary on Saheeh Muslim (8/170), Imaam An-Nawawi  said:

It is a great Hadeeth that includes numerous benefits and a precious set of important rules. It is exclusively narrated by Muslim . This means that Al-Bukhaari  did not narrate it in his Saheeh. The same version of Muslim  was narrated by Abu Dawood .

Note: The above article along with its continuation is given in pdf file. Click the link below to download the file:

Hajj of the Prophet (sal-lal-lahu-alaihi-wa-sallam)