The Rites of Pilgrimage

Umm Salama said that she complained to God’s messenger of being ill, and he told her to perform the circumambulation behind the people riding. She did so, and God’s messenger was praying towards the side of the House and reciting, “By at-Tur and a Book inscribed.”( Qur’an, 52. The text here has <i>bit-Tur</i>, whereas the Qur’an has <i>wat-Tur</i>. Bukhari has <i>wat- Tur</i> in Hajj, 64, but he has <i>bit-Tur</i> ,in Salat, 78, Hajj, 74, and Tafsir Surat at-Tur, 1). (Bukhari and Muslim)

‘Abis b Rabi'a said he saw ‘Umar kissing the stone and saying, “I know for sure that you are a stone which can neither benefit nor injure, and had I not seen God’s messenger kissing you I would not have kissed you.” (Bukharl and Muslim.)

Abu Huraira reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying, “Seventy angels have been put in charge of it (i.e. the Yamani corner), so if anyone says, ‘O God, I ask You for pardon and wellbeing in this world and the next; our Lord, bring us a blessing in this world and a blessing in the next, and guard us from the punishment of hell’, they will say Amen.” Ibn Majah transmitted it.

He reported the Prophet (ﷺ) as saying, “If anyone goes round the House not talking except to say, ‘Glory be to God; praise be to God; there is no god but God; God is most great; there is no might and no power except in God’s ten evil deeds will be blotted out from him, ten blessings will be recorded for him, and he will be raised ten degrees. If anyone goes round and talks while doing so, he will wade in mercy like him who wades in water.”( <i>Mirqat</i> 3, 215 says Tibi understands 'talks’ to refer to the phrases mentioned above, and trusts this as a repetition of what has preceded ; but Ibn Hajar understands it as referring to other words and so meriting a lesser reward. Tibi’s explanation is preferred) Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Muhammad b. Abu Bakr ath-Thaqafi said that he asked Anas b. Malik when they were going in the morning from Mina to ‘Arafa how they used to conduct themselves on that day along with God’s messenger, and he replied, “Those of us who raised their voices in the <i>talbiya</i> did so without any objection being made, and those of us who cried ‘God is most great’ did so without any objection being made." Bukhari and Muslim.

Jabir reported God’s messenger as saying, “I have sacrificed here, but the whole of Mina is a place of sacrifice, so sacrifice where you are staying. I have stood here, but all ‘Arafa is a place for standing. I have stood here, but all Jam' (A name for al-Muzdalifa, but it is also said to include the whole area between Mina and Arafa) is a place for standing." Muslim transmitted it.

‘A’isha reported God’s messenger as saying, “There is no day when God sets free more servants from hell than the day of ‘Arafa. He draws near, then praises them (Literally, ‘boasts of them.’) to the angels saying, ‘What do these want ?”’(The reference is probably to their undertaking the vicissitudes of the Pilgrimage) Muslim transmitted it.

‘Amr b. ‘Abdallah b. Safwan quoted a maternal uncle of his called Yazid b. Shaiban who said:

We were in a place of standing of ours at ‘Arafa (which ‘Amr indicated was very far away from where the imam was standing), when Ibn Mirba' al-Ansari came to us and told us he had brought this message for us from God’s messenger, “Stand where you are performing your devotions, for you are conforming to an old practice of your father Abraham." Reported by Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, Nasa’i, and Ibn Majah.

Jabir reported God’s messenger as saying, “The whole of ‘Arafa is a place of standing, the whole of Mina is a place of sacrifice, the whole of al-Muzdalifa is a place of standing, and all the passes of Mecca are a thoroughfare and a place of sacrifice.” Abu Dawud and Darimi transmitted it.

Khalid b. Haudha said he saw the Prophet (ﷺ) addressing the people on the day of ‘Arafa standing in the stirrups on a camel. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

‘Amr b. Shu'aib, on his father’s authority, quoted his grandfather as saying that the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “The best supplication is that on the day of ‘Arafa, and the best thing which I and the prophets before me have said is, ‘There is no god but God alone who has no partner; to Him belongs the dominion, to Him praise is due, and He is omnipotent’.’’ Tirmidhi transmitted it, and Malik transmitted on the authority of Talha b. ‘Ubaidallah up to “who has no partner.”

Talha b. ‘Ubaidallah b. Kariz reported God’s messenger as saying, “On no day is the devil seen more insignificant, more violently repelled, more ignominious, or more angry than on the day of ‘Arafa, that being due to no other reason than the mercy he sees being sent down and God’s forgiveness of great sins, except for what was seen on the day of Badr.” He was asked what was seen on the day of Badr and replied,( This is a translation of the text in the Damascus edition. <i>Mirqat</i>, 3, 219 omits ‘He was :

asked ... replied’. <i>Muwatta’</i>, <i>Hajj</i>, 245 has, ‘Except for what he saw on the day of Badr.’ God’s messenger was asked what he saw on the day of Badr and replied ...) “He saw Gabriel keeping the angels in battle-order.” Malik transmitted it in mursal form, and it occurs in Sharh as-sunna with the wording of al-Masabih.

Jabir reported God’s messenger as saying :

When the day of ‘Arafa comes God descends to the lowest heaven and praises them to the angels saying, “Look at my servants who have come to me dishevelled, dusty and crying out from every deep valley. I call you to witness that I have forgiven them.” Then the angels say, “My Lord, so and so was being suspected of sin, also so and so and such and such a woman.” He said that God who is great and glorious replies, “I have forgiven them.” God’s messenger said, “No day has more people set free from hell than the day of ‘Arafa.” It is transmitted in Sharh as-sunna.

‘A’isha said that Quraish and those who followed their religion used to stand at al-Muzdalifa, and they were called al-Hums,(The plural of <i>ahmas</i>, meaning hardy or rigorous. It is said that this name was applied to them because they boasted of their bravery and endurance. Another explanation is that they observed rites of standing only at <i>Hamss'</i>, which is the Ka’ba) but the rest of the Arabs used to stand at ‘Arafa ; then when Islam came God most high commanded His Prophet (ﷺ) to go to ‘Arafat (Both 'Arafa and its plural‘Arafat are used. It is rather peculiar to find bcth used In the same tradition) and stand there, then go quickly from it. That is in accordance with the words of Him who is great and glorious, “Then go quickly from where the people went quickly.”(Qur’an, 2, 199) Bukhari and Muslim.

‘Abbas b. Mirdas said that God’s messenger prayed for pardon for his people on the late evening of ‘Arafa and received the reply, “I have forgiven them all but acts of oppression, for I shall exact recompense for him who is wronged from his oppressor.” He said, “O my Lord, if You wilt You mayest give the oppressed some of paradise and forgive the oppressor,” but he did not receive a reply that evening. So he repeated the supplication at al-Muzdalifa in the morning and was given an answer to what he asked, whereupon he laughed (or he said that he smiled). Abu Bakr and ‘Umar then said to him, “You for whom we would give our fathers and mothers as ransom, what has made you laugh, for this is not a time at which you have been accustomed to laugh ? May God give you cause for laughter all your life !” He replied, “When God’s enemy, Iblls, knew that God who is great and glorious had answered my supplication and forgiven my people, he took some earth and began to throw it on his head crying out ‘Woe and destruction.’ The sight of his distress made me laugh.” Ibn Majah transmitted it, and Baihaqi transmitted something similar in Kitab al-ba‘th wan-nushur.

Hisham b. ‘Urwa. quoted his father as saying that Usama b. Zaid was asked how God's messenger was travelling when he returned at the Farewell Pilgrimage, and replied that he was travelling at a quick pace and when he found an opening he urged on his camel. Bukhari and Muslim.

Ibn ‘Abbas said that he returned with the Prophet (ﷺ) on the day of ‘Arafa, and when the Prophet (ﷺ) heard the people behind him shouting loudly at their camels and beating them, he pointed his whip at them and said, “You people must preserve a quiet demeanour, for piety does not consist in going quickly.” Bukhari transmitted it.

Usama b. Zaid rode behind the Prophet (ﷺ) on his camel from ‘Arafa to al-Muzdalifa, then he took al-Fadl up behind him from al-Muzdalifa to Mina, and both of them said that the Prophet (ﷺ) kept raising his voice in the <i>talbiya</i> till he threw pebbles at the <i>jamra</i> of the ‘Aqaba. Bukhari and Muslim.

Ibn ‘Umar said that the Prophet (ﷺ) combined the sunset and the evening prayer, each with an <i>iqama</i>, but did not say ‘Glory be to God’ between them, or at the end of each one of them. Bukhari transmitted it.

‘Abdallah b. Mas'ud said he never saw God’s messenger observe a prayer out of its proper time with the exception of two, the sunset and the evening prayer, which he combined, and the dawn prayer which he observed that day(i.e. al-Muzdalifa) before its proper time. Bukhari and Muslim.