The Prophet ﷺ performed Fajr at al-Abtah on the 8th of Dhul Hijjah, before leaving for Mina on his mount in mid-morning. When the caravan left al-Abtah, those of his companions who had previously left the state of Ihram after having performed Umrah, reentered into Ihram with the intention of performing Hajj. They chanted the Talbiyah with their departure for Mina.1 During the journey, Bilal I protected the Prophet ﷺ from the heat of the sun by providing him with shade. Abu Umamah I narrates:
The companions informed us that when the Prophet ﷺ left for Mina. Bilal, travelling alongside the Prophet’s conveyance, held a stick that had a cloth on top of it, providing him with shade.2
The Prophet ﷺ and his companions spent the rest of the day and the night at Mina, observing the Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib, Isha and Fajr prayers during their stay there. The prayers consisting of four rak’ahs where shortened to two rak’ahs i.e. Qasr Salah was performed, and each prayer was carried out within its respective time frame.3
Yawm al-Arafat- 9th of Dhul Hijjah
An old picture of Arafat
After having performed Fajr at Mina, the Prophet ﷺ addressed his companions. Jabir ibn Abdullah I narrates:
After the prayer the Prophet ﷺ ordered everyone to remain in their places and proclaimed the majesty of the Allah with the following words: ‘Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, La ilaha illallah, wallahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar wa lillahil Hamd’. He uttered these words after each prayer until Asr of the last day of Tashreeq.4
He stayed a little longer until the sun had risen before proceeding to Arafat. He called for a tent made of haircloth to be pitched for him at Nimrah, before riding to Arafat via the Dhab route, a shortcut from Muzdalifah to Arafat. Dhab is a mountain situated to the left of Masjid al-Khayf in Mina, in the direction of Arafat. As the companions set off, some of them were reciting the Talbiyah, whilst others were proclaiming the Takbir.
The Prophet’s ﷺ tribe, the Quraysh, fully expected him to stop short of Arafat and to remain at Muzdalifah, as was their customary practice during the period of Jahiliyyah. They would not proceed beyond this point out of arrogance and pride, whilst pilgrims belonging to other tribes would continue on to Arafat. The Prophet ﷺ, however, carried on beyond Muzdalifah in accordance with the instruction of Allah:5
ثُمَّ أَفِيضُوا مِنْ حَيْثُ أَفَاضَ النَّاسُ وَاسْتَغْفِرُوا اللهَ ۚ إِنَّ اللهَ غَفُورٌ رَّحِيمٌ ❁
Then depart from the place from where [all] the people depart and ask forgiveness of Allah. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.
[Surah al-Baqarah, 2:199]
It is also related that during the period of Jahiliyyah, the Prophet ﷺ performed Wuquf at Arafat, against the customary practice of his tribe. Jubayr ibn Mut’im I narrates:
I lost my camel and went in search of it on the day of Arafat and I saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ among the people in Arafat. Thereupon I said: ‘By Allah, he is among the Hums (Quraish). What has brought him here?’6
During the journey to Arafat, some companions continued to raise their voices in pronouncing the Talbiyah whilst others pronounced Takbir. No objection was made from the Prophet ﷺ as to what was said. Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr Ath-Thaqafi I narrates:
When we were leaving Mina for Arafat, I said to Anas: ‘What did you do for the Talbiyah with the Messenger of Allah on this day?’ He said: ‘Those who recited the Talbiyah did so, and no one criticised them, and those who recited the Takbir did so, and no one criticised them.7
Some of the companions, such as Umar ibn al Khattab, Abdullah ibn Umar, and Abdullah ibn Masud M also performed ghusl in preparation for the Wuquf at Arafat. Nafi I said:
Abdullah ibn Umar used to do ghusl for Ihram before he entered Ihram, for entering Makkah and for standing on the afternoon of Arafat.8
When the Prophet ﷺ arrived at Nimrah, an area just before Arafat, he remained in the tent which had been erected for him. His wives remained in tents around him. When the sun came down from its meridian, he sent for his she-camel, al-Qaswa. He then rode into the interior of Uranah Valley, a spacious expanse where his companions were able to gather around him. He arrived at the bottom of the valley and, seated on his camel, addressed his companions with a powerful sermon. This speech is now known as Khutbat al-Wida (Arabic: خطبة الوداع; “The Farewell Sermon”). Today, a mosque, Masjid Nimra, has been erected in this area. The front of the mosque, which extends beyond the boundary of Arafat, is where the Prophet ﷺ delivered the sermon and combined the Dhuhr and Asr prayers thereafter.
Rabi’ah ibn Umayah I, whose father was killed during the Battle of Badr fighting against the Muslims, was tasked with the responsibility of repeating the Prophet’s ﷺ sermon loudly, sentence by sentence so that it would be heard by those who would have otherwise found it difficult to receive the Prophet’s ﷺ message.
The Farewell Sermon
An old picture of Masjid Nimra, next to which the Prophet ﷺ delivered the Farewell Sermon
After the Prophet ﷺ had praised and glorified God, he said: “Listen to me. You may not see me after this year. Your blood, property and honour are forbidden for you (to take by illegitimate means) just as the (violation of the) sanctity of this day, in this month, in this city. All practices of the days of Jahiliyyah are hereby abolished. They are under my two feet. All killings that took place in the days of Jahiliyyah are waived (i.e. no revenge killing can be sanctioned). The first killing I waive is that of (my cousin) Rabi’ah ibn al-Harith ibn Abdul Muttalib. All usury transactions of the days of Jahiliyyah are cancelled. The first such transaction I cancel is that of my people, the usury of al-Abbas ibn Abdul Muttalib. It is abolished in full. You may only ask your principal amount, having no injustice done to you or to others. God has decreed that no usury is permitted.”
“People, fear God in your treatment of women. You take them as a trust assigned by God, and they are made lawful to you by God’s word. Take good care of women, for they are stationed with you and cannot determine their affairs. You have no say over them other than what has been mentioned. The only exception is if they commit gross indecency. Your women owe you a duty and you owe a duty to them. Your right is that they should not accommodate in your homes anyone you dislike and that they do not admit into your homes anyone you do not want to be admitted. Their right is that you must be kind to them by providing them with clothes and food. If you have reason to fear rebellion, admonish them (first); then leave them alone in bed; then beat them without pain. If they pay you heed, do not seek any pretext to harm them. I have left with you what will keep you from error if you hold on to it: God’s book.”
“I shall be ahead of you at the water pond on the Day of Judgement, and I hope for pride of numbers of my people against other communities. Therefore, do not put me to shame. I shall be saving some people, but others will be taken away from me. I will protest that they are my companions, but I will be told: ‘You do not know how they deviated after you were gone.’ People, take heed of what I am saying because I have delivered my message.”
The Prophet ﷺ then asked them: ‘You shall be asked to testify about me on the Day of Judgement; so what will you say?” They replied in unison: “We testify that you have delivered your Lord’s message, gave your people good counsel and fulfilled your task.” The Prophet ﷺ then pointed his fingers to the sky and then to the people and said: “My Lord, bear witness.” He repeated this several times.9
Dhuhr and Asr
After the sermon, The Prophet ﷺ instructed Bilal I to recite the Adhan and to utter the Iqama for Dhuhr salah thereafter. The Prophet ﷺ and his companions then observed the Dhuhr prayer, which was offered in Qasr mode i.e. the prayer was shortened to two rak’ahs. Bilal then uttered the Iqama for Asr salah, which was led by the Prophet ﷺ immediately after Dhuhr salah, again in Qasr mode. The Prophet ﷺ did not perform any supererogatory prayers (Sunan) between the two prayers but prayed both of them together at the time of Dhuhr with one Adhan and two Iqamas.10
Wuquf At Jabal al-Rahmah
Pilgrims on Jabal al-Rahmah in 1950
After completing his prayers, the Prophet ﷺ mounted his she-camel and travelled further into the valley of Arafat, towards Jabal al-Rahmah. He stopped at the foot of the mountain and turned towards the Qibla, remaining in a position where the mountain was just ahead of him. Jabir ibn Abdullah I narrates:
He mounted al-Qaswa and came to the place of standing, making his she-camel turn its back to the rocks and, before facing the Qibla. He remained standing until sunset when the yellow light had somewhat gone and the disc of the sun had disappeared.11
The great scholar Imam Nawawi V writes:
All of Arafat is a place of Wuquf although its best place is the Prophet’s ﷺ place of Wuquf, which is near the large stones laid out at the bottom of Jabal al-Rahmah in the heart of Arafat.12
The Prophet ﷺ sent word to the people to take their positions at the places appointed for the ritual. He instructed one of his Ansari companions, ibn Mirba I, to tell the people within Arafat: “Stay where you are, for you are following the legacy of your father Ibrahim S.”13 The Prophet ﷺ informed them that Wuquf on the 9th Dhul Hijjah can be carried out anywhere within the confines of Arafat. He said: “I have stood here and all of Arafat is a place of standing.”14
Dua of the Prophet
A pilgrim making du’a
He then raised his hands in supplication and began to implore and beseech Allah from midday until the sun had set, all the while seated on his camel. When the Prophet ﷺ supplicated, he would raise his hands to the level of his chest in a similar manner to a needy person pleading for provision. At one point, his camel became unsettled and the rein fell off. He picked it up with one hand while his other hand was raised in supplication.15
The Prophet ﷺ supplicated for himself and his Ummah and declared that du’a made on the Day of Arafat is the best of supplications. Amr ibn Shu’aib narrates from his grandfather that the Prophet ﷺ said:
The best of supplication is the supplication of the Day of Arafat. And the best of what I and the Prophets before me have said is:
لَآ إِلٰهَ إِلاَّ اللّٰهُ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ ❁
Lā ilāha illa Llāh, waḥdahu lā sharīka lah, lahu l-mulku wa lahu l-ḥamd, wa huwa ʿalā kulli shay’in qadīr.
None has the right to be worshipped but Allah, alone without partner. To Him belongs all that exists, and to Him is the praise, and He is powerful over all things.16
Another narration from Ali I affixes the following du’a to the previous supplication:
اللّٰهُمَّ اجْعَلْ فِي قَلْبِي نُورَاً وَفِي سَمْعِي نُورَاً وَفِي بَصَرِي نُورَاً اللّٰهُمَّ اشْرَحْ لِي صَدْرِي وَيَسِّرْ لِي أَمْرِي وَأَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ وَسَاوِسِ الصُّدُورِ وَشَتَاتِ الْأَمْرِ وَفِتْنَةِ الْقَبْرِ اللّٰهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ شَرِّ مَا يَلِجُ فِي اللَّيْلِ وَشَرِّ مَا يَلِجُ فِي النَّهَارِ وَشَرِّ مَا تَهِبُّ بِهِ الرِّيَاحُ ❁
O Allah, enlighten my heart, enlighten my hearing and enlighten my sight. O Allah, open up my heart and make my matters easy for me. O Allah, I seek your protection from the insinuations of the heart, from disorder in matters and from the evil of the tribulations of the grave. O Allah, I seek your protection from the evil that occurs during the night and the evil that occurs during the day and the evil that comes with the wind.17
Describing the supplication the Prophet ﷺ made for his Ummah, al-Abbas ibn Mirdas al-Sulami I narrates:
The Prophet ﷺ, during the latter part of the day of Arafat, supplicated abundantly for the forgiveness of the Ummah. Allah informed the Prophet ﷺ: ‘I have accepted your supplication but I will not forgive the oppressors.’ The Prophet ﷺ pleaded ‘O my Lord, You have the ability to give the oppressed greater reward for their suffering at the hands of the oppressor, so forgive the oppressor.’ However, that part of the supplication wasn’t accepted that evening but was accepted after the Prophet ﷺ repeated the supplication at Muzdalifah.’18
