(Continued)
He then stopped reciting the Talbiyah (pilgrimage related chant). He returned to Mina, and addressed the people with an amazing sermon in which he informed them about the sanctity of the Day of An-Nahr (slaughtering sacrifice), its superiority in the sight of Allah, and the sanctity of Makkah over all other towns. He further ordered people to hearken and obey the rulers who lead them according to the Book of Allah. He ordered the people to learn the ceremonies of Hajj from him. He further commanded the people not to apostate after his death by striking each other’s necks. He also commanded that his speech should be conveyed to those who were absent.
He asked in his sermon: “Do you know what day is today?” The people said, “Allah and His Messenger know best.” He remained silent until they thought that he might give the day another name. He asked: “Is it not the Day of An-Nahr [slaughtering sacrifice]?” The people said, “It is so.” He further asked: “Which month is this?”The people said, “Allah and His Messenger know best.” He then remained silent until they thought that he might give it another name. He then asked: “Is it not the month of Thul-Hijjah?” The people replied, “Yes, it is so.” He further asked: “What town is this?” The people replied, “Allah and His Messenger know best.” He remained silent until they thought that he might give it another name. He then said, “Is not it the Sacred Town?” The people said, “Yes, it is so.” He then said: “Indeed, your blood and your property are sacred [and inviolable] to one another just like the sanctity of this day of yours, in this month of yours, in this town of yours, till the day you meet your Lord. Have I not reported [to you the message of Allah]?” The people said, “Yes.” He said: “O Allah, be witness! Let the present report to the absent; an informed person is perhaps more comprehending than an attendee. Beware! Do not turn into apostates after my death by striking each other’s necks.”
He then went to the place of sacrifice and slaughtered sixty-three camels with his own hands, and they were equal to the number of the years of his life. He stopped and asked ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, to slaughter the rest of the one hundred camels. When the Messenger of Allah, , completed slaughtering his sacrificial camels, he called for a shaver and had his head shaved, and then he distributed his hair among those who were by his side.
Then, he rode down to Makkah and performed the Ifaadhah Tawaaf, and performed Thuhr prayer in Makkah. He came to the sons of ‘Abd-Al-Muttalib, who were supplying water to the people at the well of Zamzam. He said to them: “Draw water, O sons of ‘Abd-Al-Muttalib. Had it not been for the fact that people would overpower you in your right of supplying water, I would have drawn it with you.”They gave him a bucket full of water from which he drank. [Muslim]
On that day he returned to Mina and spent the night there. When it was morning, he waited until the sun had declined, and when it declined, he walked to the Jimaar (to throw pebbles), and started with the first Jamrah, then the middle Jamrah, and concluded with the third Jamrah, i.e. Jamrat Al-‘Aqabah.
He addressed the people with two sermons at Mina: the first was on the Day of An-Nahr, and the other on the day following the Day of An-Nahr, that is, the day of the first Nafr (departure), in which he stressed upon some of his commandments in the sermons he delivered on the Day of ‘Arafah and the Day of An-Nahr at Mina. Repeating the sermons in the Farewell Hajj was necessary to satisfy the dire need of the Muslims, as it was the only Hajj performed by the Messenger of Allah, , at a time when Islam and the Muslims had become powerful, honored and influential throughout the entire Peninsula.
Furthermore, in it he bade farewell to all the Muslims. This is why the Muslims in that great scene were in dire need of being reminded and advised. It was also necessary to repeat and confirm the speech that carried his instructions and teachings to help them understand and memorize them forever. They also had to be asked to convey the message to others and to fulfill the trust.
The Messenger of Allah, , did not leave until the end of the three days of Tashreeq during which he completed throwing pebbles. Then, he went to Makkah where he performed the farewell Tawaaf at night, a short while before dawn. He then commanded the people to leave and he proceeded on to Madeenah.
On his return from the Farewell Hajj, the Messenger of Allah, , addressed the people with a sermon at the brook of Khumm near Juhfah on the eighteenth day of Thul-Hijjah, in which he said:
O people, I am a human being. I am about to receive a messenger [i.e. the angel of death] from my Lord, and I will respond to the call of Allah. I am leaving for you heavy matters: the first is the Book of Allah; in it there is guidance and light. So, follow the Book of Allah and adhere to it. [Then he said]: And [as for the] members of my family, I remind you [to be conscious] of Allah regarding the members of my family. I remind you [to be conscious] of Allah regarding the members of my family. I remind you [to be conscious] of Allah regarding the members of my family. [Muslim]
According to another narration, he took hold of the hand of ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, and said: “Whoever takes me as an ally should take this [i.e., ‘Ali] for an ally. O Allah, whoever takes him [‘Ali] for an ally be an ally of, and be an enemy of whoever takes him as an enemy.”[An-Nasaa’i] According to another version of this, he said: “I am an ally of whoever takes ‘Ali for an ally.”
‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, had come from Yemen and had performed the Farewell Hajj. Complaints were made by some soldiers against him under the pretext that he dealt with them harshly, for he took from them some suites that had been given to them by his vice governor. The Prophet, , showed them at the brook of Khumm the high rank of ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, and drew their attention to his superiority so that they would desist from complaining, because ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, was right when he took back from them the suites that had been given to them by his vice governor in his absence, as they were from the property that was assigned to charity and the one-fifth (the booty assigned to Allah and His Messenger).
When the Messenger of Allah, , arrived in Thul-Hulayfah, he spent the night there. When he saw Madeenah, he magnified Allah thrice and said: “Laa ilaaha ilaa Allah wahdahu laa shareeka lah, lahul mulk wa lahul hamd wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer. Aayiboon, ‘aabidoon, saajidoon, li rabbina haamidoon. Sadaq Allahu wa’dah wa nasara Abdah wa hazamal ahzaab wahdah. [There is none worthy of worship except Allah; He is One and has no partner. His is the dominion, and praise is to Him, and He has power over all things. We are returning as repenting, worshipping, prostrating, and praising our Lord. He has proved true to His promise, made His slave victorious, and He Alone defeated the confederates (of disbelievers)].” Then, he entered Madeenah by day.