Spending only part of the night in Muzdalifa while on Hajj

18/10/2009| IslamWeb

Question: I am going for Haj this year, insha Allah with a group. For Rami al Aqaba al-kubra, they do not want us to sleep the whole night in Muzdalifa then go to do Rami al-Aqba al-kobra at the morning. They want to move us after midnight from al Muzdalifa and do Ramiah al-Aqaba-alkobra around 1 or 2, go for Sai and Tawaf before Fajr. What should I do? Should I go with them or should I stay the whole night in Muzdalifa? If I go with them, is there Fedia ( blood ) or not? For your information, I have my wife with me and we are young (30 years old).

Fatwa: All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad , is His slave and Messenger.

Overnight staying at Muzdalifah is an obligation. This is the viewpoint of the majority of the Muslims scholars, and the four known Imams are among them. They differed on pinpointing the compulsory period of time one should stay there. Imam Shafi's and Imam Ahmad's view point is that spending the first half of the night is compulsory for the one who comes there before midnight. If one can not do this, it is sufficient for him to stay for one hour only in the second half of the night. Imam Malik said: 'A little halt at any time of night is enough.' Thereupon, if you halt a while in Muzdalifah and leave it after midnight then you have fulfilled your obligation, especially if you are performing Hajj with your wife. Staying the whole night till the Fajar (dawn) time is Sunnah for whoever does not face hardship in his stay. If you and your wife are not facing any problems, it is better for you to stay the whole night in Muzdalifa, and then to pelt with the pebbles after the Sunrise, because the Prophet Muhammad (Blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) practiced that in this way.

Allah Knows best.