Hajjat al-Wadāʿ · 10 AH (632 CE)
The Prophet’s Hajj
What the Messenger of Allah ﷺ actually did — drawn from the long ḥadīth of Jābir ibn ʿAbdullāh in Sahih Muslim 1218, with supporting narrations from Sahih al-Bukhārī. Every act cited.
Why this matters
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Take your rituals from me — for I do not know if I will perform Hajj after this year.” (Sahih Muslim 1297). Every step of the Hajj you are about to perform is modelled on what he did. The full account is preserved in the long ḥadīth of Jābir ibn ʿAbdullāh — the canonical source for the rites of Hajj.
The journey out
1
Setting out from Madīnah · 25 Dhul-Qaʿdah 10 AH
The Prophet ﷺ stayed nine years in Madīnah without performing Hajj. In the tenth year he announced he would perform Hajj, and the whole of Arabia gathered to travel with him.
- Departure: Saturday, 25 Dhul-Qaʿdah 10 AH — riding his she-camel al-Qaṣwāʾ.
- Reached Dhul-Ḥulayfah at the end of the day, prayed there, and spent the night.
- The companions with him: Jābir says “the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was in our midst, and the Qurʾān was descending upon him; he knew its meaning, and we did whatever he did.”
Source: Sahih Muslim 1218.
2
Iḥrām at the Miqāt · Dhul-Ḥulayfah (Bi’r ʿAlī)
- Bathed (ghusl) before iḥrām.
- Perfumed himself before iḥrām. ʿĀʾishah (raḍiyallāhu ʿanhā) recalled later: “It is as if I am still looking at the sheen of perfume in the parting of the Prophet’s hair while he was in iḥrām” (Sahih al-Bukhārī 271).
- Wore two cloths: the wrapped lower garment (izār) and the upper sheet (ridāʾ).
- Prayed two rakʿahs of Ẓuhr at the masjid in Dhul-Ḥulayfah.
- Made the niyyah and called the Talbiyah aloud. He was performing Qirān (Hajj + ʿUmrah combined under one iḥrām, with sacrificial animals): “Labbayka Allāhumma bi-ḥajjatin wa-ʿumratin maʿan.”
- Continued the Talbiyah audibly as he proceeded — his companions raising their voices in the same call.
The Talbiyah
لَبَّيْكَ اللَّهُمَّ لَبَّيْكَ، لَبَّيْكَ لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ لَبَّيْكَ، إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ وَالنِّعْمَةَ لَكَ وَالْمُلْكَ، لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ
“Here I am O Allah, here I am. Here I am, You have no partner, here I am. Indeed all praise, grace, and dominion are Yours. You have no partner.” (Sahih al-Bukhārī 1549, Sahih Muslim 1184.)
Arrival in Makkah · the ʿUmrah of Qirān
3
Entering Makkah · the first sight of the Kaʿbah
- Entered Makkah from its upper side on the morning of 4 Dhul-Ḥijjah (Sahih al-Bukhārī 1577). The narration says only “from its upper side”; traditional sīrah works identify this as Kadāʾ, near the cemetery of al-Ḥajūn — but that specific naming is not in 1577 itself.
- Went straight to the Ḥaram, not to a hotel or a meal first. The Tawāf is the greeting of the Masjid al-Ḥarām — the two greeting rakʿahs are not prayed before Tawāf.
- On first seeing the Kaʿbah, raised his hands. No fixed verbal duʿā is reliably narrated for this exact moment; he and the companions prayed from the heart. (Many later transmissions of a specific “Allāhumma zid hādhā-l-bayta tashrīfan…” have weak chains and are not used here.)
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Ṭawāf al-Qudūm · the arrival ṭawāf
- Started at the Black Stone, kissed it, said “Allāhu akbar.” When the crowd was heavy he would touch it with his hand or his staff and kiss what touched it; if even that was not possible, he gestured from a distance with “Allāhu akbar” once at the start of each circuit (Sahih al-Bukhārī 1611, 1612).
- Iḍṭibāʿ: his right shoulder bare for the entire ṭawāf — the upper sheet under the right armpit, draped over the left shoulder.
- Ramal in the first three rounds: brisk, energetic walking with shoulders thrown back. The remaining four rounds at normal pace. (Originally to show strength to the polytheists watching; he kept the practice afterwards as a permanent Sunnah.)
- Touched only the Black Stone (kissed) and the Yamānī Corner (touched). The other two corners — Iraqi (Shāmī) and the next — are not part of the original Ibrāhīmī foundation, so he did not touch them.
- Between the Yamānī Corner and the Black Stone he recited Q 2:201:
Between the Yamānī Corner and the Black Stone
رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
“Our Lord, give us good in this world and good in the next, and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.” (Quran 2:201; said in this place per Sahih Muslim 1218 and Sunan Abī Dāwūd 1892.)
5
After ṭawāf · two rakʿahs at Maqām Ibrāhīm and Zamzam
- Stood behind Maqām Ibrāhīm reciting “Wa-ttakhidhū min Maqāmi Ibrāhīma muṣallā” — “And take from the standing-place of Ibrāhīm a place of prayer” (Q 2:125).
- Prayed two rakʿahs: in the first Sūrat al-Kāfirūn (Q 109), in the second Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ (Q 112).
- Returned to the Black Stone and kissed it again before going out to Ṣafā.
- Drank Zamzam standing, faced the Qiblah, drank deeply, and poured some over his head.
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Saʿy · between Ṣafā and Marwa
- Approached Ṣafā reciting Q 2:158: “Indeed Ṣafā and Marwa are among the symbols of Allah…” Then said: “Abdaʾu bimā badaʾallāhu bih” (“I begin with what Allah began with”) — beginning the Saʿy at Ṣafā.
- Climbed Ṣafā until he could see the Kaʿbah. Faced the Qiblah, raised his hands.
- Recited the takbīr/tahlīl supplication three times, with personal duʿā between each repetition.
- Walked down toward Marwa, jogging briskly through the valley between what are now the green markers (where ramal-on-foot is sunnah for men); walked normally on either side.
- Repeated the same ritual atop Marwa.
- Seven trips total: Ṣafā → Marwa = 1, Marwa → Ṣafā = 2, … ending on Marwa.
Atop Ṣafā and Marwa (×3 each peak)
اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ، اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ ⸱ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ ⸱ لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ ⸱ يُحْيِي وَيُمِيتُ ⸱ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ ⸱ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ ⸱ أَنْجَزَ وَعْدَهُ ⸱ وَنَصَرَ عَبْدَهُ ⸱ وَهَزَمَ الْأَحْزَابَ وَحْدَهُ
“Allah is greatest (×3). There is no god but Allah alone, no partner with Him; His is the dominion and praise; He gives life and death; He has power over everything. There is no god but Allah alone — He fulfilled His promise, supported His servant, and defeated the confederates alone.” Said three times at each peak across all seven trips, with personal duʿā between each repetition. (Sahih Muslim 1218.)
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He stayed in iḥrām · ordered Tamattuʿ for those without sacrifice
The Prophet ﷺ had brought sacrificial animals with him — so he could not exit iḥrām until the Day of Sacrifice. He was performing Qirān (Hajj + ʿUmrah combined under a single iḥrām). But for the companions who had not brought sacrifice he gave a firm order:
“Whoever did not bring his sacrifice, let him exit iḥrām and consider [what he just performed] an ʿUmrah.” Some companions were uneasy — combining Hajj and ʿUmrah was unfamiliar — so he repeated, sharpening: “If I had known what I know now, I would not have brought my sacrifice; and if I did not have it with me, I would have exited iḥrām with you.” (Sahih Muslim 1218; Sahih al-Bukhārī 1568.)
This is the foundation for the three forms of Hajj: Tamattuʿ (ʿUmrah, exit, then re-enter for Hajj on 8 Dhul-Ḥijjah — what the majority of the companions did, and what your group will do), Qirān (combined under one iḥrām with a sacrifice — the Prophet’s own form), and Ifrād (Hajj only).
The five days of Hajj
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8 Dhul-Ḥijjah · Yawm al-Tarwiyah · move to Minā
- After sunrise on the 8th, the Prophet ﷺ rode to Minā with the companions.
- At Minā he prayed Ẓuhr, ʿAṣr, Maghrib, ʿIshāʾ, and the next day’s Fajr — the four-rakʿah prayers shortened to two (qaṣr), but not joined. Maghrib was prayed in three rakʿahs as normal.
- He stayed overnight at Minā until after Fajr the next morning.
Source: Sahih Muslim 1218. The Prophet did not rush to ʿArafah on the 8th; the night at Minā is itself part of the Sunnah.
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9 Dhul-Ḥijjah · Yawm ʿArafah · the Sermon and the Standing
- After Fajr at Minā, with the sun just risen, he set off toward ʿArafah. The companions around him chanted Talbiyah; others chanted Takbīr; he did not object to either.
- Stopped at Namirah — a tent had been pitched there for him, just outside the boundary of ʿArafah. He stayed inside until the sun passed its zenith.
- At Zawāl, mounted al-Qaṣwāʾ and rode down to the bottom of Wādī ʿUranah, where he addressed the people from the camel’s back.
- Delivered the Khuṭbat al-Wadāʿ — the Farewell Sermon (see step 16 below).
- Then prayed Ẓuhr + ʿAṣr combined and shortened — one adhān, two iqāmahs, two rakʿahs each. He did not pray any sunnah in between.
- Then proceeded into ʿArafah proper, faced the Qiblah, and stood near the rocks at the foot of the Mountain of Mercy (Jabal al-Raḥmah). Standing anywhere within the ʿArafah boundary is valid; climbing the mountain is not required and not Sunnah.
- Stayed standing in supplication, riding al-Qaṣwāʾ, until sunset — raising his hands like a beggar standing before his Lord.
- The duʿā he is reported to have repeated most often that day:
The best of duʿās · Day of ʿArafah
لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ، وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
“There is no god but Allah alone, no partner with Him. To Him belongs all dominion and praise; He has power over everything.” The Prophet ﷺ said: “The best of duʿās is the duʿā of the day of ʿArafah, and the best of what I and the prophets before me have said is: this.” (Jāmiʿ al-Tirmidhī 3585, ḥasan.)
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9 Dhul-Ḥijjah · sunset · the Sakīnah departure
- At sunset, the Prophet ﷺ left ʿArafah riding al-Qaṣwāʾ. He did not pray Maghrib at ʿArafah — Maghrib is combined with ʿIshāʾ at Muzdalifah.
- He kept his she-camel’s reins so tightly that her head almost touched the saddle — moving slowly, with composure.
- When he saw people rushing he said: “O people, as-Sakīnah, as-Sakīnah!” (“Calmness, calmness!”)
Source: Sahih al-Bukhārī 1671 and Sahih Muslim 1218 (the long Jābir narration).
11
Night of 9–10 · Muzdalifah
- Arrived at Muzdalifah and prayed Maghrib + ʿIshāʾ combined — one adhān, two iqāmahs (Maghrib three rakʿahs, ʿIshāʾ shortened to two).
- Slept until Fajr. No supererogatory prayers between Maghrib and Fajr that night.
- Prayed Fajr early, while it was still dark.
- Came to the Mashʿar al-Ḥarām, faced the Qiblah, made duʿā, takbīr, and tahlīl, until the sky was bright.
- Departed before sunrise.
- Concession: he allowed the weak — women, children, the elderly — to leave Muzdalifah after midnight, ahead of the crush.
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10 Dhul-Ḥijjah · Yawm al-Naḥr · stoning, sacrifice, ḥalq, ṭawāf
- Stoned Jamrat al-ʿAqabah with seven small pebbles, one at a time, saying “Allāhu akbar” with each. He stood with the Kaʿbah on his left and Minā on his right.
- Stopped reciting the Talbiyah with the first pebble — this is the moment Talbiyah ends.
- Sacrificed one hundred camels — sixty-three with his own blessed hand (corresponding to the years of his life), the remaining thirty-seven by ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib (raḍiyallāhu ʿanhu).
- Shaved his head completely (ḥalq). He turned the right side of his head first, then the left, and distributed his blessed hair to the companions.
- Then exited iḥrām partially — perfume and normal clothes were now permitted; only conjugal relations remained restricted until after Ṭawāf al-Ifāḍah.
- Went to Makkah and performed Ṭawāf al-Ifāḍah. No ramal, no iḍṭibāʿ this time — he was no longer in iḥrām.
- Drank Zamzam after.
- Returned to Minā by night.
The order — stone → sacrifice → shave → ṭawāf — is the Sunnah. Reordering is permissible by concession; the Prophet ﷺ said that day: “Do, and there is no harm.” (Sahih al-Bukhārī 83.)
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11–12 Dhul-Ḥijjah · the Days of Tashrīq
- Stayed at Minā for the nights of 10, 11, and 12.
- Each day after Zawāl (when the sun passed its zenith), he stoned the three jamarāt in order: al-Ṣughrā → al-Wusṭā → al-ʿAqabah, seven pebbles at each, takbīr with each.
- After al-Ṣughrā: walked past, faced the Qiblah, raised his hands, made long duʿā — “for as long as the recitation of Sūrat al-Baqarah,” according to the description of the companions.
- After al-Wusṭā: the same — past, face Qiblah, raise hands, long duʿā.
- After al-ʿAqabah: just left. No facing the Qiblah, no duʿā, no waiting.
Source: Sahih al-Bukhārī 1751 (Ibn ʿUmar describing the Prophet’s exact pattern). The asymmetry — long duʿā after the first two, none after the last — is itself the Sunnah.
14
Ṭawāf al-Wadāʿ · the farewell ṭawāf
- His last act before leaving Makkah was a final ṭawāf at the Kaʿbah — seven rounds, no Saʿy, no iḥrām.
- He commanded:
“No one should leave [Makkah] until his last act is at the House — except a menstruating woman, who is excused.” (Sahih Muslim 1327; Sahih al-Bukhārī 1755.)
After Wadāʿ he did not return to the Kaʿbah — he set out for Madīnah.
Khuṭbat al-Wadāʿ · The Farewell Sermon
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The Farewell Sermon · 9 Dhul-Ḥijjah at Wādī ʿUranah
From the back of his she-camel at Wādī ʿUranah, the Prophet ﷺ addressed the people. Selections from authentic narrations (Sahih Muslim 1218, Sahih al-Bukhārī 1739 / 1741, with supplementing chains in Musnad Aḥmad and the Sunan):
Sanctity of life, property, honour
“Verily your blood, your property, and your honour are as sacred to one another as the sanctity of this day of yours, in this month of yours, in this city of yours. Have I conveyed [the message]? — O Allah, bear witness.”
Abolishing ribā (interest)
“Every form of usury (ribā) of the days of ignorance is now abolished — and the first ribā I abolish is that of my uncle al-ʿAbbās ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib. The whole of it is abolished.”
Abolishing blood-vendettas of the Jāhiliyyah
“Every claim of blood from the days of ignorance is under my feet — and the first claim I cancel is that of [the kinsman of] Rabīʿah ibn al-Ḥārith ibn ʿAbd al-Muṭṭalib.” By naming his own family first he made clear that no clan, however close, was above the new law.
On women
“Fear Allah regarding women. You have rights over them, and they have rights over you. Treat them well — for you have taken them as a trust from Allah, and have made their bodies lawful by the word of Allah.”
On equality
“O people, your Lord is one and your father is one. There is no superiority of an Arab over a non-Arab, nor of a non-Arab over an Arab; nor of a white over a black, nor of a black over a white — except by taqwā (God-consciousness).” (Reported in Musnad Aḥmad across several chains; specific hadith number varies by edition. Editor’s note — see review block below.)
Time has returned to its origin
“Time has come back to the same shape it was in on the day Allah created the heavens and the earth. The year is twelve months, of which four are sacred: three in succession — Dhul-Qaʿdah, Dhul-Ḥijjah, and Muḥarram — and Rajab of Muḍar, which lies between Jumādā and Shaʿbān.” (Sahih al-Bukhārī 4662.)
What is left behind
“I have left among you that which, if you hold fast to it, you will never go astray after me — the Book of Allah.” (Sahih Muslim 1218.)
The witnessing
“Have I conveyed [the message]?” The people answered: “You have.” Then he raised his finger to the sky and back down to them, three times, saying: “O Allah, bear witness. O Allah, bear witness. O Allah, bear witness.” (Sahih Muslim 1218.)
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The completion verse · revealed at ʿArafah that day
While the Prophet ﷺ stood on ʿArafah, on a Friday, Allah revealed:
الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِينًا
“This day I have perfected for you your religion, completed My favour upon you, and approved Islam as your religion.” (Quran 5:3)
ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (raḍiyallāhu ʿanhu) wept on hearing this verse, recognizing that the perfection of the religion was a sign that the Prophet’s mission was nearing its end. The Prophet ﷺ returned to Madīnah after the Hajj and passed away approximately three months later, in Rabīʿ al-Awwal of 11 AH.
“Take your rituals from me — for I do not know if I will perform Hajj after this year.”
Sahih Muslim 1297
Editor’s notes · items for scholarly review
What has been verified: every sunnah.com URL above resolves and the cited content was spot-checked against the live page. The general structure of the Prophet’s Hajj is drawn directly from the long ḥadīth of Jābir (Sahih Muslim 1218) and supporting Bukhārī narrations.
The following items are reported in authentic chains but warrant a knowledgeable reader’s confirmation before being publicly quoted:
- The English phrasing of the Farewell Sermon excerpts above is the editor’s rendering — not a verbatim translation from a published edition. Compare against an authoritative translation (USC-MSA, Darussalam) for direct quotation.
- The “no Arab over non-Arab” equality wording is well-attested in multiple Musnad Aḥmad narrations; the specific hadith number varies by printed edition.
- Day-of-week and date specifics from Jābir’s narration — Saturday 25 Dhul-Qaʿdah departure, “nine years in Madīnah” without Hajj, the “63 + 37 camels” sacrifice split, “for as long as the recitation of Sūrat al-Baqarah” for Tashrīq duʿā duration, “Friday at ʿArafah” for the revelation of Q 5:3 — are reported in authentic chains; minor variations exist between transmissions.
- The Multazam practice (in the duʿā collection as haj-046) is graded hasan here on the basis of Sunan Ibn Mājah 2962 + companion-practice support. Some scholars classify the Ibn Mājah chain as weak. Confirm grading with a knowledgeable imam.
- Traditional sīrah works name the Prophet’s entry-point into Makkah as Kadāʾ, near al-Ḥajūn; Bukhārī 1577 itself says only “the upper side.” Use the named landmark with appropriate qualification.
