Hajj - Place by Place
The Hajj events are now explained as the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) performed them during his farewell pilgrimage. In this section we address the required actions for each place, followed in the next section by the actual Hajj performance day by day:
Mina
The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) did the following in Mina:
8th Dhul-Hijja
He performed Salatul Dhuhr (2 rak'at); Asr (2 rak'at); Maghrib (normal); and Eshaa (2 rak'at), not joined.
He spent the night here.
9th Dhul-Hijja
He performed Salatul Fajr and left for Arafat after sunrise.
10th Dhul-Hijja
He left Arafat after sunset and spent the night in Muzdalifah and left for Mina before sunrise.
He performed ramy (casting of pebbles) of the big jamrah; followed by the sacrifice; followed by shaving of his head; and then proceeded to Makkah to perform Tawaaf-al-Ifadah; and returned to Mina and performed the noon prayer.
On the 10th, the preferred order of actions is:
- Throwing the seven stones at jamrah Aqaba.
- Slaughtering the sacrificial animal, if applicable.
- Shaving the head (or shortening the hair).
- Performing Tawaaf-al-Ifadah (and sa'ee for Hajj, if applicable).
If a pilgrim does not follow the prescribed order there is no harm:
Narrated 'Abdullah bin Amr bin Al 'Aas (may Allah be pleased with him): "The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) stopped (for a while near the jimar) at Mina during his last hajj for the people and they were asking him questions. A man said, ‘I forgot and had my head shaved before slaughtering the Hady’. ‘The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) said: ‘There is no harm, go and do the slaughtering now.’ ‘Then another person came and said, ‘I forgot and slaughtered before the ramy.’ The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) said, ‘Do the ramy now and there is no harm.’ The narrator added: ‘So on that day, when the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) was asked about anything (as regards the ceremonies) of Hajj performed before or after its due time, his reply was: ‘Do it (now) and there is no harm’." (Bukhari)
11th – 13th Dhul-Hijja
11th - After zawaal he performed ramy of all three jamr'at starting at the small one and finishing at the big one and making supplication after ramy of the small and middle ones only.
12th - He did exactly the same as on the previous day.
13th - He did exactly the same as on the previous day and then proceeded to Makkah.
Some other important points regarding Mina
"And remember Allah during the appointed days. But whosoever hastens to leave in two days, there is no sin on him and whosoever stays on, there is no sin on him, if his aim is to do good and obey Allah (fear Him), and know that you will be surely gathered unto Him."
Surah al-Baqarah (2:203)
If you plan to leave Mina on the 12th, you should do so before sunset. If you are still in Mina after sunset you should stay until the 13th. However if you are in the process of leaving and are stuck in the traffic you may still leave even if it is after sunset. The rule is basically that you cannot decide to leave after sunset.
The prayers in Mina are shortened but not joined. (Dhuhr, Asr & Eshaa = 2 rak'at each) for all the days you are there, 8th, 10th - 13th.
The sunnah for Salatul-Fajr should be performed.
Salatul-Witr should be performed.
You do not have to face Qiblah while throwing the jamr'at. However, you need to turn to face Qiblah to make dua at the small and middle jamr'at. Move out of the jamr'at vicinity as soon as you are finished with your ramy.
The 10th day is Al-Yaum-un-Nahr and is not counted as part of the days of tashreek. This day is Eid day for all the non-pilgrims. The pilgrim does not have any Eid obligations, even though many pilgrims rush to Makkah to “catch” the Eid salah. This is not required.
Arafat
The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) left for Arafat on the morning of the 9th (a Friday) where he stopped at the valley of Uranah. A tent had been set up for him at Namirah, where he rested until the sun had passed the meridian.
When the sun had declined he mounted his she-camel al-Qaswa and went down into the valley, where he delivered the Khutbah (speech).
After the Khutbah, Bilal pronounced adhaan and the iqaama. The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) led the Dhuhr prayer, performing only two rak'at without reciting aloud, although it was Friday. It is therefore concluded from this action that the prayer offered was not the two rak'at salah of the Friday prayer but the Dhuhr prayer for a traveller. Immediately afterwards Bilal again recited the iqaama, and the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) led the Asr prayer, performing again only two rak'at. No voluntary prayers were offered between these two prayers. And even those among the residents of Makkah joined the other pilgrims in shortening and combining the two prayers.
After the prayers the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) went to the plain of Arafat. Standing near the rocks at the foot of the hill, he said:
"I stand here, but the whole of Arafat is a standing place." (Muslim)
Therefore there is no requirement to be near or climb on top of Jabal-Rahmah (Mount of Mercy).
The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) then faced Qiblah, and raising his hands up to the level of his chest, he supplicated earnestly until sunset. He informed the people that the best supplication is that of the day of Arafat and the best which he and the other prophets before him have said is:
لا إِلهَ إِلاَّ الله ُوَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيْكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيءٍ قَدِيرٌ
"Laa illaha illallahu wahdahu laa shareekalah lahulmulk wa lahulhamdu wahuwa alaa kullishayin qadeer."
“None has the right to be worshipped except Allah, alone, without partner. To Him belongs all praise and sovereignty and He is over all things omnipotent.”
(Ahmad & Tirmidhi)
Some other points of importance regarding Arafat
All pilgrims MUST be on Arafat on the 9th of Dhul-Hijja.
Without this rite, Hajj is not valid.
This rite cannot be done on any other day nor is there expiation if it is missed.
The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) was asked about Hajj and he said:
"The Hajj is Arafat..." (Tirmidhi, Ahmad & Abu Dawud)
This day is one of the most blessed days. It is narrated:
"On no other day does Allah set free as many of His servants from the Fire as on the day of Arafat. On that day He is face to face with His Servants and is proud before the angels of the pilgrims and says, ‘What is it they want?’" (Muslim)
Pilgrims MUST NOT fast on Arafat day. Only non-pilgrims are encouraged to fast on this day.
If you are inside masjid Namirah (mosque in Arafat), be aware that there is a large portion of the mosque (front portion) that is outside the boundary of Arafat. It is acceptable to be in this area during the Khutbah. However, you must move into the precincts of Arafat afterwards. There are clear signs inside the mosque. Once again, do not follow the crowd. You MUST ensure that YOU are in Arafat.
Pilgrims, this is the day you have come for. Allah has “widened” the day for you by removing all fardh obligations for you from Dhuhr until Eshaa. It is therefore important that you follow the sunnah and join the Dhuhr and Asr prayers, regardless of where you are located in Arafat.
Some people believe that if they are not in Masjid Namira, they cannot join their prayers in the tents. This is not correct!
This is where the radio is useful, as you can listen to the khutbah on the radio, if you are too far from the mosque. Hopefully there is someone in the group that understands Arabic that can translate it for the camp.
Lunch is normally served after the salah. Do not waste too much time eating. You only have a few hours at your disposal.
The time of wuqoof (meaning the time to supplicate), only starts AFTER the performance of Salatul-Dhuhr and Asr (joined). This is a very important point as many pilgrims who arrive very early (after Fajr) at Arafat, spend a lot of time in the morning supplicating and dhikr, tasbih, etc. By the afternoon they are tired and spend most of their time sleeping. The afternoon, until sunset, is the time of Arafat, and not in the morning. It is better to rest or sleep in the morning if you so wish.
My fellow Muslims, do not sleep, supplicate...
- Seek Allah's Forgiveness, Mercy and Blessings;
- Ask what your heart desires;
- For your parents and children;
- For relatives and friends;
- For the general Muslim communities;
- For the Ummah
- For the Muslims in troubled countries;
- Make istighfaar;
- etc.
In the late afternoon, it is very nice to stand outside the tent and supplicate.
Arafat is not a picnic, this is the day you’ve been planning and waiting for!
If you think about it, all the money spent, time and effort was for this time. So let us say you paid £5000.00 for your trip, and there are five hours from Dhuhr until sunset. That means each hour is 'worth' £1000.00. So if you spend one hour eating and one hour sleeping or chatting, then that would be your most expensive lunch or nap you would ever have. Get the point?
Nafarah
This is the term used for the movement of pilgrims from Arafat after sunset.
It is wajib to stay in Arafat until after sunset.
Maghrib salah is NOT performed in Arafat, unless you are still there at midnight.
Do not push or rush as the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) ordered the people to be calm and patient:
"O people, be calm. Hastening is not a sign of righteousness." (Bukhari & Muslim)
Before departing from Arafat, use the toilets, no matter how “bad” they are. Also perform wudhu as you will be performing salah once you reach Muzdalifah. Although there are many toilets and wudhu facilities in Muzdalifah, they are extremely crowded at most times.
The journey to Muzdalifah could be short or very, very, very long. Be patient.
Keep some drinking water and biscuits with you on the bus.
Muzdalifah
When the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) reached Muzdalifah, he made ablution. Then the adhaan and iqaama were pronounced, and he offered the Maghrib salah followed by the Eshaa salah after the iqaama was pronounced again. The Eshaa salah was shortened to two rak'at and no voluntary prayers were offered between Maghrib and Eshaa.
After the prayers the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) lay down until dawn. Many books teach the pilgrim to stay up on this night and spend it in supplication. The authentic proof is that it is to be spent in rest or sleep, as the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) did.
After the moon had set, he sent the weak among his family (women and children) to Mina. There are numerous ahadith narrated by Muslim and Bukhari regarding the issue about the weak and aged leaving Muzdalifah early. At the same time the ahadith clearly indicate that the young and able should spend the night in Muzdalifah. (The time indicated here is generally agreed to be, between midnight and Fajr).
The Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) got up at dawn and led the congregational Fajr salah. He then mounted al-Qaswa and went to al-Mash'ar-il-Haram, where he faced Qiblah and made supplication.
"...Then when you leave Arafat, remember Allah at the Mash'ar-il-Haram. And remember Him as He has guided you, and verily, you were, before, of those who were astray. Then depart from the place whence all the people depart and ask Allah for His Forgiveness. Truly, Allah is Oft-Forgiving, Most-Merciful."
Surah al-Baqarah (2:198-199)
Once again, as with Arafat, it is not a requirement for all pilgrims to be at this very place as the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) said:
"I am standing here, but the whole of Muzdalifah is a place of standing." (Muslim)
With all this evidence, we are sure that there should be no more doubt or confusion as to where you are supposed to be after Arafat and for how long...
Some other important points regarding Muzdalifah
You need not collect your stones here, as it is acceptable to collect them in Mina, and there is no obligation to collect them in Muzdalifah. However due to the new paving in the camps in Mina it is more difficult to obtain stones there. So if you have time and a torchlight, collect your stones.
If you have not reached Muzdalifah by midnight, then you should perform the prayers at the place you are, if possible, as you will pass the end time for Eshaa salah. Many times you may still be in Arafat or in the bus stuck in the traffic.
Sleep. The next day has a very hectic agenda, so rest. When the light of dawn was very clear, the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) departed quickly before the sun rose. When they arrived at the valley of Muhassir he increased his camel's pace, hastening through the valley.
This is the only place throughout the Hajj that you will be able to see so many of the pilgrims (in Ihraam) in one place, as it is an open area and everybody is sleeping in the open. A sight to remember!
Keep some water to perform wudhu in the morning for Fajr salah, unless you are close to water or the toilets.
This is where your Hajji mat or air-mattress, and those eye covers (you received on the aeroplane) are needed. And that two person tent!
Now you will appreciate the food that you have been carrying all this time. Many pilgrims do not bring any food with them, so be prepared to share with the rest of the group.
If you plan to walk to Mina, we suggest you “camp” closer to the Mina border, so you have a shorter distance to walk. The walk should take you about 1 to 2 hours to the jamr’at.
Also do not delay too long in the morning, leave as soon as you have completed your dua. This way you may avoid the big crowd and traffic. This may mean you have to skip breakfast. Alternatively you can have something to eat before Fajr.
You should constantly be reciting the Talbiyah from the 8th until after the stoning on the 10th,
