The farewell pilgrimage

The only pilgrimage In the month of Dhu l-Qa'da in year 10, the Prophet ﷺ announced that he would perform the pilgrimage. People came from all over Arabia to accompany him; more than a hundred thousand people are mentioned [À VÉRIFIER : nombre]. It was his only pilgrimage after the Hijra. Jaabir ibn 'Abdullah gave a very detailed account of it, step by step, which is the basis of the rules of the pilgrimage (Muslim 1218). The Prophet ﷺ would say: "Take your rites from me, for I do not know whether I will perform the pilgrimage after this year" (Muslim 1297). That is why it is called "the farewell pilgrimage" (ḥajjat al-wadaa').

The sermon of 'Arafa On 9 Dhu l-Ḥijja, in the valley of 'Arafa, he gave a sermon before the crowd. Among his words, reported by Jaabir (Muslim 1218): • "Your blood and your property are sacred to you, as this day of yours is sacred, in this month of yours, in this town of yours." • "Everything of the Jaahiliyya is under my feet, abolished": blood vendettas, beginning with that of his own family, and usury (ar-ribaa), beginning with that of his uncle Al-'Abbaas. • "Fear Allah concerning women: you have taken them under the guarantee of Allah"; he recalled the rights and duties of spouses. • "I leave among you something after which you will never go astray if you hold fast to it: the Book of Allah." • Then he asked: "You will be asked about me: what will you say?" They replied: "We bear witness that you have conveyed the message, fulfilled your mission and given sincere counsel." He raised his index finger towards the sky, then pointed it at the people, saying: "O Allah, bear witness", three times. On that day, at 'Arafa, the verse was revealed: "Today I have perfected your religion for you" (verse 5:3, below; Bukhari 45, Muslim 3017).

The sermon of Minaa On the day of sacrifice, at Minaa, he asked the people: "What day is this? What month? What town?", then repeated that their blood, their property and their honour were sacred to them, and added: "Do not become after me people astray who strike one another's necks. Let the one who is present convey this to the one who is absent" (Bukhari 1741, Muslim 1679). According to a report narrated by Ahmad, he also said during those days: "O people, your Lord is one, and your father is one. An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab, nor a non-Arab over an Arab, nor a white person over a black person, nor a black person over a white person, except through piety" [À VÉRIFIER : numéro].

Exercise: reread the points of the sermon. Choose one that concerns your own life directly (your debts, your family relationships, your link with the Qur'an, the way you speak about others) and write down a practical change.

The text: Surah Al-Maa'ida (5), verse 3 حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَيْتَةُ وَالدَّمُ وَلَحْمُ الْخِنْزِيرِ وَمَا أُهِلَّ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ بِهِ وَالْمُنْخَنِقَةُ وَالْمَوْقُوذَةُ وَالْمُتَرَدِّيَةُ وَالنَّطِيحَةُ وَمَا أَكَلَ السَّبُعُ إِلَّا مَا ذَكَّيْتُمْ وَمَا ذُبِحَ عَلَى النُّصُبِ وَأَنْ تَسْتَقْسِمُوا بِالْأَزْلَامِ ۚ ذَٰلِكُمْ فِسْقٌ ۗ الْيَوْمَ يَئِسَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ دِينِكُمْ فَلَا تَخْشَوْهُمْ وَاخْشَوْنِ ۚ الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِينًا ۚ فَمَنِ اضْطُرَّ فِي مَخْمَصَةٍ غَيْرَ مُتَجَانِفٍ لِإِثْمٍ ۙ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ ﴿٣﴾

Meaning: the verse begins with rulings on forbidden foods (carrion, blood, pork, what is sacrificed to other than Allah…), then in the middle comes the sentence revealed at 'Arafa: "Today those who disbelieve have despaired of your religion; so do not fear them, but fear Me. Today I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and approved Islam for you as your religion." The verse ends with a permission for whoever is forced by hunger, without intending to sin.

Arabic text: Tanzil Quran Text (Simple, version 1.0.2), © 2008-2010 Tanzil.net, Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence, reproduced without any change (http://tanzil.net). Each verse is on its own line, followed by its number; the basmala, which the Tanzil file places at the start of the first verse, is written on its own line.

Understanding the lesson

Explanation The farewell pilgrimage is the Prophet's ﷺ public testament. Before the largest crowd he had ever gathered, he spoke neither of himself nor of his victories, but of what protects a community: respect for life, property and honour, the end of usury and vendettas, justice towards women, and holding fast to the Book of Allah. He began each abolition with his own family: the vendetta of his relative, the usury of his uncle. Scholars see in this the principle of every reformer: one applies the rule first to oneself and one's own. Verse 5:3 announces that the religion is complete. Nothing is missing, and nothing should be added: that is why scholars insist on returning to the Qur'an and the Sunna. The crowd's testimony, "you have conveyed", is also a responsibility for us: "let the one who is present convey to the one who is absent". Every Muslim who knows a truth becomes a link in this transmission.

Lessons to draw from it • Respect everyone's life, property and honour as sacred things. • Avoid usury and let go of old grudges. • Treat one's wife well, out of fear of Allah. • Hold fast to the Book of Allah so as not to go astray. • Pass on what one knows, and begin by applying to oneself what one asks of others.

Key points to remember • Farewell pilgrimage: year 10, the Prophet's ﷺ only pilgrimage after the Hijra (Muslim 1218). • "Take your rites from me" (Muslim 1297). • 'Arafa: blood and property sacred; usury and vendettas abolished; "O Allah, bear witness". • 5:3: the religion perfected (Bukhari 45, Muslim 3017). • Minaa: "let the one present convey to the one absent" (Bukhari 1741, Muslim 1679).

The main message At the farewell pilgrimage, the Prophet ﷺ entrusted the complete religion to his community: respect what is sacred, hold fast to the Book of Allah, and pass it on in your turn.