PART 4 · THE MADINAN PERIOD · الْعَهْدُ الْمَدَنِيُّ
STAGE 4 · THE MESSAGE COMPLETED
حَجَّةُ الْوَدَاعِ
Chapter 28: The Farewell Hajj
His only Hajj after the Hijrah — and the sermon that every Muslim should know
Sheikh Mohamed Fawzyالشيخ محمد فوزي
© 2026 Sheikh Mohamed Fawzy. All rights reserved. Version 1.7
10 AH الْإِعْلَانُ بِالْحَجِّ
Everyone wanted to follow him
قَالَ جَابِرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ: إِنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مَكَثَ تِسْعَ سِنِينَ لَمْ يَحُجَّ ثُمَّ أَذَّنَ فِي النَّاسِ فِي الْعَاشِرَةِ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ حَاجٌّ فَقَدِمَ الْمَدِينَةَ بَشَرٌ كَثِيرٌ كُلُّهُمْ يَلْتَمِسُ أَنْ يَأْتَمَّ بِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَيَعْمَلَ مِثْلَ عَمَلِهِ ...
Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh said: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ stayed nine years without performing Hajj. Then, in the tenth year, it was announced among the people that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was going to perform Hajj. A great many people came to Madinah, all wanting to follow the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and to do as he did…”
Sahih Muslim 1218Sahih
Dates: he set out from Madinah on the 25th of Dhū al-Qa‘dah and reached Makkah on the 4th of Dhū al-Ḥijjah, 10 AH (Ibn ‘Abbās, al-Bukhari 1545). It was his only Hajj after the Hijrah, and it is called the Farewell Hajj because he bade the people farewell in it.
The Talbiyah التَّلْبِيَةُ
“As far as my eyes could see”
قَالَ جَابِرٌ: ... نَظَرْتُ إِلَى مَدِّ بَصَرِي بَيْنَ يَدَيْهِ مِنْ رَاكِبٍ وَمَاشٍ وَعَنْ يَمِينِهِ مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ وَعَنْ يَسَارِهِ مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ وَمِنْ خَلْفِهِ مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ وَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بَيْنَ أَظْهُرِنَا وَعَلَيْهِ يَنْزِلُ الْقُرْآنُ وَهُوَ يَعْرِفُ تَأْوِيلَهُ وَمَا عَمِلَ بِهِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ عَمِلْنَا بِهِ فَأَهَلَّ بِالتَّوْحِيدِ «لَبَّيْكَ اللَّهُمَّ لَبَّيْكَ لَبَّيْكَ لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ لَبَّيْكَ إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ وَالنِّعْمَةَ لَكَ وَالْمُلْكَ لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ» ...
Jābir said: “…I looked as far as my eyes could see in front of him — riders and people on foot — and the same on his right, the same on his left and the same behind him. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was among us; the Qur’an was coming down to him and he knew its meaning, and whatever he did, we did. Then he raised his voice with the words of Tawḥīd: ‘Here I am, O Allah, here I am. Here I am — You have no partner — here I am. All praise and all blessings are Yours, and all sovereignty. You have no partner.’”
Sahih Muslim 1218Sahih
The rites الْمَنَاسِكُ
Following his steps
- 8th Minā — the Day of Tarwiyah: he prayed Ẓuhr, ‘Aṣr, Maghrib, ‘Ishā’ and Fajr there.
- 9th ‘Arafah — the sermon, then standing in du‘ā’ until sunset.
- Night Muzdalifah — Maghrib and ‘Ishā’ together, sleep, then Fajr and du‘ā’.
- 10th Minā — the Jamrah with seven pebbles, the sacrifice, then ṭawāf of the Ka‘bah in Makkah.
All these steps are in Jābir’s hadith (Muslim 1218).
The sermon at ‘Arafah خُطْبَةُ عَرَفَةَ
“As sacred as this day”
At ‘Arafah, at midday, he rode his camel al-Qaṣwā’ into the valley and addressed the people:
قَالَ جَابِرٌ: ... فَخَطَبَ النَّاسَ وَقَالَ: «إِنَّ دِمَاءَكُمْ وَأَمْوَالَكُمْ حَرَامٌ عَلَيْكُمْ كَحُرْمَةِ يَوْمِكُمْ هَذَا فِي شَهْرِكُمْ هَذَا فِي بَلَدِكُمْ هَذَا أَلَا كُلُّ شَيْءٍ مِنْ أَمْرِ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ تَحْتَ قَدَمَيَّ مَوْضُوعٌ» ...
Jābir said: “…He addressed the people and said: ‘Your blood and your property are sacred to you, as sacred as this day of yours, in this month of yours, in this land of yours. Every matter of the Jāhiliyyah is laid beneath my feet [cancelled]…’”
Sahih Muslim 1218Sahih
No one may harm a Muslim’s life or take his property. The old revenge killings and the injustice of the Jāhiliyyah were cancelled.
The sermon الْحُقُوقُ
Kindness to women — and no race above another
قَالَ جَابِرٌ: ... «فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ فِي النِّسَاءِ فَإِنَّكُمْ أَخَذْتُمُوهُنَّ بِأَمَانِ اللَّهِ» ...
Jābir said: “…[He said in his sermon:] ‘Fear Allah regarding women, for you have taken them [as wives] with Allah’s promise of safety…’”
Sahih Muslim 1218Sahih
At Minā, in the days after
He said: “O people, your Lord is one and your father is one. An Arab is not better than a non-Arab, nor a non-Arab than an Arab, nor a red [light-skinned] person than a black person, nor a black person than a red one — except by taqwā.”
Source: Musnad Aḥmad (23489), from a Companion who heard the sermon at Minā in the middle of the days of Tashrīq — told here in translation. Ibn Taymiyyah: isnāduhu ṣaḥīḥ (Iqtiḍā’ al-Ṣirāṭ al-Mustaqīm 1/412); al-Albānī: isnāduhu ṣaḥīḥ, from Jābir (al-Silsilah al-Ṣaḥīḥah 2700); al-Arna’ūṭ: isnāduhu ṣaḥīḥ (Takhrīj al-Musnad 23489).
The sermon اللَّهُمَّ اشْهَدْ
“O Allah, bear witness!”
قَالَ جَابِرٌ: ... «وَقَدْ تَرَكْتُ فِيكُمْ مَا لَنْ تَضِلُّوا بَعْدَهُ إِنِ اعْتَصَمْتُمْ بِهِ كِتَابَ اللَّهِ. وَأَنْتُمْ تُسْأَلُونَ عَنِّي فَمَا أَنْتُمْ قَائِلُونَ». قَالُوا نَشْهَدُ أَنَّكَ قَدْ بَلَّغْتَ وَأَدَّيْتَ وَنَصَحْتَ. فَقَالَ بِإِصْبَعِهِ السَّبَّابَةِ يَرْفَعُهَا إِلَى السَّمَاءِ وَيَنْكُتُهَا إِلَى النَّاسِ «اللَّهُمَّ اشْهَدِ اللَّهُمَّ اشْهَدْ». ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ ...
Jābir said: “…[He said in his sermon:] ‘I have left among you something which, if you hold firmly to it, you will never go astray after it: the Book of Allah. And you will be asked about me — so what will you say?’ They said: ‘We bear witness that you have conveyed [the message], fulfilled [your trust] and given sincere advice.’ Then he raised his index finger to the sky and pointed it towards the people, saying: ‘O Allah, bear witness! O Allah, bear witness!’ — three times.”
Sahih Muslim 1218Sahih
Al-Mā’idah 5:3 الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ
“This day I have perfected your religion”
عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ: أَنَّ رَجُلًا، مِنَ الْيَهُودِ قَالَ لَهُ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، آيَةٌ فِي كِتَابِكُمْ تَقْرَءُونَهَا لَوْ عَلَيْنَا مَعْشَرَ الْيَهُودِ نَزَلَتْ لَاتَّخَذْنَا ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمَ عِيدًا. قَالَ أَيُّ آيَةٍ قَالَ ﴿الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِينًا﴾. قَالَ عُمَرُ قَدْ عَرَفْنَا ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمَ وَالْمَكَانَ الَّذِي نَزَلَتْ فِيهِ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَهُوَ قَائِمٌ بِعَرَفَةَ يَوْمَ جُمُعَةٍ.
From ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb: a Jewish man said to him: ‘O Commander of the Believers, there is a verse in your Book which you recite; if it had been revealed to us, the Jews, we would have taken that day as a festival.’ He said: ‘Which verse?’ He said: ‘This day I have perfected for you your religion, completed My favour upon you, and approved for you Islam as your religion’ [al-Mā’idah 5:3]. ‘Umar said: ‘We know that day and the place where it was revealed to the Prophet ﷺ: he was standing at ‘Arafah, on a Friday.’
Sahih al-Bukhari 45Sahih
Islam is complete. Nothing needs to be added to it or taken away from it.
A farewell لِتَأْخُذُوا مَنَاسِكَكُمْ
“Perhaps I will not perform Hajj after this”
قَالَ جَابِرٌ: رَأَيْتُ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَرْمِي عَلَى رَاحِلَتِهِ يَوْمَ النَّحْرِ وَيَقُولُ «لِتَأْخُذُوا مَنَاسِكَكُمْ فَإِنِّي لَا أَدْرِي لَعَلِّي لَا أَحُجُّ بَعْدَ حَجَّتِي هَذِهِ».
Jābir said: I saw the Prophet ﷺ throwing [the pebbles at the Jamrah] from his riding camel on the Day of Sacrifice, and he was saying: ‘Take your rites [of Hajj] from me, for I do not know — perhaps I will not perform Hajj after this Hajj of mine.’
Sahih Muslim 1297Sahih
Some popular versions of the “Farewell Sermon” that circulate online mix authentic sentences with unauthentic ones. Teach from the authentic texts: Muslim 1218, the sermons at Minā on the Day of Sacrifice in al-Bukhari 1739 and 1741, and the reports graded authentic by the scholars.
Lessons دُرُوسٌ وَعِبَرٌ
What we learn
1
Follow his way
“Take your rites from me” — we worship Allah the way the Prophet ﷺ showed us.
2
Every life is sacred
Blood and property are protected; no race is better than another except by taqwā.
3
Hold to the Book
“If you hold firmly to it, you will never go astray: the Book of Allah.”
Review مُرَاجَعَةٌ
Quick quiz
Score: 0 / 4
1.How many times did the Prophet ﷺ perform Hajj after the Hijrah?
Correct — only once, in 10 AH.
Only once — the Farewell Hajj.
2.Where did he give the great sermon?
Right (Muslim 1218).
At ‘Arafah, on the 9th of Dhū al-Ḥijjah.
3.What did he leave us that keeps us from going astray?
Yes.
“The Book of Allah.”
4.On which day was “This day I have perfected your religion” revealed?
Correct (al-Bukhari 45).
On the day of ‘Arafah, which was a Friday.
“O Allah, bear witness — I have conveyed”
ṣallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam ﷺ
NEXT · Chapter 29: The Passing of the Prophet ﷺ · وَفَاةُ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ