“Your Fitr (breaking of the fast) is on the day you all break the fast, and your sacrifice is on the day you all offer the sacrifice. Every ʿArafah is a place of standing, every Minā is a place of sacrifice, every mountain pass of Makkah is a place of sacrifice, and every Jamʿ (Muzdalifah) is a place of standing.”

Narrated by Abū Dāwūd (no. 2324) and al-Bayhaqī in al-Sunan al-Kubrā (no. 6285), from the ḥadīth of Abū Hurayrah—may Allah be pleased with him.
Authenticated in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Jāmiʿ (no. 4225) and Ṣaḥīḥ Sunan Abī Dāwūd (no. 2013).

Brief Explanation of the Hadith

This ḥadīth clarifies a great foundational principle of the Sharīʿah: that outward acts of worship connected to specific times and places are to be performed in accordance with the Muslim community, in order to preserve unity and ward off discord. Among this is his statement—may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him— “Your breaking of the fast is on the day you all break the fast.” This indicates that consideration in fasting and breaking the fast is given to the consensus of the people and their leader. Thus, if an error occurs in ijtihād regarding the sighting of the crescent, the act of worship remains valid, with no sin and no requirement to repeat it, for this is a matter of widespread occurrence, and Allah has removed hardship from His servants in such cases—except when the full number of fasting days has not been completed, in which case they make up one day in its place.
His statement, “Every ʿArafah is a place of standing, and every Jamʿ is a place of standing,” means that ʿArafah is a location outside the Haram (Sacred Sanctuary) where the pilgrims stand on the ninth of Dhū al-Ḥijjah, and it is the greatest pillar of Hajj. Whoever misses standing at ʿArafah has missed the Hajj and is required to make it up in the following year.
This serves as evidence for the invalidity of the belief of those who restrict standing to Mount ʿArafah or think that this specific spot possesses a special merit unique to it. Rather, standing is valid in any part of ʿArafah, for all of it is a place of standing by explicit textual evidence.
As for Jamʿ, it is Muzdalifah, which is a location within the Sacred Sanctuary. Spending the night there is among the obligatory acts of Hajj; whoever misses it without a valid excuse must offer a compensatory sacrifice, while his Hajj remains valid.
His statement, “Every Minā is a place of sacrifice, and every mountain pass of Makkah is a place of sacrifice,” means that Minā is a well-known site among the ritual stations of Hajj where the sacrifice of the sacrificial animal is legislated. The Prophet—may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him—offered sacrifice there and said, “And all of Minā is a place of sacrifice.”
As for the mountain passes of Makkah, what is meant by them are its roads, entrances, and the areas between its mountains. Thus, it is legislated to offer the sacrificial animal in all of its regions, as a facilitation for the people and a removal of hardship from them.
What is intended by the ḥadīth is to clarify the allowance and flexibility regarding the places of standing and sacrifice: no specific location within ʿArafah or Muzdalifah is required, rather standing in any part of either suffices; likewise, no particular place is mandated for sacrifice—so as to remove hardship and negate undue strictness. Nevertheless, offering the sacrifice in Minā is preferable from the standpoint of adherence, for the Prophet—may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him—offered his sacrifice there.