“Whenever a Muslim utters the talbiyah, everything to his right and to his left echoes the talbiyah with him — from stones, trees, and clods of earth — until the land on either side is stretched to its furthest extent.”
Narrated by al-Tirmidhī (828) — and the wording is his — Ibn Mājah (2921), al-Ḥākim (1656), and Ibn Khuzaymah (2634), from the ḥadīth of Sahl ibn Saʿd al-Sāʿidī — may Allah be pleased with them both.
Authenticated in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Jāmiʿ (5770) and Ṣaḥīḥ al-Targhīb wa al-Tarhīb (1134).
Brief Explanation of the Hadith
The talbiyah is among the great rites of ḥajj. It is a proclamation of the oneness of Allah, a response to His command, and a submission to His law. Numerous aḥādīth have been reported regarding its virtue. Among them is what the noble Companion Sahl ibn Saʿd al-Sāʿidī — may Allah be pleased with him — narrated, that the Prophet — may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him — said: “Whenever a Muslim utters the talbiyah, everything to his right and to his left echoes the talbiyah with him — from stones, trees, and clods of earth — until the land on either side is stretched to its furthest extent.”
The talbiyah is the servant’s response to Allah’s call to ḥajj and ʿumrah, an expression of humility before Him, a proclamation of pure monotheism, an acknowledgment of Allah’s bounty and sovereignty, and a testimony that He has no partner. It also indicates the magnificence of dhikr and the lofty rank of the one who proclaims the talbiyah, for the created beings around him join him in remembering Allah — stones, trees, and clods of earth — in veneration of this sacred rite and in honor of those who perform it. His voice, echoed by all these creations, reaches the farthest horizons, east and west, so that the remembrance of Allah fills the entire cosmos. This signifies the unity of the One sought in worship, and that all creation is in submission to its Creator — glorified and exalted is He.
As for the specification of east and west, it is for the purpose of expressing generality and expansiveness, and does not exclude the other directions such as what is before or behind.
The ḥadīth also demonstrates the legitimacy of abundantly repeating the talbiyah and raising one’s voice with it, for it is among the great rites of Allah. It is further hoped that the one who proclaims the talbiyah will be granted a reward akin to that of all who echo it with him, for whoever guides to goodness is like the one who performs it — and the bounty of Allah is vast.