“Indeed, the Talbiyah of the Messenger of Allah — may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him — was: ‘Labbayka Allāhumma labbayk. Labbayka lā sharīka laka labbayk. Inna al-ḥamda wa al-niʿmata laka wa al-mulk. Lā sharīka lak (Here I am, O Allah, here I am. Here I am, You have no partner, here I am. Indeed, all praise and blessing are Yours, and the dominion. You have no partner).’”
Narrated by al-Bukhārī (1549) and Muslim (1184) from the ḥadīth of Ibn ʿUmar — may Allah be pleased with them both.
And Muslim added: He said: “ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar — may Allah be pleased with them both — would add to it: ‘Labbayk, labbayk, and at Your service; all good is in Your Hands. Labbayk, and all aspiration is toward You, and all deeds (are for You).’”
Brief Explanation of the Hadith
The Prophet — may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him — set forth for his Companions the rites of ḥajj step by step. Among these is the talbiyah uttered upon entering iḥrām, which is the distinctive cry of the pilgrim and the performer of ʿumrah. Thus, ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar — may Allah be pleased with them both — said: “The talbiyah of the Messenger of Allah was: ‘Labbayka Allāhumma labbayk…’.”
The meaning of “Labbayk” is: a response after response — a continual answering to the call of Allah and obedience to His command to perform ḥajj. It conveys humility and full submission to His decree.
The phrase “Lā sharīka laka labbayk” means: You have no partner in Your Lordship — for He alone is the Creator, the Sustainer, the One who governs the affairs of the universe. Nor has He any partner in His Divinity — for none is worshipped rightfully but Him. Nor has He any partner in His Names and Attributes — for absolute perfection belongs solely to Him in His most beautiful Names and His exalted Attributes. He, Exalted is He, is One in His Essence, His actions, and His attributes, transcendent above every form of partnership; for none of the creation possesses the power to bring benefit or harm except by His permission.
This meaning stands in direct opposition to what the people of Jāhiliyyah used to profess, for their talbiyah contained elements of shirk. They would add: “Except a partner belonging to You — You own him and all that he owns.” Islam came, therefore, to purify the talbiyah from all traces of idolatry and to make it a proclamation of pure, unadulterated tawḥīd in every word and deed.
The essence of the Talbiyah is that it comprehensively encompasses the three types of Tawhid (Islamic Monotheism):
• Tawhid al-Uluhiyyah (Oneness of Worship/Divinity): Found in the statement: "You have no partner, here I am (labbaika lā sharīka laka labbaika)."
• Tawhid ar-Rububiyyah (Oneness of Lordship): Found in the statement: "Indeed, the blessing and the dominion are Yours (inna al-ni'mata laka wa-l-mulk)."
• Tawhid al-Asma' wa-s-Sifat (Oneness of Names and Attributes): Found in the statement: "Indeed, all praise is Yours (inna al-ḥamda lak)."
For this reason, the talbiyah is the emblem of tawḥīd in ḥajj. Through it, the pilgrim manifests his servitude to Allah and his renunciation of worldly attachments, responding to the call of Ibrāhīm — peace be upon him — which Allah caused to reach every son of Ādam for whom ḥajj was decreed.