Thursday 6 Thu al-Qa‘dah 1447 | 2026-04-23

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“I saw the Prophet — may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him — stoning (the Jamrah) while on his mount on the Day of Sacrifice (Yawm al-Naḥr), and he said: ‘Take your rites (of pilgrimage from me), for I do not know — perhaps I shall not perform ḥajj after this ḥajj of mine.’”


Narrated by Muslim (no. 1297), from the ḥadīth of Jābir – may Allah be pleased with him.
And in another wording by al-Nasāʾī (no. 4002): “Take your rites (of pilgrimage from me), for perhaps I shall not meet you after this year of mine.”


Brief Explanation of the Hadith


Ḥajj is a great act of worship and a noble pillar of Islām. The Prophet — may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him — performed only one pilgrimage, during which he taught the people their rites both by word and by deed. He was keen to instruct them every ritual of ḥajj, so that they might emulate him and follow his guidance.
In this ḥadīth, Jābir ibn ʿAbdillāh – may Allah be pleased with them both – reports that the Prophet — may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him — stoned the Jamrah of al-ʿAqabah on the Day of Sacrifice (Yawm al-Naḥr), which is the tenth day of Dhū al-Ḥijjah, while riding his camel, known as al-Qaṣwāʾ.
He was saying: “Take your rites (of pilgrimage from me), for I do not know — perhaps I shall not perform ḥajj after this ḥajj of mine.”
That is, learn from me the rituals and rites of ḥajj, both in word and deed, then act upon them and teach them to others.
The Prophet — may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him — clarified to them the reason for urging them to take their rites from him, namely that he did not know whether he would perform ḥajj again after that pilgrimage — a subtle indication of the nearness of his death, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him. For this reason, that pilgrimage came to be known as “the Farewell Pilgrimage” (Ḥijjat al-Wadāʿ).
In this ḥadīth is an indication of the obligation of receiving religious rulings from the Prophet — may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him —, and that his statements, actions, and approvals constitute the primary source for understanding the rites of Islām. Furthermore, the Prophetic Sunnah came as a clarifier and interpreter of what is stated in general terms in the Qur’ān — and among such matters is the learning of the rites of ḥajj.


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