In the tenth year of the Hijrah, or 632 AD, the Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) set out for Makkah to perform Hajj. This time about 100,000 believers accompanied him. This pilgrimage is commonly known as the Farewell Hajj. It was during this time that he explained the rules of Hajj and gave his famous speech, known as the Final Sermon.
Upon reaching Makkah, the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) and his followers put on the white sheets that showed their equality before Allah The Almighty. This is called Ihraam. Then the pilgrims went directly to the Ka'bah and walked round it seven times in a counter-clockwise direction. This is called the Tawaaf. As the Muslim pilgrims arrived, they called out: Here I am, O Allah, here I am! Here I am, O You without equal, Here I am! Yours is the kingdom, the praise and the glory, O You without equal, God Alone!
This is the prayer called the Talbiyah, which is the answer to the Divine call to come and give one's life wholly to Allah.
Next, they ran back and forth seven times between the small hills of Safa and Marwah in memory of the time when Allah The Almighty tested the Prophet Ibraaheem may Allah exalt his mention and his family. This is called the Sa'y, and it shows the soul's determined search for that which gives true life.
Allah had told Ibraaheem may Allah exalt his mention to leave his wife, Hajar, and their son, Ismaa’eel (Ishmael may Allah exalt his mention), in His care in the uninhabited valley of Makkah. In the barren desert the two soon began to die of thirst. Frantic, Hajar ran back and forth between the hilltops trying to spot a passing caravan in the distance. But there was none. Finally, when all seemed lost, a spring gushed forth at the feet of the suffering child, Ismaa’eel may Allah exalt his mention. This spring is now known as the well of Zam Zam. It reminds pilgrims of the truth, that when all hope has vanished, God remains to give healing, strength and life to the soul.
Now the pilgrims had completed the rites in the Sacred Mosque in Makkah. On the eighth day of the Hajj, the pilgrims went to the valley of Mina, about ten kilometers from the Ka’bah, where Allah The Almighty tested Ibraaheem may Allah exalt his mention by ordering him to sacrifice his son, Ismaa’eel. At the last moment, Allah The Almighty stopped Ibraaheem may Allah exalt his mention and allowed him to sacrifice a ram instead.
The Farewell Sermon
On the ninth day of the Prophet's Hajj, the pilgrims proceeded to the Plain of Arafat to stand on the Mount of Mercy. There they stood in the sweltering heat, bareheaded, thinking about Allah The Almighty and praying for His Mercy. This is called the Woqouf. Here, on that day during the sermon, an important passage of the Quran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) (what means): {…This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion…} [Quran 5:3]
The Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) spoke to his followers. He told the Muslims to let the Quran and his own example be their source of guidance in life. He ordered them to stop living as they had done before Islam. The age-old practice of revenge ended. Property was to be respected. And, he said, "Know that Muslims are brothers to one another." This was a new idea amongst the quarreling tribes. "Have I made myself very clear?" asked the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) after every point.
After the sermon, the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) looked up and cried: "My Lord! Have I delivered aright the Message I was charged with and fulfilled my calling?" Then he told the gathering: "You will be asked about me, so what will you say?"
They answered with one voice: "We bear witness that you have conveyed Allah's Message, performed your duty and that you have meant goodness for us." Pointing his index finger toward heaven and then to the people, he said: "O Allah, be witness; O Allah, be witness; O Allah, be witness." The Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) ended his speech by saying, "Let those present convey the message to those who are absent."
By sunset, they headed back toward Mina, gathering pebbles along the way. On the next day, they performed the ritual of casting their pebbles, symbolized by three pillars set up in memory of how Ibraaheem may Allah exalt his mention and his family resisted the temptation of Satan. In doing this, the pilgrims pledged themselves once more to Allah Almighty and promised to do their best to drive any devils out of themselves.
Finally, animals were sacrificed, and the pilgrims returned to perform the Farewell Tawaaf of the Ka'bah. The meat from the sacrifices was sent to the poor and needy.
Three months after returning from the Farewell Pilgrimage to Madeenah, the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) fell ill. The Messenger of Allah sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) died on 8th June 632 A.D. He was 63 years old.
There are many examples, which show the Prophet's sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) kindness to his family and relatives. However, it must be emphasized that the Prophet's sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) household shared with the people what they learned from him. 'Aa'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, was reported to have said to the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ): "I have heard what you told your companions, so I banned 'Umrah." [Muslim] If one studies the Hajj rituals carefully, one will find that the Prophet's sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) household relayed a lot of rulings in this matter because they were the closest to him. Here are the most important facets of the manner of the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) towards them:
1. Teaching them how to perform the Hajj rituals
The Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) did his best to teach his household the importance of the Hajj rituals, in order to make their worship correct and acceptable to Allah. "I heard the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) saying," Umm Salaamah, may Allah be pleased with her, reported, "O Muhammad's household, recite Talbiyah with the intention to perform 'Umrah together with Hajj." [Muslim] He sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) also told 'Aa'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, when she menstruated before performing Tawaaf: "Do everything a pilgrim does, except Tawaaf around Al-Bait (the Ka'bah)." [At-Tirmithi] He sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) also told Ughailama Ibn Abdul-Muttalib, may Allah be pleased with him, on the night of Muzdalifah: "Do not throw the Jamrah (pebbles) until sunrise." [At-Tirmithi]
2. Consoling and comforting them
The Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) used to console his household in times of hardship. He sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) would do what they liked provided that it followed Allah's commands. The most important example is when he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) saw 'Aa'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, crying because she could not perform 'Umrah on account of her menstruation. He sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) comforted her and said: "Do not worry; you are a female and Allah has preordained that all females should have this (menstruation); so be in your Hajj and pray to Allah that it will be acceptable." "O Allah's Apostle," she said, "my friends will return with both Hajj and 'Umrah while I will return with Hajj only." So the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) ordered Abdur-Rahmaan Ibn Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, to take her to Tan'eem (an area outside the sanctity of Makkah). There she recited Talbiyah with the intention to perform Umrah. [Al-Bukhari]
3. Guarding them against sins
The Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) was dedicated to purify his household from their sins and from any evil deeds they might have committed. He sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) denounced and prevented any ill deed they might have contemplated, as when he prevented Al-Fadhl Ibn 'Abbaas, may Allah be pleased with him, from looking at the woman from the people of Khath'ami who came to ask the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) a question. [Muslim]
4. Encouraging them to do good deeds
The Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) used to urge his household to do good deeds, as these would be in their provision for the Hereafter. For example, one day he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) passed by some of his cousins who were drawing water from the well of ZamZam for the people to drink. "Keep drawing water, Banu Abdul Muttalib! Had I not been afraid that other people would compete with you, I would have taken part in drawing water with you." [Al-Bukhari
5. Fending off temptation
Hearts may decay and minds may be distracted by temptation. When large numbers of men and women gather in the same place, opportunity becomes propitious for temptation, particularly that of women. The Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) was concerned and very careful that his household might be prone to this type of incitement during the Hajj. For example, his wives, may Allah be pleased with them, veiled their faces when they were in Ihraam whenever there were men close by, but lifted their veils when the men had passed them by. [Al-Bukhari]
The Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) instructed his wives not to mix with men during Tawaaf, although both men and women were together during its performance as understood from the hadeeth narrated by Umm Salamah, may Allah be pleased with her. She reported that the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) told her: "Perform Tawaaf behind the people on your camel back." [Al-Bukhari] Another version says that the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) told her: "When the Dawn prayer has been announced, perform Tawaaf on your camel back while the pilgrims are offering their prayers," and so she did.
6. Being charitable to them
It is no exaggeration to say that the gentle attitude of the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) towards his household is indeed a form of charity. All his actions reveal how generous and magnanimous he was to them. Here are some examples:
The Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) was keen on taking his entire household to perform the Hajj rituals with him, persuading those who were reluctant to go with him as in the story of Dhiba'ah. "I am in pain," she said, when the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) told her he wanted her to perform Hajj. "Perform Hajj provisionally and say: ‘O Lord, I will end my Ihraam where You detain me.’" [As-Seerah Al-Nabawiyyah]
7. Asking their help and employing them
The Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) asked members of his household for help, and employed some of them. Here are some examples:
The Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) asked his wife 'Aa'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, to do garlands for his badanas (sacrificial camels), using some wool she had in Madeenah before he sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) assumed Ihraam. [Ibn Maajah]
Ibn 'Abbaas, may Allah be pleased with him, narrated another example. He said, "Sitting on the back of his she-camel at Aqabah, the Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) said to me, "pick up seven pebbles for me," and I did so." [Ibn Maajah]
The Prophet sallallaahu `alayhi wa sallam ( may Allah exalt his mention ) asked Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, to slaughter the rest of his badanas for him, and ordered him to give away the meat, hides and coverings to the poor as alms. [Al-Bukhari]
