After Wuquf on the second day of Hajj, pilgrims move from Arafat to Muzdalifah. This part of Hajj involves praying Maghrib and Isha salah in Muzdalifah, gathering pebbles for Rami al-Jamarat and spending the night under the open sky. After sunset, it becomes the 10th of Dhul Hijjah since the Islamic day begins at the time of Maghrib.
Arrival at Muzdalifah
The name Muzdalifah is derived from the Arabic verb “izdalafa”, which means “to approach” or “to come near”. Muzdalifah is also known as al-Mashar al-Haram, which is mentioned in the Quran:
فَإِذَا أَفَضْتُم مِّنْ عَرَفَاتٍ فَاذْكُرُوا اللهَ عِندَ الْمَشْعَرِ الْحَرَامِ ۖ وَاذْكُرُوهُ كَمَا هَدَاكُمْ وَإِن كُنتُم مِّن قَبْلِهِ لَمِنَ الضَّالِّينَ ❁
But when you depart from Arafat, remember Allah at al-Mashar al-Haram. And remember Him, as He has guided you, for indeed, you were before that among those astray.
[Surah al-Baqarah 2:198]
At Muzdalifah, you will stay under the night sky. There are no tents or other accommodation facilities here. Although there are plenty of lights, it is still fairly dark and can prove quite difficult to distinguish between people.
As soon as you disembark the coach, stay near your group. If you are a woman, ensure you stay with your husband/Mahram and do not wander off alone.
Toilets and wudhu facilities are available but will be crowded, so patience must be exercised. Sometimes, the long queues force pilgrims to use the bushes or mountains. For this reason, you are advised to use the toilet before you leave Arafat.
The boundaries for Muzdalifah are indicated by large purple signposts. There is also a mosque in Muzdalifah known as Masjid al-Mashar al-Haram, which is on the site of what used to be a small mountain.
If you get a chance after salah, go for a walk around Muzdalifah. The multitudes of people within Muzdalifah are certainly an amazing sight. However, make sure you don’t get lost.
Take great care in Muzdalifah. It’s a good idea to always carry a mobile phone and a torch (flashlight) with you.
Maghrib & Isha Salah
Maghrib and Isha, in the form of Qasr, will be performed together at the time of Isha.
If you arrive in Muzdalifah early, you must wait until the time of Isha comes before you can perform the prayers.
If Isha salah is performed first, it must be repeated again after Maghrib salah.
The prayers are performed as follows:
- There is one adhan.
- Iqama is made for Maghrib.
- Takbir is made for Maghrib fardh salah, and three rak’ahs are performed.
- After the prayer is completed, while standing, recite Takbir al-Tashreeq.
- Iqama is made for Isha salah.
- Takbir is made for Isha fardh salah and two rak’ahs are performed.
- After the prayer is completed, recite Takbir al-Tashreeq and Talbiyah.
- Perform two rak’ahs sunnah of Maghrib.
- Witr salah is performed thereafter.
If a person engages in any of the following actions without a valid reason, their salah will still be valid, but the reward for their Hajj will be diminished:
- Performing the prayers at their respective times instead of combining them.
- Performing jama’ al-taqdim (combining the two prayers at the time of the first prayer) instead of jama’ al-ta’khir (combining them at the time of the second prayer).
- Choosing to join the two prayers but performing them individually instead of behind the Imam, or performing one behind the Imam and the second individually.
Please note: If you are still in Arafat, stuck on the coach in traffic, or making your way to Muzdalifah and you fear that the time of Isha will expire, causing you to miss the prayers, the Maghrib and Isha prayers should be combined and performed on the way to Muzdalifah. Generally, if you haven’t reached Muzdalifah by the end of the night, perform the prayers in the position that you are in.
Women, Children, the Elderly & Infirm
The Prophet ﷺ made concessions for individuals who were regarded as weak, such as women, children, the elderly, and the infirm, to leave Muzdalifah for Mina between moonset and dawn.
However, women should endeavour to remain in Muzdalifah as the Prophet ﷺ had done, especially if their husband/Mahram is to remain there overnight.
Unfortunately, many pilgrims who don’t fit the criteria that the Prophet ﷺ specified choose not to stay at Muzdalifah and to return to Mina during the night, whilst others disregard Muzdalifah altogether. If your circumstances aren’t preventing you from reaching and remaining in Muzdalifah, as is sometimes the case, you should do all you can to fulfil this sunnah and gain immense reward.
Collecting Pebbles
You are advised to gather pebbles at Muzdalifah to perform Rami over the next three to four days. The required quantity of pebbles is:
- 7 for the 10th of Dhul Hijjah.
- 21 for the 11th of Dhul Hijjah.
- 21 for the 12th of Dhul Hijjah.
- 21 for the 13th of Dhul Hijjah (optional).
You are recommended to gather an additional 10 pebbles as a precautionary measure, bringing your total to approximately 60, or 80 if you intend to stay for the additional day of Hajj. When you’re throwing the pebbles at the Jamarat, you may miss the target, or some pebbles may fall from your hand. It’s better to have more than to have less.
It is a sunnah to collect the pebbles in the morning as the Prophet ﷺ had done, although collecting them during the night is also perfectly acceptable.
The following are some tips regarding pebbles:
- Walk to the foot of the nearby hills to find pebbles.
- Use your torch (flashlight).
- Pebbles should be about the size of a pea; anything beneath or exceeding this size is not desirable, although still accepted.
- Collect the pebbles from a clean place.
- Don’t collect pebbles lying around the bathroom facilities.
- If there is no filth on the pebbles, assume they are clean and don’t need to be washed.
- If the pebbles are visibly dirty, they should be washed.
- You can help one another find pebbles; it doesn’t have to be an individual endeavour.
- Don’t break up large stones to obtain smaller pebbles from them.
- Collecting pebbles from Muzdalifah is not a requirement. However, since the terrain of Muzdalifa is naturally pebbly, it is often more convenient to gather them there compared to other locations. Pebbles are harder to find in Mina.
Put your pebbles in a pebble bag you bought specifically for this purpose. If you don’t have one, you can use a small, empty water bottle, which also works well.
The Night
There are two things you can do during the night:
- Ibadah – Spending the night in worship is recommended and full of blessings.
- Rest – Get some well-needed rest in preparation for the next three days of Hajj, as was the practice of the Prophet ﷺ.
Finding a space to sleep can initially prove quite troublesome due to the sheer number of people. If you find a space, ensure it’s with your group.
If you brought a sleeping bag with you, now is the time to use it. If you didn’t bring one, you should be able to buy a cheap mat, inflatable pillow, and blanket.
Fajr Salah & Wuquf
It is advised that you keep some water with you to perform wudhu for Fajr salah unless you’re close to the washing facilities and are happy to use them.
It is sunnah to perform Fajr salah at the earliest part of dawn whilst it is still dark. Fajr in Muzdalifah is approximately five minutes after the time of Fajr in Makkah, so make a note of the Fajr adhan time in Makkah beforehand. You may also hear the adhan from Masjid al-Mashar al-Haram.
It’s also a sunnah to pray Fajr at the Quzah hillock, which is less than a hundred yards from Masjid al-Mashar al-Haram. Once a mountain, it has been reshaped into a modest-sized hill with a government building on one side.
Performing Wuquf in Muzdalifah after Fajr salah, even for a moment, is another sunnah. Du’a should be made in the same manner as Arafat, i.e. standing while facing the Qibla. Make strong supplications here, as you did in Arafat, as du’as here are accepted. You shouldn’t leave Muzdalifah before you have completed your Wuquf.
If you’re being ushered to your coach by your tour operator, your du’a can be made while you wait in the queue for your coach. It is not a necessity to raise your hands or stand while making du’a if it is not convenient to do so, although there is greater reward in standing.
Leaving for Mina
The distance to your camp in Mina may be about 3 miles (5 kilometres) from your location in Muzdalifah, so you may wait for a coach if one is available. Exercise patience as you wait for the coach to leave Muzdalifah.
The walk back to Mina can be quite strenuous, and you may get lost on the way. However, if you do decide to walk, it’s advisable to camp near the border so it’s a shorter distance to walk to Mina. The duration of the walk should be between one and two hours. If you camp further away, the walk could last more than two hours.
Ensure you leave soon after you have done Wuquf and made your supplications. It is the sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ to leave the boundary of Muzdalifah before sunrise. The sooner you leave, the more likely you are to avoid congestion. Don’t spend too much time having breakfast, and remember to continue reciting Talbiyah while you’re on the way.
The Prophet ﷺ at Muzdalifah
Upon reaching Muzdalifah, the Prophet ﷺ stopped at the location where Masjid al-Mashar al-Haram is situated today, in close proximity to Mount Quzah. The hillock was named after a pre-Islamic deity of thunder, and fires would be lit in this area by the tribe of Quraysh during the age of Jahiliyyah. They would often quarrel with other Arab tribes who would station themselves at Arafat during the pilgrimage, advocating that they, the Quraysh, were the chosen people of God. He instructed his companions: “The whole of Muzdalifah is a standing place, except for the middle of Muhassar.”1
Maghrib & Isha
After alighting from his camel, the Prophet ﷺ performed wudhu and instructed Bilal I to recite the adhan. He performed a complete ablution this time, having previously performed a light ablution on the way to Muzdalifah, washing each body part just once.2
The Prophet ﷺ and his companions then offered the two prayers of Maghrib and Isha, shortening the latter to two rak’ahs during the time of Isha. No supererogatory prayers (sunan) were performed between Maghrib and Isha. Jabir ibn Abdullah I reported:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ moved until he came to Muzdalifah, where he prayed Maghrib and Isha with one adhan and two iqamas, and he did not offer any prayer in between them.3
Another narration states that there was a short interval between Maghrib and Isha during which people tied up their camels. Usama ibn Zayd I narrates:
He prayed Maghrib and then everyone tied up the camels in their places, before iqama was given and Isha was prayed.4
Upon completion of the prayers, the people retrieved their luggage from their camels.
The practice of Abdullah ibn Umar I, narrated by Abdur Rahman ibn Yazid I was as follows:
Abdullah performed the Hajj and we reached Muzdalifah at or about the time of the Isha prayer. He ordered a man to pronounce the adhan and iqama and then he offered the Maghrib prayer and offered two rak’ahs after it. Then he asked for his supper and took it, and then, I think, he ordered a man to pronounce the adhan and iqama for the Isha prayer.5
His methodology differed slightly from the Prophet’s ﷺ, as the two rak’ahs of sunnah after Maghrib were observed, and a second adhan for Isha was pronounced thereafter.
Concessions
The Prophet ﷺ made concessions for individuals who were regarded as weak, such as women, children, the elderly and infirm. They were allowed to leave Muzdalifah for Mina during the night to avoid the morning rush so they could perform Rami with greater ease. One of the wives of the Prophet ﷺ, Sawda bint Zama J, who was elderly and slow in movement, sought special dispensation from the Prophet ﷺ to proceed to Mina before the departure of the rest of the pilgrims. The Prophet ﷺ approved her request, and she departed from Muzdalifah early. Aisha J narrates:
Sawda asked the permission of the Prophet ﷺ to leave early before the rush of the people. She was a slow woman and he gave her permission, so she departed (from Muzdalifah) before the rush of the people. We remained at Muzdalifah until dawn, and set out with the Prophet ﷺ but I suffered so much that I wished I had taken the permission of Allah’s Messenger ﷺ as Sawda had done, and that would have been dearer to me than any other happiness.6
The Night
The Prophet ﷺ then went to sleep until shortly before the break of dawn, electing not to engage in night worship as he normally did. He was most certainly exhausted, having spent the day worshipping, travelling and teaching. Upon waking, he instructed his uncle, al-Abbas ibn Abdul Mutallib I, to escort certain members of his family to Mina prior to the break of dawn so that they would be able to observe Fajr in Mina before performing Rami of Jamrat al-Aqaba, thereby avoiding the surge of pilgrims departing Muzdalifah after Fajr. This group consisted of his two wives, Ramla bint Abi Sufyan (Umm Habiba) and Hind bint Abi Umayya (Umm Salama), and the young children of the Abdul Mutallib clan, which included Abdullah ibn Abbas M.7 Asma bint Abu Bakr J also left early. Her servant, Abdullah I, narrates:
Asma, when she was in her dwelling place at Muzdalifah, asked me whether the moon had set. I said: ‘No.’ She prayed for some time, and again asked: ‘My son, has the moon set?’ I said: ‘Yes.’ She then said that we should set out for Mina, so we departed and proceeded until she threw pebbles at the Jamrat (Jamrat al-Aqaba), before she returned to her dwelling place and offered the morning prayer. I said to her: ‘Respected lady, we set forth in the very early part of dawn, when it was dark’. She replied: ‘My son, there is no harm in it; Allah’s Apostle ﷺ had granted permission for women to do so.’8
Fajr & Wuquf
After dawn broke on Saturday the 10th of Dhul Hijjah, the Prophet ﷺ performed Fajr salah with one adhan and one iqama just as the time for the prayer had begun. He observed the prayer slightly earlier than what he was normally accustomed to. Abdullah ibn Masud I narrates:
I never saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ offer any prayer except at the proper time, apart from Maghrib and Isha in Muzdalifah and Fajr on that day, which he offered before the usual time.9
After completing the prayer, he mounted his she-camel and ascended Mount Quzah, which overlooked the mosque. He turned towards the Qibla and raised his hands in supplication until it had become light. The Prophet ﷺ thanked, praised and glorified God, all the while reciting the Talbiyah, thereby fulfilling the divine instruction:
فَإِذَا أَفَضْتُم مِّنْ عَرَفَاتٍ فَاذْكُرُوا اللهَ عِندَ الْمَشْعَرِ الْحَرَامِ ❁
But when you depart from Arafat, remember Allah at al-Mashar al-Haram.
[Surah al-Baqarah, 2:198]
During this supplication, the Prophet ﷺ smiled gleefully. Upon seeing this, Abu Bakr and Umar L asked him why he was cheerful. Al-Abbas ibn Mirdas al-Sulami I narrates:
Abu Bakr and Umar said to him: ‘May our mother and father be ransomed for you, this is not a time when you usually laugh. May Allah make your years full of laughter, why are you smiling?’ The Prophet ﷺ said: ‘The enemy of Allah, Iblis, when he came to know that Allah answered my prayer and pardoned my nation, took some dust and started to sprinkle it on his head, uttering cries of woe and dejection, and what I saw of his anguish made me laugh.’10
The supplication that the Prophet ﷺ made for his Ummah at Arafat had now been accepted.
Meeting a Companion
One companion, Urwah ibn Mudarris I asked the Prophet ﷺ a question. He narrates:
I came to the Prophet ﷺ in Muzdalifah and said: ‘Messenger of God, I have come from the mountains of Tayy. I fatigued myself on and exhausted my mount. By God, I found no hill, except that I stopped on it (to declare my intention). Is my pilgrimage valid?’ The Prophet ﷺ replied: ‘Whoever performs this prayer (Fajr at Muzdalifah) with us, remaining here until we move on, and has stopped at Arafat during the day or night, has completed his pilgrimage and achieved his purpose.’11
Journey to Mina
The Prophet ﷺ then departed for Mina just before sunrise, with al-Fadl seated behind him on his she-camel. The practice of the Prophet ﷺ to leave before sunrise opposed that of the pagans during the days of Jahiliyyah, who would depart after sunrise. The Prophet ﷺ said: “They would go on from Muzdalifah when the sun rose over the mountain tops like men’s turbans upon their heads. Our procedure is different from theirs.” The pagans used to say: “Let the sun shine on Mount Thabir (the highest mountain in Muzdalifah) so we may go forth.” This custom was altered by the Prophet.12
The Prophet ﷺ moved at a modest pace and instructed his companions to remain calm. Some eager and fit young men from the Quraysh, including Usama ibn Zayd I, decided to jog to Mina, arriving at their destination before the rest of the pilgrims.
During the journey, a woman from the tribe of Khath’am approached the Prophet ﷺ in order to ask him a question. Al-Fadl, a handsome young man about 20 years of age, with beautiful hair and a fair complexion, was attracted by the woman’s beauty and began to gaze at her. The Prophet ﷺ, upon noticing that his cousin was looking at the woman, placed his hand on al-Fadl’s chin and turned his face away to avert his gaze. Addressing the Prophet ﷺ, the woman asked: “My father has come under Allah’s obligation to perform Hajj, but he is a very old man and cannot sit properly on a mount. Shall I perform Hajj on his behalf? The Prophet ﷺ replied in the affirmative.13
Similarly, a man asked the Prophet ﷺ: “My mother is an old woman, and she cannot sit firmly in the saddle. If I fasten her to the mount, I fear that I may kill her.” The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Don’t you think that if your mother owed a debt, you would pay it off?” He said: “Yes.” He said: “Then perform Hajj on behalf of your mother.”14
When the Prophet ﷺ reached Wadi al-Muhassar, he lightly prodded his she-camel so that it would move faster. He did so because this was the location where the army of Abraha was destroyed by God as it marched towards Makkah to destroy the Kaaba, as mentioned in Surah al-Fil. It was a tradition of the Prophet ﷺ not to spend more time than necessary in places where the opponents of God had suffered His wrath.15
Collecting Pebbles
At Wadi al-Muhassar, he instructed his young cousin, al-Fadl ibn Abbas I, to collect some pebbles for him to perform Rami of Jamrat al-Aqaba. Al-Fadl gathered seven pebbles that were the size of date seeds and placed them in his hand. The Prophet ﷺ dusted the pebbles, before holding them aloft in a throwing position and said: “Perform Rami with pebbles like these. O people, beware of extremism within religious matters, for those who came before you were ruined as a result of extremism within religious matters.”16
From Muhassar, the Prophet ﷺ then took the middle route leading to Jamrat al-Aqaba, situated on the far side of Mina. He reached his destination after sunrise. The middle route refers to the path between the routes of Dhab and al-Ma’zimayn. Throughout the journey, the Talbiyah was recited frequently.
Summary
- Arrive after sunset.
- Combine Maghrib and Isha, in the form of Qasr.
- Collect 49 – 70 pebbles.
- Rest or spend the night in worship.
- Perform Fajr salah.
- Perform Wuquf by making du’a.
- Proceed to Mina before sunrise.
References
| ↑1 | Malik, Hadith No. 175. |
|---|---|
| ↑2 | Al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 139; Muslim, Hadith No. 1280; Ahmad, Hadith No. 21814. |
| ↑3 | Muslim, Hadith No. 1288; al-Nasa’i, Hadith No. 657. |
| ↑4 | Al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 139; |
| ↑5 | Al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 1675 & 1683. |
| ↑6 | Al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 1681; Muslim, Hadith No. 1290. |
| ↑7 | Al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 1677, 1678 & 1856; Muslim, Hadith No. 1293 & 1294; al-Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 892. |
| ↑8 | Al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 1679; Muslim, Hadith No. 1291. |
| ↑9 | Al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 1682; al-Nasa’i, Hadith No. 3038. |
| ↑10 | Ibn Majah, Hadith No. 3013. |
| ↑11 | Abu Dawud, Hadith No. 1950; al-Nasa’i Hadith No. 3041; al-Tirmidhi Hadith No. 891; Ahmad, Hadith No. 16208. |
| ↑12 | Al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 1684; al-Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 896; Ibn Majah, Hadith No. 3022. |
| ↑13 | Muslim, Hadith No. 1218. |
| ↑14 | Al-Nasa’i, Hadith No. 2643. |
| ↑15 | Muslim, Hadith No. 1218; al-Bayhaqi, Sunan, vol. 5, p. 126. |
| ↑16 | Al-Nasa’i, Hadith No. 3052, 3057 & 3058; Ibn Majah, Hadith No. 3029; Ahmad, Hadith No. 1794, 1821, 1851 & 3248; Ibn Khuzaymah, Hadith No. 2873. |