Prophet Muhammad (S) Hajj: The Complete Story of the Farewell Pilgrimage (Hajjatul-Wada)

For Muslims around the world, Hajj is one of the greatest acts of worship. It is the fifth pillar of Islam and a journey that symbolizes faith, sacrifice, and unity among believers. The most important example of how Hajj should be performed comes from Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, who performed his final pilgrimage in the year 10 AH (632 CE).

This pilgrimage is known as Ḥajjatul-Wadāʿ (The Farewell Hajj) because shortly after completing it, the Prophet ﷺ returned to Madinah and passed away within a few months. During this Hajj, he demonstrated every ritual of the pilgrimage and delivered his famous Farewell Sermon, which contains timeless lessons for the Muslim Ummah.

Table of Contents

• Prophet Muhammad (S) Hajj: The Complete Story of the Farewell Pilgrimage (Hajjatul-Wada)
• The Obligation of Hajj in the Quran
• How Many Times Did Prophet Muhammad ﷺ Perform Hajj?
  • Events Before the Farewell HajjConquest of Makkah (8 AH)
  • The Hajj of 9 AH
  • The Journey of the Farewell HajjDeparture from Madinah
  • The Talbiyah of the Prophet ﷺ
• Arrival in Makkah and Tawaf
• Sa’i Between Safa and Marwah
• The Day of Arafah
• Revelation of the Final Verse
• Stoning of the Jamarat and Sacrifice
• The Farewell Sermon
• The Spiritual Reward of Hajj
• Return to Madinah
• Lessons from the Prophet’s Hajj

The Obligation of Hajj in the Quran

Hajj became obligatory for Muslims through clear guidance from the Quran. Allah says:

﴿وَلِلَّهِ عَلَى النَّاسِ حِجُّ الْبَيْتِ مَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيلًا﴾

“And Hajj (pilgrimage) to the House is a duty that mankind owes to Allah, for whoever is able to find thereto a way.”

(Surah Aal-Imran 3:97)

Islamic scholars explain that this verse established Hajj as a mandatory act of worship for those who have the physical and financial ability.

Another verse describes the spiritual rules of Hajj:

﴿الْحَجُّ أَشْهُرٌ مَعْلُومَاتٌ فَمَنْ فَرَضَ فِيهِنَّ الْحَجَّ فَلَا رَفَثَ وَلَا فُسُوقَ وَلَا جِدَالَ فِي الْحَجِّ﴾

“Hajj is during well-known months. Whoever undertakes Hajj must avoid sexual relations, sin and disputes during the pilgrimage.”

(Surah Al-Baqarah 2:197)

These verses form the foundation of the Islamic rulings for Hajj.

How Many Times Did Prophet Muhammad Perform Hajj?

There is scholarly consensus that Prophet Muhammad ﷺ performed only one Hajj after the migration (Hijrah) to Madinah, which was the Farewell Hajj in 10 AH.

However, some narrations indicate that he performed Hajj before the migration as well. Jabir ibn Abdullah (RA) narrated that the Prophet ﷺ performed multiple pilgrimages before Hijrah and one after it.

The well-known narration states:

عَنْ جَابِرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ خُذُوا عَنِّي مَنَاسِكَكُمْ فَلَعَلِّي لَا أَحُجُّ بَعْدَ حَجَّتِي هَذِهِ

“Take your rituals of Hajj from me, for perhaps I will not perform Hajj after this Hajj of mine.”

(Sahih Muslim, Book of Hajj)

This hadith indicates that the Prophet ﷺ knew that this pilgrimage would likely be his last.

Events Before the Farewell Hajj

Several important events occurred before the Prophet ﷺ performed his final Hajj.

Conquest of Makkah (8 AH)

In the year 8 AH, Makkah was conquered by the Muslims. The Prophet ﷺ removed the idols from the Kaaba and restored it to the worship of the One true God.

Allah says:

﴿وَقُلْ جَاءَ الْحَقُّ وَزَهَقَ الْبَاطِلُ إِنَّ الْبَاطِلَ كَانَ زَهُوقًا﴾

“Say: Truth has come and falsehood has vanished. Surely falsehood is bound to perish.”

(Surah Al-Isra 17:81)

This marked the return of the Kaaba as the center of pure monotheistic worship.

The Hajj of 9 AH

In the year 9 AH, the Prophet ﷺ did not personally perform Hajj. Instead, he appointed Abu Bakr (RA) as the leader of the pilgrimage.

Later he sent Ali ibn Abi Talib (RA) to announce that:

• No polytheist would perform Hajj after that year
• No one would perform Tawaf naked around the Kaaba

This announcement purified the pilgrimage from pre-Islamic practices.

The Journey of the Farewell Hajj

In 10 AH, the Prophet ﷺ publicly announced his intention to perform Hajj. Thousands of Muslims gathered in Madinah to accompany him.

According to historical reports, over 100,000 companions joined the Prophet ﷺ on this journey.

Departure from Madinah

The Prophet ﷺ left Madinah in Dhul-Qaʿdah 10 AH and traveled to Dhul-Hulayfah, the miqat for the people of Madinah.

Anas (RA) narrated:

صَلَّى النَّبِيُّ ﷺ الظُّهْرَ بِالْمَدِينَةِ أَرْبَعًا وَصَلَّى بِذِي الْحُلَيْفَةِ رَكْعَتَيْنِ

“The Prophet ﷺ prayed four rak‘ahs of Zuhr in Madinah and two rak‘ahs at Dhul-Hulayfah.”

(Sahih Bukhari, Book of Hajj)

At Dhul-Hulayfah he entered the state of Ihram.

The Talbiyah of the Prophet

After entering Ihram, the Prophet ﷺ recited the Talbiyah:

لَبَّيْكَ اللَّهُمَّ لَبَّيْكَ لَبَّيْكَ لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ لَبَّيْكَ إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ وَالنِّعْمَةَ لَكَ وَالْمُلْكُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ

“Here I am, O Allah, here I am. Here I am, You have no partner. Surely all praise, blessings and sovereignty belong to You.”

(Sahih Muslim, Book of Hajj)

The companions raised their voices with the Talbiyah as they traveled toward Makkah.

Arrival in Makkah and Tawaf

When the Prophet ﷺ entered Makkah, he went directly to the Kaaba and began Tawaf.

Jabir ibn Abdullah (RA) narrated:

لَمَّا قَدِمَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ مَكَّةَ أَتَى الْحَجَرَ فَاسْتَلَمَهُ ثُمَّ رَمَلَ ثَلَاثًا وَمَشَى أَرْبَعًا

“When the Prophet ﷺ came to Makkah, he touched the Black Stone and performed brisk walking in the first three circuits and normal walking in the remaining four.”

(Sahih Muslim)

After Tawaf he prayed behind Maqam Ibrahim and drank from Zamzam water.

Sa’i Between Safa and Marwah

After Tawaf, the Prophet ﷺ performed Sa’i between the hills of Safa and Marwah.

While beginning the Sa’i he recited the verse:

﴿إِنَّ الصَّفَا وَالْمَرْوَةَ مِنْ شَعَائِرِ اللَّهِ﴾

“Indeed, Safa and Marwah are among the symbols of Allah.”

(Surah Al-Baqarah 2:158)

He then said:

“أبدأ بما بدأ الله به”

“I begin with what Allah began with.”

The Day of Arafah

On 9 Dhul-Hijjah, the Prophet ﷺ stood at Arafah, which is the most important pillar of Hajj.

The Prophet ﷺ said:

«الْحَجُّ عَرَفَةُ»

“Hajj is Arafah.”

(Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi)

He spent the day making dua and worshiping Allah until sunset.

Revelation of the Final Verse

During the Farewell Hajj, the famous verse of completion of religion was revealed:

﴿الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِينًا﴾

“Today I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favor upon you and chosen Islam as your religion.”

(Surah Al-Ma’idah 5:3)

Many companions realized that this meant the Prophet’s mission was nearing completion.

Stoning of the Jamarat and Sacrifice

On 10 Dhul-Hijjah, the Prophet ﷺ threw seven pebbles at Jamrat al-Aqabah.

He said:

«خُذُوا عَنِّي مَنَاسِكَكُمْ»

“Take your Hajj rituals from me.”

After that he sacrificed animals and shaved his head.

The Farewell Sermon

One of the most important moments of this Hajj was the Farewell Sermon delivered at Arafah.

Some of the key teachings included:

• Sanctity of life, property, and honor
• Abolition of usury (riba)
• Equality of all humans regardless of race
• Rights and fair treatment of women
• Holding firmly to the Quran and Sunnah

The Prophet ﷺ concluded by asking the companions:

“Have I conveyed the message?”

They replied: “Yes.”

He raised his finger toward the sky and said:

“اللهم اشهد” — “O Allah, bear witness.”

The Spiritual Reward of Hajj

The Prophet ﷺ described the immense reward of an accepted Hajj.

He said:

عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ مَنْ حَجَّ لِلَّهِ فَلَمْ يَرْفُثْ وَلَمْ يَفْسُقْ رَجَعَ كَيَوْمِ وَلَدَتْهُ أُمُّهُ

“Whoever performs Hajj for the sake of Allah and avoids sin and misconduct will return as pure as the day his mother gave birth to him.”

(Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim)

Return to Madinah

After completing all the rituals of Hajj, the Prophet ﷺ performed Tawaf al-Wada (Farewell Tawaf) and returned to Madinah.

Only a few months later, in Rabiʿ al-Awwal 11 AH, the Prophet ﷺ passed away.

Lessons from the Prophet’s Hajj

The Farewell Hajj teaches many important lessons for Muslims:

• Following the Sunnah in acts of worship
• Maintaining unity among Muslims
• Practicing justice and equality
• Honoring the rights of others
• Holding firmly to the Quran and Sunnah

The Prophet ﷺ showed the complete method of Hajj so that future generations could follow his example.

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