The Prophet's Guidance in Hajj — Part 2: Mina, Jamarat, and Return

This chapter continues the account of the Farewell Pilgrimage, covering the journey from Muzdalifah through the days of Mina, the stoning of the jamarat, the slaughter, the shaving, the tawaf al-ifadah, and the return to Madinah. These are the days of the greatest acts of the Hajj.

After the sun set at Arafah, the Prophet ﷺ departed for Muzdalifah quietly, without rushing or pressing. He forbade pressing and pushing the animals, commanding patience and calm. At Muzdalifah he prayed Maghrib and Isha together (combining them late, qasran) with one adhan and two iqamahs. He spent the night at Muzdalifah and prayed Fajr there at its earliest time, then faced the qiblah and made extended supplication until the sky brightened greatly before sunrise.

He then departed for Mina before sunrise, allowing the weak among his companions — the elderly and women — to depart after midnight. At Mina he stoned the Jamrat al-Aqabah with seven pebbles, saying takbir with each pebble thrown. He threw from the valley, keeping the Ka'bah to his left and Mina to his right. This stoning is performed on the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah, and it is the only stoning on that day.

After stoning, he slaughtered sixty-three camels with his own hand — one for each year of his life — and then delegated Ali ibn Abi Talib to complete the slaughter of the remaining thirty-seven, bringing the total to one hundred. He then had his head shaved entirely — scholars note that he shaved rather than clipped, and his shaving from his right side first is also established. He distributed his hair among the people as a blessing.

He then rode to Makkah and performed the Tawaf al-Ifadah (also called Tawaf al-Ziyarah), which is a pillar of Hajj. He did not perform Sa'i again because he had already performed it earlier in his Tawaf al-Qudum. He then returned to Mina and spent the nights of the 11th, 12th, and 13th of Dhul-Hijjah there, stoning all three jamarat (Sughra, Wusta, and Aqabah) each day after Dhuhr in order. Ibn al-Qayyim establishes from this that it is not correct to stone before Dhuhr on the days of Tashreeq.

The Prophet ﷺ also performed a Farewell Tawaf (Tawaf al-Wada') before departing Makkah — the last rite before leaving — and commanded every pilgrim to do the same, except menstruating women who are excused from it. He then traveled back to Madinah, and along the way he stopped at Dhul-Hulayfah where he praised Allah and glorified Him abundantly upon every rising ground. This habit of making dhikr upon topographical changes is among the established Sunnahs of travel.