The story of the Hajj of our mother ‘Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her.
Staying overnight in Muzdalifah.
And Sawdah’s request for permission.
To depart during the night.
The day of ‘Arafah had passed.
And the sun had set.
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, departed.
Accompanied by the Mothers of the Believers.
Toward Muzdalifah.
When he arrived at Muzdalifah.
He prayed Maghrib and ‘Isha.
However, our mother ‘Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her,
Did not pray with them.
Because she had not yet become pure.
In the last third of the night.
And after the moon had set.
The Prophet, peace be upon him, sent off.
The vulnerable members of his household to Mina.
Among them were Umm Salamah and Umm Habibah.
From the Mothers of the Believers, may Allah be pleased with them.
So the Mother of the Believers, Sawdah, requested.
To depart with them.
And he granted her permission, may Allah be pleased with her.
Our mother ‘Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said:
We arrived at Muzdalifah.
Then Sawdah asked the Prophet, peace be upon him, for permission.
To depart before him.
And before the crush of the people.
She was a slow-moving woman.
So he granted her permission.
And she departed before the crush of the people.
We remained until morning.
Then we departed when he departed.
Had I asked the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, for permission.
Just as Sawdah had asked.
It would have been dearer to me than anything I could be happy about.
Sending the vulnerable ahead to Mina.
In the last third of the night.
Its goal is for them to arrive before the crush of the people.
The intent is to ease the burden of the crowds upon them.
So they arrive at Mina before the people.
Then they pray Fajr.
After which they head to the Jamrat al-‘Aqabah al-Kubra to stone it.
As our mother ‘Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, said:
I wish I had asked the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, for permission.
Just as Sawdah had asked him.
So that I could pray the morning prayer in Mina.
And stone the Jamrah before the people arrived.
It was said to ‘Aishah:
Did Sawdah ask for permission?
She said: Yes.
She was a heavy, slow-moving woman.
So she asked the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, for permission.
And he granted it to her.
So she prayed Fajr in Mina.
And stoned the Jamrah before the people arrived.
This objective is achieved and the vulnerable benefit from it.
If the pilgrims commit to following the guidance of the Prophet, peace be upon him.
By staying overnight in Muzdalifah.
And restricting the night departure from it to the vulnerable.
As for what pilgrims do today by not committing to staying in Muzdalifah.
And limiting it to praying there and collecting pebbles.
Then departing directly from there.
This is a failure to implement the Prophetic guidance in Hajj.
Which the Prophet, peace be upon him, emphasized by saying:
"Take your rituals from me."
Consequently, people crowd during departure and arrival at Mina.
And during the stoning of the Jamrat.
This congestion makes us think before we send the vulnerable ahead.
Will departing with them at night be more difficult than them staying overnight?
And will this departure truly achieve the intended ease for them?
From the reality of experience over 36 consecutive Hajj seasons.
We found that what people do today—violating the Sunnah regarding the overnight stay—is more harmful to the vulnerable.
Departing with them from Muzdalifah at night has become more difficult for them than staying overnight.
Because of this congestion caused by the pilgrims.
Sending the vulnerable ahead before the crush and congestion of the people is a remaining concession.
Intended to provide ease.
It is not mandatory for every woman or every vulnerable person to leave.
Our mother ‘Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her.
And steadfastness until death.
It was the methodology of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them all.
That if they were performing a good deed from the recommended acts of worship during the time of the Prophet, peace be upon him.
And then he died while they were doing it, they would not change it until they met Allah, the Almighty.
The reason for this is that they were committed to fulfilling the hadith:
"The most beloved of religion to Him is that which its practitioner persists in."
They also feared being among those who changed and altered things after him, peace be upon him.
Even though it was a recommended act of worship.
Among the most famous of those for whom this is recorded is ‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Amr Ibn al-‘As, may Allah be pleased with them both.
Who used to fast one day and break his fast the next.
When he grew old and weak, he said:
"Had I accepted the concession of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
It would have been dearer to me than anything else.
But I parted from him while on a practice I dislike to abandon for another."
This methodology helps us understand the statement of our mother ‘Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her:
"Had I asked the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, for permission as Sawdah did.
It would have been dearer to me than anything I could be happy about."
She persisted in not taking the concession to depart from Muzdalifah before dawn.
Because she did not do so during the time of the Prophet, peace be upon him.
Therefore, al-Qasim Ibn Muhammad Ibn Abi Bakr said:
"‘Aishah would not depart except with the Imam."
Even clearer than that is what Abu al-Zubayr said in his narration of the hadith of Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him.
He said: "When ‘Aishah performed Hajj, she did as she had done with the Prophet of Allah, peace be upon him."
From this, my sister pilgrim, we learn that if a woman performs a good deed.
She should strive to persist in it as much as she is able.
When did our mother ‘Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, become pure?
On the morning of the Day of Sacrifice, after the Prophet, peace be upon him, had stood.
Along with those of the Mothers of the Believers who were with him at the Sacred Site.
He set off for Mina to stone the Jamrat al-‘Aqabah al-Kubra.
When they reached their quarters in Mina and after they had stoned the Jamrah.
Our mother ‘Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, became pure from her menses.
She purified herself in preparation for going to Makkah for the Tawaf al-Ifadah.
Our mother ‘Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her, says:
"We went out on his Hajj until we arrived at Mina.
I became pure, then I went out from Mina and performed Tawaf around the House."
Her purification from menses was in Mina.
And her ritual bathing (ghusl) was also in Mina.
As she, may Allah be pleased with her, said:
"I went out on my Hajj until we descended at Mina.
I purified myself, then we performed Tawaf around the House."
This means that the cycle of our mother ‘Aishah, may Allah be pleased with her.
Was seven days.
It began on Saturday morning.
And she became pure on Saturday morning.
Because the Day of Sacrifice was a Saturday.