In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.
*The Abridgment of the Prophetic Biography (Seerah)*,
authored by Sheikh Musa ibn Rashid Al-Azimi,
may Allah preserve him.
The Prophet's Ghusl for Ihram:
When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) intended to enter ihram,
he performed a second ghusl specifically for his ihram,
distinct from the initial ghusl after sexual intimacy.
Then 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) perfumed him with her own hands,
using *dharirah* (a fragrant reed powder) and an aromatic blend containing musk,
over his body and head (peace and blessings be upon him),
to the extent that the glistening of the perfume could be seen in the parting of his hair.
Imam Al-Tirmidhi narrated in his *Jami'* with a good chain
from Zayd ibn Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said:
He saw the Prophet (peace be upon him) divest himself of his ordinary clothes for ihram and perform ghusl.
Imam Al-Tirmidhi stated in his *Jami'*:
"Some scholars considered performing ghusl upon entering ihram to be recommended,
and this is the view of Al-Shafi'i."
And the two Shaykhs (Al-Bukhari and Muslim) narrated in their *Sahih*s
from 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that she said:
"I perfumed the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) with my own hands with *dharirah* during the Farewell Pilgrimage,
both upon assuming ihram and after exiting it."
And *dharirah* is a type of perfume made from a blend of aromatic substances.
And the two Shaykhs narrated in their *Sahih*s
from 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that she said:
"It is as if I can still see the glistening of perfume in the parting of the Messenger of Allah's hair while he was in ihram."
Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) matted the hair of his head (*talbid*) so that it would not become disheveled.
He then wrapped himself in his waist-wrapper (*izar*) and upper cloak (*rida'*).
Then he called for his sacrificial animals (*hady*),
which were sixty-three camels.
He marked them (*ish'ar*) and placed garlands around their necks (*taqlid*),
and appointed Najiyah ibn Jundub Al-Aslami (may Allah be pleased with him) to oversee them.
Then he prayed Zuhr in the mosque of Dhu al-Hulayfah,
and that was prior to his entering ihram.
And the two Shaykhs narrated in their *Sahih*s
from Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he said:
"I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) chanting the *talbiyah* with his hair matted."
The Sheikh remarked in the footnote:
"Matting the hair (*talbid*)
means applying a substance like resin to it upon entering ihram,
so that it does not become disheveled or infested with lice,
in order to preserve the hair.
And this matting is only done by one whose state of ihram will last a long time."
Imam Muslim narrated in his *Sahih* from Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he said:
"The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to pray two rak'ahs at Dhu al-Hulayfah,
and then, when his camel stood upright carrying him near the mosque of Dhu al-Hulayfah,
he would raise his voice in *talbiyah* with these words,"
meaning the recitation of the *talbiyah*.
And the two Shaykhs narrated in their *Sahih*s,
and the wording is Muslim's,
from Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he said:
"The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) prayed Zuhr at Dhu al-Hulayfah,
then called for his camel and marked it (*ish'ar*) on the right side of its hump,
wiped away the blood,
garlanded it with two sandals,
and then mounted his riding camel.
When it stood upright with him upon Al-Bayda',
he proclaimed the *talbiyah* for Hajj."
Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir said:
"This indicates that he (peace and blessings be upon him)
performed this *ish'ar* and *taqlid* with his own noble hand on this particular camel,
while someone else was tasked with marking and garlanding the rest of the sacrificial animals,
for there were indeed many sacrificial animals,
either one hundred camels or slightly fewer."
Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) proclaimed the *talbiyah*
for both Hajj and 'Umrah in his place of prayer,
combining the two in *Qiran*.
Then he went out and mounted his she-camel, Al-Qaswa',
and proclaimed the *talbiyah* again,
and then proclaimed it once more when she stood firmly with him upon Al-Bayda'.
Imam Al-Bukhari narrated in his *Sahih*
from 'Umar ibn Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said:
"I heard the Prophet (peace be upon him) say in the valley of Al-'Aqiq:
'A visitor from my Lord came to me tonight
and said:
\"Pray in this blessed valley,
and say: 'Umrah combined with Hajj.\"'\"
And Imam Muslim narrated in his *Sahih*
from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said:
"I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) proclaiming the *talbiyah* for both of them together:
'Labbayk for an 'Umrah and a Hajj.'"
Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir said:
"This narration—in its exact wording and meaning—has been transmitted from him (peace be upon him) by sixteen Companions,
among them his servant Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him),
and sixteen Tabi'un narrated it from him.
It is explicit and admits no alternative interpretation,
except one that is far-fetched.
As for the other hadiths that suggest *Tamattu'*
or indicate *Ifrad*,
their proper discussion belongs elsewhere."
Imam Ibn Al-Qayyim favored the view that the Prophet (peace be upon him) performed Hajj as a *Qarin*,
stating:
"We maintain that he (peace be upon him) entered ihram as a *Qarin*
based on twenty-two explicit and authentic hadiths to that effect."
Ibn Majah narrated in his *Sunan* with an authentic chain
from Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said:
"I was near the callosities of the camel of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) by the tree,
and when she stood upright carrying him, he said:
'Labbayk for an 'Umrah and a Hajj together,'
and that was during the Farewell Pilgrimage."
And the two Shaykhs narrated in their *Sahih*s
from Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he said:
"The Prophet (peace be upon him) began the *talbiyah* when his mount stood upright carrying him."
Abu Dawud and Al-Hakim narrated with a good chain, if Allah wills,
from Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he said:
"By Allah, he made it obligatory in his prayer place,
and he raised his voice in *talbiyah* when his camel rose with him,
and he raised his voice in *talbiyah* when he ascended the ridge of Al-Bayda'."
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) did not burden himself with extravagance regarding his ihram or his mount;
rather, he was humble throughout.
Imam Al-Bukhari narrated in his *Sahih*
from Thumamah ibn 'Abdullah that he said:
"Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) performed Hajj on a pack saddle,
and he was not a miserly man.
And he narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) performed Hajj on a pack saddle,
and it served as his baggage mount (*zamilah*)."
The Sheikh remarked in the footnote:
"Al-Hafiz said in *Al-Fath*:
'The *zamilah*
is the camel used to carry provisions and baggage,
which is the load.
The meaning is
that he did not have a dedicated baggage camel to carry his food and belongings;
rather, they were carried with him upon his own riding camel,
which served as both his mount and his baggage carrier.'"
The Talbiyah of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and His Companions:
Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) chanted the *talbiyah*.
The two Shaykhs narrated in their *Sahih*s
from Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he said:
"I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) raising his voice in *talbiyah* with his hair matted,
saying:
'Labbayk Allahumma labbayk,
labbayka la sharika laka labbayk,
inna al-hamda wa-n-ni'mata laka wal-mulk,
la sharika lak'
(Here I am at Your service, O Allah, here I am; here I am, You have no partner, here I am; surely all praise, grace, and sovereignty belong to You; You have no partner), adding nothing to these words."
Imam Ahmad narrated in his *Musnad* and Ibn Majah in his *Sunan* with an authentic chain
from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said:
"The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) included in his *talbiyah*:
'Labbayka Ilaha al-Haqqi labbayk' (Here I am at Your service, O God of Truth, here I am)."
The people alongside the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) would add to and omit from the *talbiyah*,
and he (peace be upon him) would approve of their doing so.
Imam Ahmad narrated in his *Musnad* with an authentic chain
from Jabir ibn 'Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both) that he said:
"The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) departed,
and when his camel stood upright upon Al-Bayda',
he proclaimed the Oneness of Allah (*Tawhid*):
'Labbayk Allahumma labbayk,
labbayka la sharika laka labbayk,
inna al-hamda wa-n-ni'mata laka wal-mulk,
la sharika lak.'
And the people recited the *talbiyah*,
adding phrases such as: 'Possessor of the Ascending Stairways' (*Dha al-Ma'arij*)
and similar expressions,
while the Prophet (peace be upon him) heard them
and said nothing to rebuke them."
Jibril (peace be upon him) came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)
and instructed him to command his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) to raise their voices with the *talbiyah*.
Imam Ahmad in his *Musnad* and Al-Tirmidhi narrated with an authentic chain
from Khallad ibn Al-Sa'ib from his father that he said:
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:
"Jibril came to me
and commanded me to order my Companions to raise their voices in *ihlal* and *talbiyah*."
Imam Al-Tirmidhi narrated in his *Jami'*
and Ibn Majah in his *Sunan* with a good chain through supporting narrations
from Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said:
The Prophet (peace be upon him) was asked:
"Which deeds are best?"
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) replied:
"Raising the voice in *talbiyah* (*Al-'Ajj*) and shedding the sacrificial blood (*Al-Thajj*)."
*Al-'Ajj* is raising the voice with the *talbiyah*,
and *al-thajj* is the flowing of blood from the sacrificial animals and offerings.
The Prophet's Command to His Companions to Cancel Hajj into 'Umrah:
When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) reached Sarif,
he halted there.
At the time of ihram, he had given his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) the choice between the three pilgrimage rites,
but as they drew near Makkah, he urged those who had no sacrificial animal with them
to convert their Hajj into an 'Umrah.
The two Shaykhs narrated in their *Sahih*s
from 'A'ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) that she said:
"We set out with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) during the months of Hajj,
the nights of Hajj, and the sacred season of Hajj,
and we halted at Sarif.
He came out to his Companions and said:
'Whoever among you does not have a sacrificial animal with him and wishes to make it an 'Umrah, let him do so;
but whoever has a sacrificial animal with him, let him not.'
She said:
'So some among his Companions adopted it, while others did not.
As for the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and several men among his Companions,
they were men of means
who had sacrificial animals with them,
so they could not exit their state for 'Umrah.'
Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) set out until he halted at Dhu Tuwa,
where he spent the night of Sunday,
after four nights had passed of Dhu al-Hijjah.
He prayed Fajr there,
then performed ghusl during that day and set out for Makkah,
He entered it by day from its upper part,
from the upper mountain pass that overlooks al-Hajun,
and proceeded until he entered the Sacred Mosque,
and that was in the forenoon.
The two Shaykhs [al-Bukhari and Muslim] narrated in their Sahihs
on the authority of Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father), who said:
"The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) spent the night at Dhi Tuwa until morning,
and then entered Mecca."
And the two Shaykhs narrated in their Sahihs—
and this is the wording of Muslim—
on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father), who said:
"The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) prayed the morning prayer at Dhi Tuwa,
arriving on the fourth day of Dhu al-Hijjah."
And the two Shaykhs narrated in their Sahihs,
as well as Imam Ahmad—
and the wording is Ahmad's—
on the authority of Nafi', who said:
"Whenever Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father)
entered the lowest boundary of the Haram,
he would refrain from reciting the Talbiyah,
and when he reached Dhi Tuwa,
he would spend the night there until morning,
then pray the morning prayer and perform a ritual bath,
and relate that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) used to do so,
and then enter Mecca in the forenoon."
For the longing felt toward you knows no bounds;
May Allah send blessings upon you as long as the call to prayer is raised,
and lips move with remembrance of the Everlasting.