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 Departure of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) from 'Arafah to Muzdalifah.
When the sun had set and its setting was complete, such that the yellow afterglow had vanished,
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) departed from 'Arafah toward Muzdalifah,
Chanting the Talbiyah as he went,
Having seated Usamah ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with them both) behind him on his mount.
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) proceeded with serenity and composure.
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) adopted a brisk walk (*al-'anaq*),
Which is an intermediate pace between slow walking and hurrying.
Whenever he found an open space, he would quicken his pace to *an-nass*, which is faster than *al-'anaq*.
*An-nass* is a faster gait than ordinary walking.
Whenever he came upon a sand dune,
He loosened the reins of his camel slightly so that it could ascend.
A *habl* is a massive, elongated ridge of sand.
When he was on the road near the mountain pass,
He (peace and blessings be upon him) dismounted,
Relieved himself, and performed a light ablution.
Thereupon Usamah (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him,
"The prayer, O Messenger of Allah!"
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) replied,
"The prayer is ahead of you."
The two Sheikhs [al-Bukhari and Muslim] narrated in their Sahihs, and this wording is al-Bukhari's,
On the authority of Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said:
Usamah (may Allah be pleased with him)
Was riding behind the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
From 'Arafah to Muzdalifah,
Then he seated Al-Fadl behind him from Muzdalifah to Mina.
Both of them said:
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) continued
Reciting the Talbiyah until he stoned Jamrat al-'Aqabah.
Imam Muslim narrated in his Sahih
On the authority of 'Abdullah ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
While we were at Jam' [Muzdalifah],
I heard the one to whom Surat al-Baqarah was revealed saying in this place:
"Labbayk, Allahumma labbayk [Here I am, O Allah, here I am]."
Imam Muslim narrated in his Sahih
On the authority of Jabir ibn 'Abdillah (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said:
He remained standing until the sun set,
And the yellow glow faded slightly until the disc of the sun disappeared.
He seated Usamah behind him,
And the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) set forth,
Having pulled the reins of al-Qaswa' so tightly
That her head was touching the front part of his saddle,
While gesturing with his right hand:
"O people, maintain serenity, maintain serenity!"
Whenever he came upon a sand ridge,
He eased the reins slightly for her so she could climb,
Until he reached Muzdalifah.
Imam Ahmad narrated in his Musnad
And Abu Dawud in his Sunan with an authentic chain of transmission
On the authority of Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) departed
From 'Arafah with serenity,
Accompanied by Usamah (may Allah be pleased with him) riding behind him,
And he said, "O people, you must maintain tranquility,
For righteousness does not consist in spurring horses and camels to race."
The two Sheikhs narrated in their Sahihs
On the authority of Usamah ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with them both),
That he was asked: "How did the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
Proceed during the Farewell Pilgrimage when he departed?"
He (may Allah be pleased with him) said:
"He used to proceed at a moderate pace (*al-'anaq*),
And whenever he found an open space, he quickened his pace (*an-nass*)."
The two Sheikhs narrated in their Sahihs
On the authority of Usamah ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said:
"I rode behind the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
From 'Arafat.
When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) reached
The ravine on the left side before Muzdalifah,
He made his mount kneel and relieved himself.
Then he returned, and I poured water for his ablution,
So he performed a light ablution.
I said, 'The prayer, O Messenger of Allah!'
He replied, 'The prayer is ahead of you.'"
When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) arrived
At Muzdalifah,
Which is al-Mash'ar al-Haram,
He performed a thorough and complete ablution,
And performed the Maghrib and 'Isha' prayers there
With a single Adhan and two Iqamahs,
Without offering any voluntary prayer between them.
Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) lay down to rest
Until the break of dawn.
Imam Muslim narrated in his Sahih
On the authority of Jabir ibn 'Abdillah (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said:
"He prayed Maghrib and 'Isha' there
With a single Adhan and two Iqamahs,
Without glorifying Allah [i.e., praying voluntary prayers] between them.
Then the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) lay down
Until dawn broke."
The two Sheikhs narrated in their Sahihs
On the authority of Usamah ibn Zayd (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said:
"When he reached Muzdalifah,
He dismounted, performed ablution, and did so thoroughly.
Then the Iqamah was called for prayer,
And he performed the Maghrib prayer;
Then each person made his camel kneel at his campsite.
Then the Iqamah was called for 'Isha',
And he prayed it without offering any prayer between the two."
Imam al-Bukhari narrated in his Sahih
On the authority of Ibn 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said:
"The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) combined
Maghrib and 'Isha' at Jam' [Muzdalifah],
Each of them with a separate Iqamah,
And he did not offer any voluntary prayers between them,
Nor following either of them."
The Standing of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
At al-Mash'ar al-Haram,
Followed by his departure to Mina.
When dawn broke,
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) arose
And led the people in the dawn prayer at its earliest time,
With an Adhan and an Iqamah.
That was the Day of Sacrifice [Yawm an-Nahr],
Which is the Day of the Greatest Pilgrimage [Yawm al-Hajj al-Akbar],
And the day on which Allah's proclamation of disassociation
And that of His Messenger from every polytheist was declared;
And it was a Saturday.
Imam Muslim narrated in his Sahih
On the authority of Jabir ibn 'Abdillah (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said:
"He prayed the Fajr prayer when the dawn had clearly appeared to him,
With an Adhan and an Iqamah.
Then he mounted al-Qaswa'
And faced the Qiblah,
Supplicating Allah, magnifying Him, proclaiming His oneness, and declaring His uniqueness.
He remained standing until the light of day became very bright,
And he departed before the sun rose."
Imam Ahmad narrated in his Musnad
And at-Tirmidhi in his Jami'
With an authentic chain of transmission
On the authority of Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said:
"The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) departed
Before sunrise."
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) informed
The people that the whole of Muzdalifah is a standing place.
Imam Ahmad narrated in his Musnad
With an authentic chain of transmission
On the authority of Jabir ibn 'Abdillah (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"I have stood here,
And all of Muzdalifah is a place of standing."
Gathering the Pebbles for the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) instructed
Al-Fadl ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both)
On the morning of the Day of Sacrifice
To gather the stoning pebbles for him,
So he picked up seven pebbles of the size used for sling-shooting.
Ibn Majah narrated in his Sunan
With an authentic chain of transmission
On the authority of Ibn 'Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), who said:
The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said to me
On the morning of 'Aqabah while upon his mount:
"Gather pebbles for me."
"So I gathered seven pebbles for him,
Small pebbles suitable for sling-shooting.
He began to shake them in his palm and say:
'With pebbles like these, throw!'
Then he said: 'O people,
Beware of extremism in religion!'"
The Stoning by the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
Of Jamrat al-'Aqabah on the Day of Sacrifice.
Jabir ibn 'Abdillah (may Allah be pleased with them both) said:
"Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) took
The middle road
Which exits at the Greatest Pillar [al-Jamrah al-Kubra],
Until he reached the Jamrah that is near the tree.
He stoned it with seven pebbles,
Saying 'Allahu Akbar' with each pebble he threw."
Imam Muslim narrated in his Sahih
On the authority of Jabir ibn 'Abdillah (may Allah be pleased with them both),
Who said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stoned
The Jamrah on the Day of Sacrifice in the forenoon.
Imam Muslim narrated in his Sahih
On the authority of Jabir ibn 'Abdillah (may Allah be pleased with them both),
Who said: "I saw the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
Stoning while atop his mount on the Day
Of Sacrifice,
Stoning while atop his mount on the Day of Sacrifice,
And he was saying:
'Learn your pilgrimage rites from me,
For I do not know whether I will perform Hajj after this Hajj of mine.'"
Imam Muslim narrated in his Sahih
On the authority of Umm al-Husayn (may Allah be pleased with her), who said:
"I performed the Farewell Pilgrimage with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him),
And I saw him when he stoned Jamrat al-'Aqabah and turned away,
While he was upon his mount accompanied by Bilal and Usamah,
One of them leading his camel
And the other holding his garment over the head of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) to shield him from the sun."
She said:
"The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) spoke at length,
And then I heard him saying:
'If a mutilated black slave is appointed to rule over you,
Leading you according to the Book of Allah the Exalted,
Then listen to him and obey.'"
The Departure of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to the Slaughterhouse at Mina.
Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) proceeded to the slaughtering place in Mina,
and slaughtered his sacrificial camels with his own noble hand.
Indeed, Imam Muslim narrated in his Sahih
on the authority of Jabir Ibn 'Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him and his father), who said:
"He then proceeded to the slaughtering place,
and slaughtered sixty-three camels with his own hand.
Then he handed over the rest to 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him),
who slaughtered what remained,
that is, the rest of them,
and he included him in his sacrificial offering.
Then he ordered that a piece of meat be taken from every camel—
that is, a portion—
which was placed in a pot and cooked,
and both of them ate from its meat and drank from its broth."
The sacrificial camels were brought close to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) in successive groups.
Imam Ahmad narrated in his Musnad and Abu Dawud in his Sunan with an authentic chain of narration
on the authority of 'Abdullah Ibn Qurt (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
"Five or six sacrificial camels were brought close to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him),
and they began crowding towards him, competing as to which of them he would begin with."
Imam al-Bukhari narrated in his Sahih
on the authority of 'Ali Ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
"The Prophet (peace be upon him) offered one hundred sacrificial camels,
and he ordered me to distribute their meat, so I distributed it.
Then he ordered me to distribute their saddle blankets, so I distributed them.
Then he ordered me to distribute their hides, so I distributed them."
(The *jilal* are the coverings or cloths placed over the back of a camel).
And the two Shaykhs [al-Bukhari and Muslim] narrated in their Sahihs, with the wording being Muslim's,
on the authority of 'Ali Ibn Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him), who said:
"The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) commanded me to oversee his sacrificial camels,
and to give away in charity their meat, their hides, and their saddle blankets,
and not to give anything from them to the butcher as wages."
He added: "We pay him from our own funds."
*Al-Mukhtasar fi al-Sirah al-Nabawiyyah* (The Abridged Prophetic Biography):
"Though people's longing for one another may endure,
the longing for you is boundless beyond measure.
May Allah send His blessings upon you as long as the call to prayer is raised,
and as long as lips move with everlasting remembrance."