The Farewell Ḥajj

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) made Ḥajj in the tenth year of the hijrah, and this is called the Farewell Ḥajj, because it is the Ḥajj in which the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) delivered his final words to the ummah; and it was a time when all of the Muslims gathered and had a chance to hear and see the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) for the last time. And it is also called ḥajjat al-islām, the Ḥajj of Islam, because it is the only Ḥajj the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) made from Madīnah. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) did make Ḥajj while he was in Makkah, before prophethood and after prophethood; but this was the only Ḥajj he made from Madīnah, and it was ten years after his hijrah.

The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) made Ḥajj riding on his camel, and he had very humble riding equipment — the saddle used for the camel — and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: ḥajjatun lā riyāʾa fīhā wa lā sumʿah — a Ḥajj with no show (Ibn Mājah 2890). The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) made his Ḥajj simple, and that is how Ḥajj should be: simple clothes. And a Muslim should use Ḥajj as a chance to get out of the ease he is accustomed to in the rest of his life; it is a time to experience a bit of hardship; and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) made his Ḥajj very simple.

In the time after the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) passed away, the condition of the Muslims was improving greatly financially, so now people were coming to Ḥajj with fancier things. Ibn ʿUmar was with his companions, and a group of pilgrims coming from Yemen passed in front of Ibn ʿUmar. So he told the people who were with him: man aḥabba an yanẓura ilā ashbahi rufqatin waradat al-ʿāma bi-Rasūli Allāhi wa aṣḥābihi idh qadimū fī ḥajjati al-wadāʿ fa-l-yanẓur ilā hādhihi al-rufqah — in the Musnad of Imām Aḥmad. When these men from Yemen passed in front of Ibn ʿUmar, they had very plain, simple saddles on their camels, and they were wearing very simple iḥrāms and clothes. So Ibn ʿUmar said: whoever wants to see the travellers this year who most resemble the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and his Companions when they made the Farewell Ḥajj, let him look at these.

So if one goes to Makkah today, and goes to Madīnah today, at the time of Ḥajj, one will see extravagance: one will see the fancy Ḥajj; one will see the VIP Ḥajj. And Ḥajj, which is supposed to be equal for everyone, has become a place where one can clearly see the difference between the rich and the poor — in their accommodation, and in their transport, and in other respects too. And that is not how it was in the time of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him).