Atlanta Muslim Examiner | November 26, 2009 | Re-Print
It was the tenth year of the Hijra now. Muslims were the rulers of Arabia. They were one brotherhood. They worshipped one God and followed one Prophet. Past enmities had been forgotten. New friendships had grown fast and firm. The Prophet made known that he would be going to Mecca for Hajj. Men from all over Arabia rushed to Medina. There were to be seen hundreds of tents around the capital. The Prophet left for Mecca with about one hundred thousands Muslims. Next day they put on the Ihram dress - two (white) sheets. They all looked alike, the rich and the poor, the master and the servant. Then all turned to God with these words:
"At Thy service, o Lord, at Thy service! There is no partner with Thee; we are at Thy service. For Thee is all praise, from Thee are all gifts and to Thee are all thanks. We are at Thy service; there is no partner with Thee; we are at Thy service."
On reaching Mecca, the Prophet and the Muslims performed all the rites of Hajj. On the ninth of Zilhajj (12th month of Islamic calendar), the Prophet went to Arafat. Mounted on a camel, he said:
"O ye people, hear my speech. I do not know whether I will be meeting you here after this year. O ye people, your blood and your property and your honor are sacred amongst you until you meet your Lord as is sacred this day, this month, this town. Whoso has with him the trust of the other, he should render it to him. Every kind of interest is forbidden this day. The interest due to Abbas bin Muttabib is remitted today. All the bloodshed in the time of ignorance is forgiven. I forgive first the blood of Ibne Rabia bin Harith bin Abdul Muttalib.
God has appointed for every one a share in the property. No "will" shall now be accepted that wrongs a rightful heir. A child born in a house shall be regarded the child of the father in the house.
O men, you have some rights over your wives. Your wives also have rights over you. Your right over them is that they should lead chaste lives and not take ways that bring shame to the husband in the sight of the people.
Your duty is to provide them with food and garments and shelter according to your standard. Remember, you should always treat your wives well. God has charged you with the duty of taking good care of them. Woman is weak and cannot protect her own rights. God has appointed you the trustee of those rights.
O men, you still have with you some prisoners of war. I advise you to feed them and clothe them in the same way and style as you feed and clothe yourselves.
O men, what I say to you, you should hear and remember. All Muslims are as brethren to one another. All of you are equal. All men of whatever nation or tribe, and whatever position are equal."
Then lifting two hands, the Prophet joined the fingers of one to the fingers of the other and said,
"Even as the fingers of the two hands are equal, so are human beings equal to one another. No one has any right, or any preference to claim over another. You are brothers."
Then he asked,
"Do you know what month is this? What city we are in? What day of the year it is today?"
It was the sacred day, the Prophet announced:
"Even as this month is sacred, this land sacred and this day sacred, so has God made the lives, property and honor of every man sacred."
Proceeding he said:
"What I command you today is not for today only. It is for all times to come. You should remember and obey until you leave this world and go to the next to meet your Creator.
What I have said to you, carry it to the ends of the world. May be the one who has not heard benefits from it more than the one who has."
Qamar Ahmad is a contributing member of Majlis Sultan-ul Qalam, USA (MSQ USA).
Read more: Tracing the history of Muslim Pilgrimage
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