The Farewell Sermon

Pilgrimage in Islam was prescribed during the 9th year of the Islamic Hijra or 62 !"#" The prophet of Islam peace be upon him deputed $bu %a&er to lead the pilgrims to perform the Haj" 'uring the ()th year of Hijra* the Prophet peace be upon him left +edina on the 26 of ,ul -i.dah with an a/erage of 9)*))) +uslims who joined him to perform Haj" The Holy Prophet peace be upon him reached +a&&ah on the 0th of 'hu1 al1Hijjah" He made se/en circuits 2tawaf3 of the 4a.bah* offered two ra&.ats of prayer at 5+a6am1e1Ibrahim. and climbing the +ount of Safa declared* 7There is no god but $llah* He has no partner* all so/ereignty and praise belong to Him" He gi/es life and brings death" He is $ll1Powerful and Supreme o/er e/erything"7 8n the 9th of 'hu1al1Hijjah* the Prophet peace be upon him left with his !ompanions for +ina and spent the night there" 8n the 9th of ,ul Hijjah the Prophet peace be upon him left +a&&ah to $rafat with a group of +uslims who e:ceeded ((0*)))" $t the +ount of +ercy 2$l ;ahmah3* the Prophet peace be upon him mounted his camel* and he deli/ered the famous sermon while ;abi.ah Ibn <maiyah Ibn 4halaf was repeating after the Prophet peace be upon him sentence by sentence" This Sermon was the last one that the Prophet peace be upon him deli/ered" The haj performance to +a&&ah and $rafat was the only one and the last one that the Prophet peace be upon him did" For this reason* the speech that he ga/e was called 4hutbatul =ida.> The Farewell Speech or the Farewell 4hutba* which english translation is gi/en below> $fter praising* and than&ing $llah he said> O People, lend me an attentive ear, for I know not whether after this year, I shall ever be amongst you again. Therefore listen to what I am saying to you very carefully and TA ! T"!#! $O%&# TO T"O#! $"O 'O()& *OT +! P%!#!*T "!%! TO&A,. O People, -ust as you regard this month, this day, this city as #acred, so regard the life and property of every .uslim as a sacred trust. %eturn the goods entrusted to you to their rightful owners. "urt no one so that no one may hurt you. %emember that you will indeed meet your )O%&, and that "! will indeed reckon your deeds. A))A" has forbidden you to take usury /interest0, therefore all interest obligation shall henceforth be waived. ,our capital, however, is yours to keep. ,ou will neither inflict nor suffer any ine1uity. Allah has 2udged that there shall be no interest and that all the interest due to Abbas ibn 3Abd4al .uttalib /Prophet4s uncle0 shall henceforth be waived. Beware of Satan, for the safety of your religion. He has lost all hope that he will ever be able to lead you astray in big things, so beware of following him in small things. O People, it is true that you have certain rights with regard to your women, but they also have rights over you. Remember that you have taken them as your wives only under Allahs trust and with His permission. If they abide by your right

then to them belongs the right to be fed and lothed in kindness. !o treat your women well and be kind to them for they are your partners and ommitted helpers. And it is your right that they do not make friends with any one of whom you do not approve, as well as never to be un haste. O People, listen to me in earnest, worship A))A", say your five daily prayers "Salah#, fast during the month of Ramadan, and give your wealth in $akat. %erform Ha&& if you an afford to. All mankind is from Adam and !ve, an Arab has no superiority over a non5 Arab nor a non5Arab has any superiority over an Arab6 also a white has no superiority over black nor a black has any superiority over white e7cept by piety "ta'wa# and good a tion. (earn that every )uslim is a brother to every )uslim and that the )uslims onstitute one brotherhood. *othing shall be legitimate to a )uslim whi h belongs to a fellow )uslim unless it was given freely and willingly. !o not, therefore, do in&usti e to yourselves. %emember, one day you will appear before A))A" and answer your deeds. #o beware, do not stray from the path of righteousness after I am gone. + %eople, *O P%OP"!T O% APO#T)! $I)) 'O.! A8T!% .! A*& *O *!$ 8AIT" $I)) +! +O%*. %eason well, therefore, O People, and understand words which I convey to you. I leave behind me two things, the 9(%A* and my e7ample, the #(**A" and if you follow these you will never go astray. All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again6 and may the last ones understand my words better than those who listen to me directly. +e my witness, O A))A", that I have conveyed your message to your people:.

!etailed ,-planation
(1The Prophet 2pbuh3 first reminded the people the sacredness of their li/es and their property as sacred as they regarded the place and month they were in*?so return the goods entrusted to you to their rightful owners@" He said ?Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you* remember that you will indeed meet your !reator* and that he will indeed rec&on your deeds@" Aotice how the Prophet emphasises the meeting with Bod* because we will be present in front of our Cord one day* and He will Dudges us by our deeds" $ny +uslim who indeed fears his Bod and lo/es Bod has to abide by His command" $nything he does wrong whether openly or secretly* anything he hides wrongfully from another personE his Cord will &now" $nd the final judgement will be upon him for whate/er good or bad he has done" It is a call for +uslims to be just and merciful* to be united" $nother beautiful statement made here by the Prophet 2pbuh3 ?hurt no one so no one may hurt you@" 'o not inflict pain on anyone because you &now

you wouldn.t li&e the same to be done to you* physically or /erbally" ?'o no oppress and do not be oppressed@" 21Then he tal&s about the use of interest now being completely forbidden> ?$llah has forbidden you to ta&e usuryE therefore all interest obligations shall henceforth be wai/ed" Four capital is yours to &eep" Fou will neither inflict nor suffer any ine6uality" $llah has judged that there shall be no interest and that all interest due to $l $bbas bin $bdul +uttalib be wai/ed@" The messenger 2pbuh3 of $llah $lmighty &new what usury could do to a society therefore ma&ing it clear in his final sermon that it is completely abolished amongst +uslims" This is firm ad/ice to ta&e heed of* e/en in today.s time and situationE the gap between the rich and the poor still grows primarily because of the use of interest" The Prophet 2pbuh3 said by shunning the use of interestE we neither inflict nor suffer ine6uality* ine6uality which interest ta&es ad/antage of and causes more and more" $l $bbas bin $bdul +uttalib was an uncle of the Prophet 2pbuh3* he was a rich man* a wealthy merchant in +a&&ah" +uhammad 2pbuh3 saw it so important to cut all obligations of interest due towards his uncle" He also ordered that all blood feuds from the pre1Islamic days be forgotten" %ecause it was now time to start with a new clean sheet" $nd forgi/eness must be a priority here* without this there would be no peace" 1$nd the Prophet 2pbuh3 warned the people that those who see& mischief will try to allow what is wrong and forbid what is right in Islam" $nd that they may tamper with the calendar which Bod has ordained right" So +uhammad 2pbuh3 taught> ?4now that with your Bod the months are twel/e in number" Four of them are holyE they are successi/e* e:cept one occurs singly between the months of Dumada and Shaban 2meaning ;ajab3@" In these holy months all war and feuds are forbidden* to help peaces pre/ail and to allow the rites of major and minor pilgrimages to be carried out &indly" G1Beware of Satan! For the safety of your religion. He has lost all hope that he will be able to lead you astray in major things so beware of following him in small things. The +essenger 2pbuh3 did not forget to caution the people against Satan* who is a sworn enemy" #/en though +uhammad 2pbuh3 had taught the +uslims to successfully recognise Satan* he was still worried that he may lose some through minor actions which they may ha/e thought were just simple innocent deeds" This piece of ad/ice is most rele/ant today where all sorts of things are cause of distraction from the reality of the world and the 8ne" ?8 PeopleH Cisten to me in earnest* worship $llah* say your fi/e daily prayers* fast during month of ;amadan* and gi/e your wealth in ,a&at" Perform Hajj if you can afford it@* being steadfast in worshipping Bod and following His commands is the only way one can escape the whispers of Satan" 01Ae:t the Prophet 2pbuh3 e:presses the rights of women" Saying that it is true that +en ha/e rights o/er their wi/es* but also that wi/es ha/e their rights o/er their husbands"

He reminds the men that they ha/e ta&en them as their wi/es ?only under $llah.s trust and with His permission@* swearing that they will ta&e care of them and protect them" =e can understand from this statement of +uhammad 2pbuh3 that> to be unfair to our wi/es is also injustice towards Bod and His commandments and His trust" ?So if they abide by your right then to them belongs the right to be fed and clothed in &indness" 'o treat your women well and be &ind to them for they are your partners and committed helpers@" Here mentioned by the +essenger 2pbuh3 a /ery important role of women as wi/es in Islam* that they are partners to their husbands* not only as wi/es but as companions and friends" They can &now their men better than anyone* so they are the fittest to stand by for help* ad/ice and comfort" They are 5committed. helpers* because they lo/e their husbands* their help is in/aluable* and can go a /ery long way" #/ery man longs for such a wife and such a wife has the utmost right to be sheltered* clothed and protected with &indness by her husband" ?$nd it is your 2the husband.s3 right that they 2the wi/es3 do not ma&e friends with any one of whom you do not appro/e* as well ne/er to be unchaste@" This is not only a right of the husband but also of the wife as well* as and the Prophet 2pbuh3 said ?women also ha/e rights o/er their husbands@" $ husband also may not ma&e friends with whoe/er the wife disappro/es of as well as being chaste* and other matters in which the husband or the wife may rightly disagree of" 61 All mankind is from Adam and !e" an Arab has no superiority o!er a non#Arab nor a non#Arab has any superiority o!er an Arab$ also a %hite has no superiority o!er a Bla&k nor does a Bla&k ha!e any superiority o!er a %hite e'&ept by piety and good a&tion. the Prophet 2pbuh3 could not be more clear and e:plicit on the matter of race and colour" That e/ery single person on this world is descended from $dam 2pbuh3 and $dam is from dust" =hether blac& or white* an $rab or an $frican* no one has the right to treat someone unfairly on the bases of race* colour or language* because ultimately we all came from dust" 8ne should humble himIherself because Bod judges by piety and good actions" ?$nd learn that e/ery +uslim is a brother to e/ery +uslim and that the +uslims constitute one brotherhood" Aothing shall be legitimate to a +uslim which belongs to a fellow +uslim unless it was gi/en freely and willingly@" J1$nd then it is said the he 6uoted a /erse from the -ur.an> ?8 man&indH =e created you from a single 2pair3 of a male and a female* and made you into nations and tribes* that ye may &now each other 2not that ye may despise 2each other3" Kerily the most honoured of you in the sight of $llah is 2he who is3 the most righteous of you" $nd $llah has full &nowledge and is well ac6uainted 2with all things3@" This /erse is profound and e:tremely rele/ant e/en for our times" It spea&s of recognising each other for who we are* we are different so we may &now one another not that we should fight* hate or destroy one another"

91Aearing the end of his sermon* the Prophet 2pbuh3 reminded that there will be no more prophets to come after him and no new re/elation or religion" ?So ;eason well* therefore 8 People* and understand the words that I con/ey to you" I lea/e behind me two things* the -uran and the Sunnah and if you follow these you will ne/er go astray@" He warns us of false prophets and religions and to be united as one +uslim nation holding fast to the -uran and his way 2Sunnah3" The -uran and the Sunnah of the Prophet 2pbuh3 complete the religion of Islam for the entire +uslim community* pro/iding &nowledge on major and minor aspects in life* for a +uslim this is total guidance and correctness" $nd without these a +uslim would fall off course from the teachings of Islam" 91He was not only concerned for the +uslims present but also for those who weren.t present as well* such as future generations" So he said> ?$ll those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others againE and may the last ones understand my words better than those who listen to me directly@* ma&ing it an obligation to those present to pass the message on to those who weren.t present" This is how much the Prophet 2pbuh3 worried for his nation" Aow ending the speech he spo&e ?8 $llah* be my witness* that I ha/e con/eyed your message to Four people@" This final sermon of the Prophet 2pbuh3 spea&s to e/ery age group* teaching us the /alue of life and to recognise and respect our !reator" $nd it seems so that it is more rele/ant today than e/er before* for both +uslims and non1+uslims" It reminds us of the greater e6uality that we all see& to establish* that we are one human race" #/ery human is the brother of e/ery other human* whate/er the colour and whate/er the race* whate/er the language* whether we are rich or poor* man or a woman* whate/er the social or religious status may beE we must unite oursel/es and become brothers and sisters in humanity" Bod only judges by what is inside us* he sees our sincerity and belief* He judges by our actions" It teaches lo/e and appreciation for the creation* to see& peace not war and to be &ind and generous to our women" The time of the Prophet 2pbuh3 was a time when women were thought to be inferior to men" $ll sorts of unthin&able crimes were committed against women at the time" They were belie/ed to be a curse* a misfortune for families" It was only the rich and protected women that were able to li/e a decent life* the poor and unfortunate were the ones who had to struggle li&e this" The Prophet 2pbuh3 saw to put an end to such mistreatments* and he successfully did by the aid of Bod* li&ewise to many other crimes and injustices committed against man during his lifetime"

It was a final message and ad/ice of the Prophet and a summarisation of his prophetic life" Teaching the dire importance of establishing peace and respect in our society by the best means> racial e6uality* social justice* the rights of women and economic e6uality* and these are re6uirements from the al1+ighty" Throughout the speech the Prophet 2pbuh3 reminds us of our !reator that we will all return to Him and how He judges* that it is Bod who is the only Cegislator" It reminds us that in e/ery aspect of life* be it marriage* financial or socialE our foremost obligations belongs to the !reator and Pro/ider" It is a sermon meant not only for +uslims but for the entire world* for e/ery community and nation* and e/ery en/ironment regardless of religious or societal bac&grounds" It tac&les issues of which e/ery human may face" =e must recognise the /ital teachings in it" +uslims are reminded not to forget the obligations to their faith" To always adhere to the holy -uran and the Sunnah* to be constant in worshiping and obeying the !reator* to fear and lo/e Him" $nd to teach e/erything they learned from the Prophet 2pbuh3 to others who may not &now" Summary

The importance of propagating this message to all others 2$ +uslim.s responsibility thus does not end by following the religion3 $ reminder that e/eryone is fully accountable for their deeds and $llah 2Bod3 will ta&e e/ery person into account" If e/eryone heeded to this fact alone* the world would be a much better place today" ?Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you"@ These words of the prophet are self e:planatory" The prohibition of dealing with interest 2Aumerous accounts in -uran and Hadith prohibit ta&ing* gi/ing or being a part of any transaction dealing with interest3" ?Fou will neither inflict nor suffer any ine6uity"@ These words of the prophet are self e:planatory" The awareness of satan and how satan can wor& to de/iate us from the right path and doing e/il things" ;ights of women o/er men and rights of men o/er women" Treatment of women with &indness" +odesty and chastity in women" The importance of worshiping $llah 2saying your fi/e daily prayers 2Salah3* fasting during the month of ;amadan* gi/ing charity 2,a&at3 and performing pilgrimage 2Hajj3"

#6uality amongst all 2blac&s* white* $rabs* non1$rabs* etc"3 The need to establish justice" Islam is the final di/ine religion 2Cast prophet and Cast %oo&3"

Shortly after the Prophet 2pbuh3 had gi/en the speech* a /erse of the -ur.an was re/ealed to him> ?LThis day ha/e I perfected for you* your religion and fulfilled +y fa/our unto you* and it hath been +y good pleasure to choose Islam for you as your religionL@ $fter this the prophet realised that he had completed the mission ordained on him by his !reator" It too& him 2 years of hardship and effort* and thus it was time for the last cycle of his messenger1hood to draw nearer* which was to return to his Cord al1+ighty" $ few months later the Prophet 2pbuh3 grew /ery ill with strong fe/er and passed away at the age of 6 " %ut his legacy li/es on" Ae/er has a man been missed by so many people* longing to ha/e been in his presence just one more time" The world still remembers his wor&s* his mercy and his lo/e for the creation and more so for its !reator" $t a time when /iolence and bloodshed and war were the order of the day* he successfully taught how lo/e and respect the world" He taught us to recognise Bod and how to worship Him and lo/e Him* the creator"

*ote. !ear students it is a detailed note for your omprehension make it short so that you may be able to omplete answer in /0 minutes. !r.Asif 1han