The Prophet ﷺ and his companions entered Makkah on Sunday, the 4th of Dhul Hijjah, before carrying out the rites of Umrah. After its completion, they moved to al-Abtah, situated to the east of Makkah, where they remained until the start of Hajj.
Dhu Tuwa
Before entering the city, he encamped at Dhu Tuwa, known as Jarwal or Abar al-Zahir today, where he spent the night. On the morning of the 4th of Dhul Hijjah, the Prophet ﷺ performed Fajr salah near a large knoll close to the mosque that had been built there, rather than within the mosque itself. He then bathed himself using the water from the Well of Tuwa, as was his usual practice before entering Makkah.
Entering Makkah
The Prophet ﷺ proceeded in the direction of the mountain that stood between him and the Kaaba, Jabal Adhakhir, and entered Makkah in mid-morning from its high point at Kada via the highest pathway.2 He descended the valley riding on his she-camel, al-Qaswa, whilst repeating the Talbiyah.
Entering Masjid al-Haram
The Prophet ﷺ dismounted his camel as he arrived at the gate of the mosque, before renewing his wudhu. Aisha J narrates:
The first thing the Prophet ﷺ did on reaching Makkah was the ablution and then he performed Tawaf of the Kaaba.
At the Kaaba
It was reported that when the Prophet ﷺ first set sight on the Kaaba, he recited the following supplications:
Allāhumma zid hādha l-bayta tashrīfan wa takrīman wa taʿẓīman wa mahābah, wa zid man sharrafahu wa karramahu mimman ḥajjahu waʿtamarahu tashrīfan wa taʿẓīman wa birrā.
O Allah, increase this House in honour and ennoblement, reverence and awe, and increase the one who honours and ennobles it, of those who travel to it for Hajj and Umrah, in honour, reverence and piety.
Allāhumma anta s-salām, wa minka s-salām, fa hayyinā Rabbanā bi s-salām.
O Allah, You are peace, and from you is peace, so give us life, our Lord, in the Abode of Peace.
Hajar al-Aswad
Abdullah ibn Umar I narrates:
The Prophet ﷺ put his blessed lips upon the stone and cried for a long time. When he raised his head, he saw Umar crying too and said: ‘Umar, this is the place to cry.’
Umar ibn al-Khattab said:
By Allah! I know that you are a stone and can neither benefit nor harm. Had I not seen the Prophet ﷺ touching and kissing you, I would never have touched and kissed you.
Tawaf
During his Tawaf, the Prophet ﷺ passed by a man who had tied his hands to another person with a strap or a piece of rope. This was a custom practised by Arabs during the pilgrimage before the advent of Islam. Abdullah ibn Abbas I narrates:
When the Prophet ﷺ was performing Tawaf of the Kaaba, he passed by a person who had tied his hands to another person with a rope or string or something of that nature. The Prophet ﷺ cut it with his own hands and said: ‘Lead him by the hand.
Raml
About Raml, Umar ibn al-Khattab I said:
There is no reason for us to perform Raml except that we wanted to show off before the pagans and now Allah has destroyed them. Nevertheless, the Prophet performed it and we do not want to abandon this sunnah.
Dua Between the Corners
As he walked between the Rukn al-Yamani and the Hajar al-Aswad, he recited the following Quranic verse:
رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَّفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً وَّقِنَا عَذَابَ النَار
Rabbanā ātinā f id-dunyā ḥasanatan wa fi l-ākhirati ḥasanatan wa qinā ʿadhāba n-nār.
O our Lord, give us good in this world and good in the next world and guard us against the torment of the Fire.
[Surah al-Baqarah, 2:201]
Maqam Ibrahim
Upon completion, the Prophet ﷺ walked towards Maqam Ibrahim, which was adjacent to the eastern wall of the Kaaba. He recited the following verse aloud so that people would be able to hear:
وَاتَّخِذُوا مِنْ مَقَامِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ مُصَلًّى ❁
Wattakhidhū min maqāmi Ibrāhīma muṣalla.
And take the Maqam Ibrahim as a place of salah.
[Surah al-Baqarah, 2:125]
At Safa
He then said: “I shall start with what God started with”, meaning that he would begin his Sa’i from Safa, which the verse mentioned first. When he ascended Safa, he turned to face the Kaaba and looked at it. He professed the oneness of God and exalted Him, saying:
الْحَمْدُ لِلّٰهِ وَلَآ إِلٰهَ إِلَّا اللّٰهُ وَاَللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ ❁
Al-ḥamdu li Llāhi wa lā ilāha illa Llāhu, wa Llāhu akbar.
All praise is due to Allah, there is no God but Allah, and Allah is the Greatest.
Towards Marwa
As the Prophet ﷺ reached the bottom of the valley, he started to move quickly, causing his lower garments to move vigorously between his legs. He then returned to a normal walking pace as the valley started to ascend. Habiba bint Abi Tijarah J states:
I saw the Prophet ﷺ performing Sa’i between Safa and Marwa and because of the severity of the Sa’i, his blessed izar was flapping. He was saying to the companions ‘Perform Sa’i between Safa and Marwa for Allah has made it compulsory upon you.’
At Marwa
Upon reaching Marwa, he did the same as he had earlier done at Safa. He performed a total of seven laps between Safa and Marwa.
Completing Umrah
The companions, on the whole, felt very uneasy about leaving the state of Ihram as they had left Madinah with the intention of performing Hajj with no desire to leave the state of Ihram before the pilgrimage had started. Jabir ibn Abdullah I describes his thoughts on the matter:
Our hearts were anguished on account of this and the reaction of the people reached the Messenger of Allah. We do not know whether he received this news from the Heavens (through revelation) or from the people.