Surah Al-Baqarah — Verse 198

There is no sin in seeking lawful provision by trading or other ways during the Hajj. When you leave Arafat after having spent the day there on the 9th of Dhū Al-Ḥijjah, and when you head towards Muzdalifah on the night before the 10th of Dhū Al-Ḥijjah, remember Allah by glorifying and praising Him and by praying to Him at the sacred place in Muzdalifah. Remember that Allah has guided you to the teachings of His path, and the acts of Hajj to His House: you were unaware of the sacred laws before this.

There is no sin on you if you seek the bounty of your Lord (during pilgrimage by trading). Then when you leave 'Arafat, remember Allah (by glorifying His praises, i.e., prayers and invocations) at the Mash'ar-il-Haram. And remember Him (by invoking Allah for all good) as He has guided you, and verily you were before, of those who were astray (198)

Al-Bukhari reported that Ibn 'Abbas said, "Ukaz, Mijannah and Dhul-Majaz were trading posts during the time of Jahiliyyah. During that era, they did not like the idea of conducting business transactions during the Hajj season. Later, this Ayah was revealed:

لَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَن تَبْتَغُوا فَضْلًا مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ

(There is no sin on you if you seek the bounty of your Lord.) during the Hajj season."

Abu Dawud and others recorded that Ibn 'Abbas said, "They used to avoid conducting business transactions during the Hajj season, saying that these are the days of Dhikr. Allah revealed:

لَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَن تَبْتَغُوا فَضْلًا مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ

(There is no sin on you if you seek the bounty of your Lord (during pilgrimage by trading).)

This is also the explanation of Mujahid, Sa'id bin Jubayr, 'Ikrimah, Mansur bin Al-Mu'tamir, Qatadah, Ibrahim An-Nakha'i, Ar-Rabi' bin Anas and others. Ibn Jarir reported that Abu Umaymah said that when Ibn 'Umar was asked about conducting trade during the Hajj, he recited the Ayah:

لَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَن تَبْتَغُوا فَضْلًا مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ

(There is no sin on you if you seek the bounty of your Lord (during pilgrimage by trading).)

This Hadith is related to Ibn 'Umar with a strong chain of narrators. This Hadith is also related to the Prophet ﷺ, as Ahmad reported that Abu Umamah At-Taymi said, "I asked Ibn 'Umar, 'We buy (and sell during the Hajj), so do we still have a valid Hajj?' He said, 'Do you not perform Tawaf around the House, stand at 'Arafat, throw the pebbles and shave your heads?' I said, 'Yes.' Ibn 'Umar said, 'A man came to the Prophet ﷺ and asked him about what you asked me, and the Prophet ﷺ did not answer him until Jibril came down with this Ayah:

لَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَن تَبْتَغُوا فَضْلًا مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ

(There is no sin on you if you seek the bounty of your Lord (during pilgrimage by trading).) The Prophet ﷺ summoned the man and said: (You are pilgrims)." Ibn Jarir narrated that Abu Salih said to 'Umar, "O Leader of the faithful! Did you conduct trade transactions during the Hajj?" He said, "Was their livelihood except during Hajj?"

Allah said:

فَإِذَا أَفَضْتُم مِّنْ عَرَفَاتٍ فَاذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ عِندَ الْمَشْعَرِ الْحَرَامِ

(Then when you leave 'Arafat, remember Allah (by glorifying His praises, i.e., prayers and invocations) at the Mash'ar-il-Haram.)

Arafat is the place where one stands during the Hajj and it is a pillar of the rituals of Hajj. Imam Ahmad and the Sunan compilers recorded that 'Abdur-Rahman bin Ya'mar Ad-Diyli said that he heard Allah's Messenger ﷺ saying:

الْحَجُّ عَرَفَاتٌ - ثَلَاثًا - فَمَنْ أَدْرَكَ عَرَفَةَ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَطْلُعَ الْفَجْرُ فَقَدْ أَدْرَكَ، وَأَيَّامُ مِنًى ثَلَاثَــةٌ، فَمَنْ تَعَجَّلَ فِي يَوْمَيْنِ فَلَا إِثْمَ عَلَيْهِ، وَمَنْ تَأَخَّرَ فَلَا إِثْمَ عَلَيهِ

(Hajj is 'Arafat, (thrice). Hence, those who have stood at 'Arafat before dawn will have performed (the rituals of the Hajj). The days of Mina are three, and there is no sin for those who move on after two days, or for those who stay.)

The time to stand on 'Arafat starts from noon on the day of 'Arafah until dawn the next day, which is the day of the Sacrifice (the tenth day of Dhul-Hijjah). The Prophet ﷺ stood at 'Arafat during the Farewell Hajj, after he had offered the Zuhr (noon) prayer, until sunset. He said, "Learn your rituals from me." In this Hadith (i. e., in the previous paragraph) he said, "Whoever stood at 'Arafat before dawn, will have performed (the rituals of Hajj)."

Urwah bin Mudarris bin Harithah bin Lam At-Ta'i said, "I came to Allah's Messenger ﷺ at Al-Muzdalifah when it was time to pray. I said, 'O Messenger of Allah! I came from the two mountains of Tayy', and my animal became tired and I became tired. I have not left any mountain, but stood on it. Do I have a valid Hajj?' Allah's Messenger ﷺ said:

مَنْ شَهِدَ صَلَاتَنَا هذِهِ، فَوَقَفَ مَعَنَا حَتَّى نَدْفَعَ، وَقَدْ وَقَفَ بِعَرَفَةَ قَبْلَ ذلِكَ لَيْلًا أَوْ نَهارًا فَقَدْ تَمَّ حَجُّهُ وَقَضَى تَفَثَهُ

(Whoever performed this prayer with us, stood with us until we moved forth, and had stood at 'Arafat before that, day or night, will have performed the Hajj and completed its rituals)."

This Hadith was collected by Imam Ahmad and the compilers of the Sunan, and At-Tirmidhi graded it Sahih. It was reported that the mount was called 'Arafat because, as 'Abdur-Razzaq reported that 'Ali bin Abu Talib said, "Allah sent Jibril to Prophet Ibrahim and he performed Hajj for him (to teach him its rituals). When Ibrahim reached 'Arafat he said, 'I have 'Araftu (I know this place).' He had come to that area before. Thereafter, it was called 'Arafat." Ibn Al-Mubarak said that 'Ata' said, "It was called 'Arafat because Jibril used to teach Ibrahim the rituals of Hajj. Ibrahim would say, 'I have 'Araftu, I have 'Araftu.' It was thereafter called 'Arafat." Similar statements were attributed to Ibn 'Abbas, Ibn 'Umar and Abu Mijlaz. Allah knows best.

Arafat is also called Al-Mash'ar Al-Haram, Al-Mash'ar Al-Aqsa and Ilal, while the mount that is in the middle of 'Arafat is called Jabal Ar-Rahmah (Mount of Mercy).

Ibn Abu Hatim reported that Ibn 'Abbas said, "During the time of Jahiliyyah, the people used to stand at 'Arafat. When the sun would be on top of the mountains, just as the turban is on top of a man's head, they would move on. Allah's Messenger ﷺ delayed moving from 'Arafat until sunset." Ibn Marduwyah related this Hadith and added, "He then stood at Al-Muzdalifah and offered the Fajr (Dawn) prayer at an early time. When the light of dawn broke, he moved on." This Hadith has a Hasan chain of narrators. The long Hadith that Jabir bin 'Abdullah narrated, which Muslim collected, stated, "The Prophet ﷺ kept standing there (meaning at 'Arafat) until sunset, when the yellow light had somewhat gone and the disc of the sun had disappeared. Then, the Prophet ﷺ made Usamah sit behind him, and in order to keep her under control, pulled the nose string of Al-Qaswa' so hard, that its head touched the saddle. He gestured with his right hand and said, "Proceed calmly people, calmly!" Whenever he happened to pass over an elevated tract of sand, he lightly loosened the nose string of his camel till she climbed up and this is how they reached Al-Muzdalifah. There, he led the Maghrib (Evening) and 'Isha' (Night) prayers with one Adhan and two Iqamah (which announces the imminent start of the acts of the prayer) and did not glorify Allah in between them (i.e., he did not perform voluntary Rak'ah). Allah's Messenger ﷺ then laid down till dawn and offered the Fajr (Dawn) prayer with Adhan and Iqamah, when the morning light was clear. He again mounted Al-Qaswa', and when he came to Al-Mash'ar Al-Haram, he faced towards Qiblah, supplicated to Allah, glorifying Him and saying, La ilaha illallah, and he continued standing until the daylight was very clear. He then went quickly before the sun rose."

It is reported in the Two Sahihs that Usamah bin Zayd was asked, "How was the Prophet's pace when he moved?" He said, "Slow, unless he found space, then he would go a little faster."

Abdur-Razzaq reported that Ibn 'Umar said that all of Al-Muzdalifah is Al-Mash'ar Al-Haram. It was reported that Ibn 'Umar was asked about Allah's statement:

فَاذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ عِندَ الْمَشْعَرِ الْحَرَامِ

(...remember Allah (by glorifying His praises, i.e., prayers and invocations) at the Mash'ar-il-Haram.)

He said, "It is the Mount and the surrounding area." It was reported that Al-Mash'ar Al-Haram is what is between the two Mounts (refer to the following Hadith), as Ibn 'Abbas, Sa'id bin Jubayr, 'Ikrimah, Mujahid, As-Suddi, Ar-Rabi' bin Anas, Al-Hasan and Qatadah have stated.

Imam Ahmad recorded that Jubayr bin Mut'im narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said:

كُلُّ عَرَفَاتٍ مَوْقِفٌ، وَارْفَعُوا عَنْ عُرَنَةَ، وَكُلُّ مُزْدَلِفَةَ مَوْقِفٌ، وَارْفَعُوا عَنْ مُحَسِّرٍ، وَكُلُّ فِجَاجِ مَكَّةَ مَنْحَرٌ، وَكُلُّ أَيَّامِ التَّشْرِيقِ ذَبْحٌ

(All of 'Arafat is a place of standing, and keep away from 'Uranah. All of Al-Muzdalifah is a place for standing, and keep away from the bottom of Muhassir. All of the areas of Makkah are a place for sacrifice, and all of the days of Tashriq are days of sacrifice.)

Allah then said:

وَاذْكُرُوهُ كَمَا هَدَاكُمْ

(And remember Him (by invoking Allah for all good) as He has guided you.)

This Ayah reminds Muslims of Allah's bounty on them that He has directed and taught them the rituals of Hajj according to the guidance of Prophet Ibrahim Al-Khalil. This is why Allah said:

وَإِن كُنتُم مِّن قَبْلِهِ لَمِنَ الضَّالِّينَ

(...and verily, you were, before, of those who were astray.)

It was said that this Ayah refers to the condition before the guidance or the Qur'an or the Messenger ﷺ, all of which are correct meanings.

Trading or earning during the Hajj

Verse 198: لَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَن تَبْتَغُوا فَضْلًا مِّن رَّ‌بِّكُمْ : There is no sin on you that you seek the bounty of your Lord (by trading) ' was revealed in a particular background of the Jahiliyyah when the people of Arabia had distorted all rules of worship and social dealings by injecting in them all sorts of absurd customs rendering acts of devotion into amusement. They would not even spare the sacred rites of Hajj when they added to them ridiculous doings out of their wild imagination. In the great gathering at Mina, they would set up special bazaars, hold exhibitions, and put up trade promotion devices. But after the appearance of Islam when Muslims were obligated with Hajj, all these absurd customs were eliminated. The noble Companions ؓ ، who would stake anything to seek the pleasure of Allah and to follow the teachings of His Messenger ﷺ ، started suspecting the validity of even the acts of trading or working for wages during Hajj days. They thought that earning in this manner is an outgrowth of the age of ignorance, may be Islam shall forbid it absolutely, so much so, that a certain person came to the blessed Companion ` Abdullah ibn ` Umar ؓ and asked: 'We are in the business of renting our camels. We have been doing it since long. People hire our camels to go for their Hajj. We go with them and perform our Hajj. Is it that our Hajj will not be valid?' Sayyidna ` Abdullah ibn ` Umar ؓ said: 'Some one came to the Holy Prophet ﷺ and asked the same question you are asking me. The Holy Prophet ﷺ did not reply to his question at that particular time until the verse لَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَن تَبْتَغُوا فَضْلًا مِّن رَّ‌بِّكُمْ was revealed. Then, he called for that person and said, 'Yes, your Hajj is valid.'

In short, this verse makes it clear that a person, who earns some profit by trading, or wages by working, incurs no sin. However, the practice of the disbelievers of Arabia whereby they had turned the Hajj into a trade fair was reformed through two simple words of the Qur'an to the effect that they can earn if they have to, but let them earn what they do as a favour and blessing of Allah Almighty, and be grateful for it, never making it a material exercise of minting money. The words فضْلًا مِّن رَّ‌بِّكُمْ ,: 'the bounty of your Lord' point out to this factor. Then, the expression: لَّا جُنَاحَ عَلَيْكُمْ preceding the words referred to above means that 'there is no sin on you' in this indulgence in earning which has a built-in hint that avoiding this indulgence too, if possible, is still better because it affects the ideal of perfect sincerity so desirable in the Hajj.

This whole issue, in fact, revolves round the original intention of a person. If his basic intention is to earn money through trading or employment but he has decided to perform the Hajj as an adjunct, or both the intentions are equally kept in mind, then, this is contrary to the ideal of sincerity and it will reduce the reward of Hajj and the blessings of Hajj would not fall to his lot as they normally would. And should it be that he leaves his home with the basic intention to perform his Hajj, but runs into unforeseen problems accidentally resulting in a shortage of Hajj expenses or needs of subsistence, he then, could go for a little earning through trading or employment to offset his shortage of need-oriented funds. This is, in no way, contrary to the ideal of sincerity. However, for one who has to do so, it is much better that he leaves the five special days of Hajj rites free of any engagement in trading or employment. Instead, he should devote these days to nothing but ` ibadah عبادہ and dhikr ذِکر of Allah. This is the reason why some ` ulama' عُلما have ruled that trading or employments during these special days of Hajj are forbidden.

Staying in ` Arafat and Muzdalifah:

The next statement in the same verse (198) is:

لَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَن تَبْتَغُوا فَضْلًا مِّن رَّ‌بِّكُمْ ۚ فَإِذَا أَفَضْتُم مِّنْ عَرَ‌فَاتٍ فَاذْكُرُ‌وا اللَّـهَ عِندَ الْمَشْعَرِ‌ الْحَرَ‌امِ ۖ وَاذْكُرُ‌وهُ كَمَا هَدَاكُمْ وَإِن كُنتُم مِّن قَبْلِهِ لَمِنَ الضَّالِّينَ ﴿198﴾

Later, when you flow down from ` Arafat, recite the name of Allah near al-Mash'ar al-Haram (the Sacred Monument) and recite His name as He has guided you, while before it, you were among the astray.

The verse tells us that, on the way back from ` Arafat, it is necessary (wajib) to stay overnight in Muzdalifah and to recite the name of Allah there, especially as taught.

Literally, ` Arafat is plural in number. This is the name of a particular plain. Its geographical boundaries are well-known. This plain is located outside the limits of Haram حرم . All hujjaj حَجَّاج (Hajj pilgrims) must reach and stay there between noon (zawal زوال) and sunset (ghurub غروب) hours. This is the most important obligation of Hajj for which, if missed out, there is no alternative in the form of kaffarah کَفَّارہ (expiation) or fidyah فدیہ (ransom).

Several causes have been cited for the name, ` Arafat. Out of these, the clearer explanation is that ` Arafat is a plain where man gets to know his Lord and, through his ` ibadah عبادہ and dhikr ذِکر ، learns how to get closer to Him, and in addition to that, Muslims from the East and the West meet and know each other by direct contact.

Emphasis has been laid in the text on the stay near al-Mash'ar al-Haram المشاعر الحرم on the way back from ` Arafat after having spent the day there and after having departed the plain soon after sunset. Al-Masha’ r Al-Haram الحرم المشاعر is the name of a mountain which is located in Muzdalifah. The word, 'al-mash` ar' المشاعر means 'sign' or 'symbol', and 'haram حرم ' being 'sacred', the name signifies that this mountain is a sacred monument to Islam. The plain adjacent is called Muzdalifah. It is necessary (wajib) to spend the night on this plain and offer the combined prayers of Maghrib and ` Isha' at one time in Muzdalifah. The Qur'anic expression: فَاذْكُرُ‌وا اللَّـهَ عِندَ الْمَشْعَرِ‌ الْحَرَ‌ام ; translated as 'recite the name of Allah near al-Mash'ar al-Haram' certainly includes all kinds of the remembrances of Allah, but here it particularly means the offering of two prayers at one time, that is, offering Maghrib with ` Isha'. This is the special act of ` ibadah peculiar to the plain of Muzdalifah. Perhaps, the sentence that follows: وَاذْكُرُ‌وهُ كَمَا هَدَاكُمْ (recite his name as He has guided you) is indicative of this aspect. It is said that one should remember Allah and recite His name in the manner He has taught without adulterating it with personal opinions because personal deduction would have demanded that the Salah Maghrib be offered at the time set for it and the Salah of ` Isha' at its own time. But, on that day, Allah Almighty favours that the Salah of Maghrib be delayed and offered along with ` Isha'. From the Qur'anic statement cited above, recite His name as He has guided you', we see the emergence of yet another basic ruling that man is not independent in worshipping and remembering Allah, that is, he cannot worship Him as he wishes and he cannot remember Him as he chooses. Instead, every ` ibadah and dhikr of Allah demands the observance of special rules of etiquette. These have to be performed as stipulated; doing it otherwise is not permissible. Then, Allah Almighty does not like any substraction or addition, nor any change in its prescribed time or place, even though the change may lead to an increase in the act of worship. It is observed that people tend to add some features in voluntary prayers and acts of charity from their side without having any reason approved by the Shari'ah, and going a step farther, they take it upon themselves as something necessary while Allah and His blessed Messenger did not declare it as necessary, and last but not the least, such people have the audacity to regard those who do not do all that as in error. This verse exposes their false position by saying that such additional forms of worship reflect the practice of Jahiliyyah when the disbelievers had used their personal opinions and choices to concoct forms of worship and had limited the serious act to few customs.

Fear of God is the basic element of worship. As long as one remains in this frame of mind, it does not matter if the order of a rite is changed by mistake in performing the rites of pilgrimage, or if one attends to some private business while in the holy land. What is important is that one should enter into the spirit of pilgrimage—fear of God, remembrance of Him, prayerfulness, thanksgiving and wholehearted submission to God. While on a pilgrimage, one should make sure not to do anything which runs counter to this spirit. There should be no feeling of superiority over fellow pilgrims, that is, one should ‘press on from where the pilgrims stream forth.’ Making too much of one’s forefathers, praising their great deeds, is also against the spirit of pilgrimage: pilgrimage is for the glory of God, not for praise of the self. What place can such attitudes and activities have in Hajj, the very lesson of which is the equality of man before one, supreme God. If one does not assimilate this lesson during the pilgrimage, what chance is there of one applying it throughout the rest of one’s life?