As previously mentioned, the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) performed the noon prayer (ẓuhr) as four units (rakʿa) in Medina, then mounted his riding animal and set out, traveling to Dhū’l-Ḥulayfa. There, he performed the afternoon prayer (ʿaṣr) as two units, indicating that he had traveled to the location of Dhū’l-Ḥulayfa during the day and shortened the afternoon prayer there. This place is located three miles from Medina. He then performed the sunset (maghrib) and night (ʿishāʾ) prayers there, spent the night, led his Companions (ṣaḥāba) in the dawn (fajr) prayer, and informed them that revelation had come to him commanding him to enter the state of consecration (iḥrām).
Indeed, Imām Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal, through the transmission of Yaḥyā b. Ādam, relates that Ibn ʿUmar said: "While in the valley called Muʿarres, which is attached to Dhū’l-Ḥulayfa, revelation came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and it was said to him: 'You are in a blessed valley.'"
Al-Bukhārī, through Ḥumaydī, relates that ʿUmar said:
"I heard the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) say in the valley of ʿAqīq: 'Tonight, someone came to me from my Lord and said: Pray in this blessed valley and say: "ʿUmra within ḥajj,"' he said."
It appears that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) being commanded to pray in the valley of ʿAqīq means he was commanded to remain there until he performed the noon prayer. For the command came to him during the night, and he informed his Companions of it after the dawn prayer. Thus, after this notification, only the noon prayer remained. Therefore, he was commanded to perform the noon prayer there and to enter iḥrām after it. For this reason, he said:
– Tonight, someone came to me from my Lord and said: Pray in this blessed valley and say: "ʿUmra within ḥajj."
This narration has been cited as evidence by those who say that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was commanded to perform the combined pilgrimage (qirān), and it is among the strongest proofs on this matter. Further explanation regarding this will be provided later.
What we wish to emphasize is that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was commanded to remain in the valley of ʿAqīq until he performed the noon prayer, and he complied with this command. He stayed there. On that morning, he visited his nine wives, all of whom accompanied him on this journey. He remained there until he performed the noon prayer. As is mentioned in the narration of Abū Ḥassān al-Aʿraj from Ibn ʿAbbās, the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) performed the noon prayer at Dhū’l-Ḥulayfa, then marked his sacrificial camel, mounted his riding animal, and entered iḥrām.
Imām Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal relates from Anas b. Mālik:
"The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) performed the noon prayer at Dhū’l-Ḥulayfa. Then he mounted his riding animal. As he proceeded toward the place called Bayḍāʾ, he entered iḥrām."
This narration refutes Ibn Ḥazm’s claim that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) set out in the morning. However, Ibn Ḥazm may support his view with the following narration from al-Bukhārī, from Anas:
"The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) spent the night at Dhū’l-Ḥulayfa. After performing the dawn prayer, he mounted his riding animal. As he proceeded on the road to Bayḍāʾ, he made intention for ʿumra and ḥajj and entered iḥrām."
However, there is an unknown person in the chain of this narration, apparently Abū Qilāba. Allah knows best.
In his work "Ṣaḥīḥ," Muslim relates from ʿĀʾisha:
"I used to perfume the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him). Then he would visit his wives. Then, while in iḥrām, he would wake up perfumed."
Muslim relates from Muḥammad b. Muntašir:
"I asked ʿAbdullāh b. ʿUmar about a man perfuming himself and waking up in iḥrām. He replied:
– I do not like to wake up perfumed while in iḥrām. For I would prefer to be smeared with tar than to do so."
ʿĀʾisha also said: "At the time of entering iḥrām, I perfumed the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him). Then he visited his wives and woke up in iḥrām."
From this narration in Muslim, it is understood that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) perfumed himself before visiting his wives, so that it would be pleasant for both himself and his wives. Then, when he performed the ritual bath (ghusl) to purify himself from major impurity and to enter iḥrām, he perfumed himself again for iḥrām.
Al-Tirmidhī and al-Bayhaqī relate that Zayd b. Thābit saw the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) undress and perform ghusl in order to enter iḥrām.
Al-Tirmidhī also said that this is a sound (ḥasan) and rare (gharīb) ḥadith.
Imām Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal relates from ʿĀʾisha:
"When the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) intended to enter iḥrām, he would wash his head with khitmī and soapwort, and apply a little olive oil to his head, but not excessively."
This is related only by Imām Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal.
Abū ʿAbdillāh Muḥammad b. Idrīs al-Shāfiʿī relates from ʿUrwa, the father of ʿUthmān:
"I heard ʿĀʾisha say: At the time of entering and exiting iḥrām, I perfumed the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him)."
She was asked:
– What perfume did you use for him? She replied:
– The best perfume."
Al-Bukhārī relates from ʿĀʾisha:
"At the time of entering iḥrām and when he was about to exit iḥrām, before performing the circumambulation (ṭawāf), I would perfume the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him)."
Muslim relates from ʿĀʾisha:
"During the Farewell Pilgrimage, at the time of entering and exiting iḥrām, I applied a perfume called 'eye herb' to the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him)."
Muslim relates from ʿĀʾisha:
"At the time of entering and exiting iḥrām, before he performed the circumambulation of the House, I applied perfume to the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) with these two hands of mine."
Muslim relates from ʿĀʾisha:
"Before entering iḥrām, before exiting iḥrām, and before performing the circumambulation of the House on the first day of the Feast of Sacrifice, I would apply to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) a perfume containing musk."
Muslim relates from ʿĀʾisha:
"When the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) recited the talbiya, I would see as if the brightness of musk was in the parting of his hair."
Muslim relates from ʿĀʾisha:
"While in iḥrām, I would see as if the brightness of musk was in the parting of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him)'s hair."
Abū Dāwūd al-Ṭayālisī relates from ʿĀʾisha:
"While in iḥrām, I would see as if there was the brightness of perfume at the roots of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him)'s hair."
Imām Aḥmad b. Ḥanbal relates from ʿĀʾisha:
"While in iḥrām, after several days, I would see as if there was the brightness of perfume in the parting of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)'s hair."
ʿAbdullāh b. Zubayr al-Ḥumaydī relates from ʿĀʾisha:
"While in iḥrām, after the third day, I saw perfume in the parting of the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him)'s hair."
All these ḥadiths indicate that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) applied perfume after performing ghusl. For if he had applied perfume before ghusl, the water would have removed it and left no trace, especially not after three days of iḥrām. A group of the early scholars (salaf), including Ibn ʿUmar, held that applying perfume while in iḥrām is disliked (makrūh).
We have transmitted this ḥadith from ʿĀʾisha through the route of Ibn ʿUmar. Ḥāfiẓ al-Bayhaqī relates from ʿĀʾisha, through Ibn ʿUmar:
"At the time of entering iḥrām, I perfumed the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) with good and valuable perfume."
Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) pressed his hair together so that dust and earth would not enter and so that the perfume would be better preserved, making his hair like felt.
Mālik relates from Ibn ʿUmar that the Prophet’s wife Ḥafṣa said:
– O Messenger of God, why is it that these people have exited from the iḥrām of ʿumra, while you have not yet exited from iḥrām?
The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) replied to Ḥafṣa:
– I have pressed my hair together. I have placed the necklace on my sacrificial animal’s neck. I will not exit iḥrām until I have slaughtered my sacrifice."
Al-Bayhaqī relates from Ibn ʿUmar: "The Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) pressed his hair together with honey, making it like felt."
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) then placed the sacrificial sign on the neck of the sacrificial animal and marked it. The sacrificial animal was with him at Dhū’l-Ḥulayfa.
Lays relates from the father of Sālim: "Before the Farewell Pilgrimage, the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) intended ʿumra. Then he performed his ḥajj. Thus, he performed the tamattuʿ ḥajj. He had previously sent his sacrificial animal from Dhū’l-Ḥulayfa." Muslim relates from Ibn ʿAbbās: "When the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) arrived at Dhū’l-Ḥulayfa, he ordered that his sacrificial camel be brought. He marked the right side of its hump, from which blood flowed. He also placed two sandals on its neck as a sign that it was a sacrificial animal. Then he mounted his riding animal and continued on his way."
This shows that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) himself placed the necklace on the neck of the sacrificial camel with his own blessed hand and marked its hump with his own blessed hand. The other sacrificial animals were marked and adorned with necklaces by the noble Companions (ṣaḥāba). For the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) had many sacrificial animals with him, some camels and some smaller animals. He slaughtered sixty-three sacrificial camels with his own blessed hand. The rest he gave to ʿAlī, who slaughtered them.
According to a narration from Jābir, ʿAlī brought several camels from Yemen to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
According to the statements of Ibn Isḥāq, the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) shared in the sacrificial camels brought by ʿAlī. Allah knows best. According to others, on the day of the Feast of Sacrifice, the Messenger of God (peace and blessings be upon him) and ʿAlī (may Allah be pleased with him) slaughtered one hundred camels. Thus, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) set out with his sacrificial animals from Dhū’l-Ḥulayfa, and some he later purchased while in iḥrām.