Wadi Muhassir (the valley between Mina and Muzdalifa on the pilgrimage)

وادي مُحَسِّر

Wadi Muhassir is the valley that lies between Mina and Muzdalifa and belongs to neither; it is named for Abraha's elephant, which stumbled there. 1 Pilgrims are recommended to hasten for about a stone's throw when they reach it after leaving Muzdalifa, since the Prophet ﷺ moved his camel gently at the valley's bed, and the jurists note that it is a place where punishment fell. 1 2 Passing it, the prayer of Umar ibn al-Khattab (may God be pleased with him) is recommended. 2 Most jurists hold that Wadi Muhassir is neither Mina nor Muzdalifa and that standing there does not suffice, on the Prophet's words that the whole of Muzdalifa is a place of standing and that one should leave the bed of Muhassir. 2 3 Some Shafi'is say it is part of Mina, citing the report of al-Fadl ibn Abbas. 3

Depth

At a glance

Era
The Prophetic Era
Region
Arabia
Review
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Sacred space and pilgrimageSacred timeWorship and the pillars

Summary

Wadi Muhassir is the valley between Mina and Muzdalifa that belongs to neither; it is named for Abraha's elephant, which was exhausted there. 1

Hastening through it

Pilgrims are recommended to hasten for about a stone's throw when they reach it after leaving Muzdalifa, following the Prophet, who moved his camel gently at its bed. 1 2

Prayer on passing it

On passing it, the passer-by is recommended to say what Umar ibn al-Khattab used to say. 2

Standing there

Most jurists hold that Wadi Muhassir is neither Mina nor Muzdalifa, and that standing there does not suffice, on the words: 'the whole of Muzdalifa is a place of standing; leave the bed of Muhassir'. 2 3 Some Shafi'is hold it part of Mina, citing the report of al-Fadl ibn Abbas. 3

People and things also explored

Adhan (the call to prayer: its ruling, wording, conditions, recommended features and the muezzin)· The earth made a place of prayer and purity· Al-Aqiq: the valley as a place of ihram and the carnelian stone in law (aqiq)· The last ten nights of Ramadan· The first ten days of Dhu al-Hijja· Hady (animal offered to the Sacred Precinct)· Rulings on the hajj· Hatma' (a sacrificial animal with its front teeth gone: its fitness)

Sources

  1. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.16598
  2. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.16599
  3. al-Mawsu'a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaitiyya, Noor-Book copy (file named v3) , p.16600
Cite this page

islam.museum contributors. “Wadi Muhassir (the valley between Mina and Muzdalifa on the pilgrimage)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/concept/wadi-muhassir-fiqh/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Last updated 2026-10-23.

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Adhan (the call to prayer: its ruling, wording, conditions, recommended features and the muezzin)

In law, the adhan is announcing the time of an obligatory prayer in set, transmitted words. The jurists differ on its ruling, between a communal obligation and a strongly recommended practice, and on its wording, tarjia, tathwib, the conditions of order, continuity and raised voice, and the qualities of the muezzin: Islam, manhood, sanity and discernment.