The Farewell Sermon at Arafat

On the day of Arafa, 9 Dhu al-Hijja 10 AH, the Prophet addressed more than a hundred thousand in the comprehensive Farewell Sermon, declaring blood and property inviolable, abolishing the blood-feuds and usury of the Jahiliyya, and taking the people's witness that he had delivered the message ¹.

A hundred and twenty-four — or a hundred and forty-four — thousand gathered around the Prophet in the belly of the valley at Arafa, and he stood among them preaching ². He opened: "people, hear what I say, for I do not know — perhaps I will not meet you after this year of mine in this standing-place, ever" ³. He declared their blood and property inviolable like the sanctity of that day, month and land; that the first blood put down of the Jahiliyya's was the blood of Ibn Rabi'a ibn al-Harith, and the first usury put down the usury of al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib ⁴. He charged them to treat women well, told them he had left among them that which, if they held fast to it, they would never go astray — the Book of God — and that there would be no prophet after him and no community after them ⁵. Then he asked what they would say of him, and they bore witness that he had conveyed, fulfilled and counselled; he raised his forefinger to the sky and said: "O God, bear witness" — three times ⁶. The one who cried the Prophet's words out to the people at Arafa was Rabi'a ibn Umayya ibn Khalaf ⁷. After the sermon the verse al-Ma'ida 3 — "this day I have perfected your religion for you" — came down, and Umar wept and said: after perfection there is only decline ⁸.