Mohammed’s Farewell Pilgrimage

The next thing the apostle did was to shave his head, beginning on the right side of it and finishing it on the left.

Continuing Mohammed,
our selection from The History of the Saracens by Simon Ockley published in1718. The selection is presented in 10.5 easy 5 minute installments. For works benefiting from the latest research see the “More information” section at the bottom of these pages.

Previously in Mohammed.

Time: 631
Place: Mecca

The prophet, after this, made a holy visit to Mecca, where he appointed Otab, son of Osaid, governor, though not quite twenty years of age; Maad, son of Jabal, imam, or chief priest, to teach the people Islamism and direct them in solemnizing the pilgrimage. Upon his return to Medina his concubine, Mary, brought him a son, whom he named Ibrahim, celebrating his birth with a great feast. The child, however, lived but fifteen months.

In the ninth year of the Hegira envoys from all parts of Arabia came to Mohammed at Medina, to declare the readiness of their several tribes to profess his religion.

The same year Mohammed, with an army of thirty thousand men, marched toward Syria, to a place called Tobuc, against the Romans and Syrians, who were making preparation against him but, upon his approach, retreated. The Muslims, in their march back toward Medina, took several forts of the Christian Arabs and made them tributaries. Upon his return to Medina the Thakishites, having been blockaded in the Taif by the Muslim tribes, sent deputies offering to embrace Islamism, upon condition of being allowed to retain a little longer an idol to which their people were bigotedly attached. When Mohammed insisted upon its being immediately demolished, they desired to be at least excused from using the Muslims’ prayers but to this he answered very justly, “That a religion without prayers was good for nothing.” At last they submitted absolutely.

During the same year Mohammed sent Abu-Bekr to Mecca, to perform the pilgrimage and sacrifice in his behalf twenty camels. Presently afterward he sent Ali to publish the ninth chapter of the Koran, which, though so placed in the present confused copy, is generally supposed to have been the last that was revealed. It is called “Barat,” or Immunity; the purport of it is that the associators with whom Mohammed had made a treaty must, after four months’ liberty of conscience, either embrace Islamism or pay tribute. The command runs thus: “When those holy months are expired, kill the idolaters wherever ye shall find them.” Afterward come these words, “If they repent and observe the times of prayer and give alms, they are to be looked upon as your brethren in religion.” The same chapter also orders, “That nobody should, not having on the sacred habit, perform the holy circuits round the Kaaba; and that no idolater should make the pilgrimage to Mecca.” In consequence, no person except a Mohammedan may approach the Kaaba, on pain of death.

The following account of Mohammed’s farewell pilgrimage is from Jaber, son of Abdallah, who was one of the company:

The apostle of God had not made the pilgrimage for nine years (for when he conquered Mecca he only made a visitation). In the tenth year of the Hegira, he publicly proclaimed his intention to perform the pilgrimage, whereupon a prodigious multitude of people (some make the number near one hundred thousand) flocked from all parts to Medina. Our chief desire was to follow the apostle of God and imitate him. When we came to Dhul Holaifa, the apostle of God prayed in the mosque there; then mounting his camel he rode hastily to the plain Baida, where he began to praise God in the form that professes his unity, saying, ‘Here I am, O God, ready to obey thee; thou hast no partner,’ etc. When he came to the Kaaba, he kissed the corner of the black stone, went seven times round — three times in a trot, four times walking — then went to the station of Abraham and coming again to the black stone, reverently kissed it. Afterward he went through the gate of the sons of Madhumi to the hill Safa and went up it till he could see the Kaaba; when, turning toward the Kebla, he professed again the unity of God, saying, ‘There is no God but one, his is the kingdom, to him be praises, he is powerful above everything,’ etc. After this profession he went down toward the hill Merwan, I following him all the way through the valley; he then ascended the hill slowly till he came to the top of Merwan; from thence he ascended Mount Arafa. It being toward the going down of the sun, he preached here till sunset; then going to Mosdalefa, between Arafa and the valley of Mena, he made the evening and the late prayers, with two calls to prayer and two risings up. Then he lay down till the dawn and, having made the morning prayer, went to the enclosure of the Kaaba, where he remained standing till it grew very light. Hence he proceeded hastily, before the sun was up, to the valley of Mena; where, throwing up seven stones, he repeated at each throw, ‘God is great,’ etc. Leaving now the valley, he went to the place of sacrifice. Having made free sixty-three slaves, he slew sixty-three victims * with his own hand, being then sixty-three years old and then ordered Ali to sacrifice as many more victims as would make up the number to one hundred. The next thing the apostle did was to shave his head, beginning on the right side of it and finishing it on the left. His hair, as he cut it off, he cast upon a tree, that the wind might scatter it among the people. Kaled was fortunate enough to catch a part of the fore-lock, which he fixed upon his turban; the virtue whereof he experienced in every battle he afterward fought. The limbs of the victims being now boiled, the apostle sat down with no other companion but Ali to eat some of the flesh and drink some of the broth. The repast being over, he mounted his camel again and rode to the Kaaba; where he made the noon-tide prayer and drank seven large draughts of the well Zem-zem, made seven circuits round the Kaaba and concluded his career between the hills Safa and Merwan.

[* Mohammed’s victims were camels; they may, however, be sheep or goats but in this case they must be male; if camels or kine, female. — Sale, Prelim. Dis., p. 120.]

Washington Irving begins here. Simon Ockley begins here.

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