Short answer
In 632, on the one pilgrimage he made after moving to Medina, the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) spoke to the pilgrims at Arafat and again at Mina. He died a few months later. The reports in Sahih Muslim and Sahih al-Bukhari record what he said. Lives, property and honour are sacred. The blood feuds and the usury of the old days are abolished, beginning with claims of his own family. Men must fear God (﷾) in how they treat women, and husband and wife each have rights. He was leaving them the Book of Allah (﷾): whoever holds fast to it will never go astray. They must not turn back after him and kill one another. Those present must pass his words on to those absent. Then he asked whether he had conveyed the message. The people said yes, and he said: "O Allah, be witness." That day at Arafat the Qur'an declared the religion perfected.
Full explanation
Where and when he spoke
In 632 CE, the tenth year after the Hijra (his move to Medina), the Prophet (ﷺ) made the pilgrimage to Mecca. It was his only pilgrimage after the Hijra, and Muslims call it the Farewell Pilgrimage. He spoke to the pilgrims on the plain of Arafat, and again at Mina, near Mecca, on the Day of Sacrifice. His words come down in several reports. The longest is the account of Jabir ibn Abdullah in Sahih Muslim. Others, from Abu Bakra and Ibn Abbas, are in Sahih al-Bukhari.
Zayd ibn Arqam reports that the Prophet (ﷺ) performed only one Hajj after he emigrated to Medina, and no other after it: the Farewell Pilgrimage.
Jabir ibn Abdullah's long account of the Prophet (ﷺ)'s Farewell Pilgrimage. In his sermon at Arafat the Prophet declared that the lives and property of the people are sacred, that everything of the Days of Ignorance is abolished, and that the blood-revenges of that time are abolished, starting with a claim of his own family.
Abu Bakra reports the Prophet's (ﷺ) sermon on the Day of Sacrifice. He asked what day, month and town it was, and was silent each time until they thought he would give it a new name. Then he said their blood and property are as sacred to one another as that day, in that month, in that town, until they meet their Lord. He asked whether he had conveyed the message; they said yes, and he said: O Allah, be witness. He told those present to convey it to those absent, since one who is told may understand it better than one who heard it, and warned them not to turn back after him into disbelievers, striking one another's necks.
Ibn Abbas reports that on the Day of Sacrifice the Prophet (ﷺ) asked the people what day, town and month it was, and they answered that each was sacred. He said their blood, property and honour are as sacred to one another as that day, in that town, in that month, and repeated it again and again. Then he raised his head and said: O Allah, have I not conveyed? Ibn Abbas adds that his charge to his community was that those present must convey it to those absent, and that they must not turn back after him into disbelievers, striking one another's necks.
| What he said | The lesson |
|---|---|
| Your blood, property and honour are sacred to one another | Every person's life, goods and good name are protected |
| The feuds and usury of the old days are abolished, my family's first | Justice begins with those in charge |
| Fear Allah (﷾) concerning women | Husband and wife each have rights, and he must provide for her |
| I leave among you Allah's (﷾) Scripture | Hold fast to the Qur'an and you will not go astray |
| Do not turn back, striking one another's necks | Muslim blood is sacred to Muslims |
| Let those present tell those absent | Every listener is to pass the message on |
| "O Allah, be witness" | He completed his mission, and the religion was perfected |
Life, property and honour are sacred
At Mina he asked the people what day it was, what month and what town. Each was named as sacred. Then he told them that their blood, their property and their honour are as sacred to one another as that day, in that month, in that town, until they meet their Lord. He said it again and again. So every person's life, goods and good name are protected. No one may take them except by right.
Abu Bakra reports the Prophet's (ﷺ) sermon on the Day of Sacrifice. He asked what day, month and town it was, and was silent each time until they thought he would give it a new name. Then he said their blood and property are as sacred to one another as that day, in that month, in that town, until they meet their Lord. He asked whether he had conveyed the message; they said yes, and he said: O Allah, be witness. He told those present to convey it to those absent, since one who is told may understand it better than one who heard it, and warned them not to turn back after him into disbelievers, striking one another's necks.
Ibn Abbas reports that on the Day of Sacrifice the Prophet (ﷺ) asked the people what day, town and month it was, and they answered that each was sacred. He said their blood, property and honour are as sacred to one another as that day, in that town, in that month, and repeated it again and again. Then he raised his head and said: O Allah, have I not conveyed? Ibn Abbas adds that his charge to his community was that those present must convey it to those absent, and that they must not turn back after him into disbelievers, striking one another's necks.
Jabir ibn Abdullah's long account of the Prophet (ﷺ)'s Farewell Pilgrimage. In his sermon at Arafat the Prophet declared that the lives and property of the people are sacred, that everything of the Days of Ignorance is abolished, and that the blood-revenges of that time are abolished, starting with a claim of his own family.
The old feuds and usury ended, his own family first
At Arafat he declared that everything of the Days of Ignorance, the time before Islam, was abolished. The blood feuds of that time were ended. The first claim he gave up belonged to his own family. The usury of that time was abolished too. The first debt he cancelled was owed to his uncle al-Abbas. The Qur'an had already told believers to give up what remained of usury, and to take back only their capital. A law that begins with the lawgiver's own family is not made for others alone.
Jabir ibn Abdullah's long account of the Prophet (ﷺ)'s Farewell Pilgrimage. In his sermon at Arafat the Prophet declared that the lives and property of the people are sacred, that everything of the Days of Ignorance is abolished, and that the blood-revenges of that time are abolished, starting with a claim of his own family.
In his Farewell Sermon the Prophet (ﷺ) declared the usury of the pre-Islamic period abolished, and said the first usury of his own people that he abolished was that owed to al-'Abbas ibn 'Abd al-Muttalib, for all of it is abolished.
“O ye who believe! Fear Allah, and give up what remains of your demand for usury, if ye are indeed believers.”
“If ye do it not, Take notice of war from Allah and His Messenger: But if ye turn back, ye shall have your capital sums: Deal not unjustly, and ye shall not be dealt with unjustly.”
Fear God (﷾) concerning women
He told the men to fear Allah (﷾) concerning women. He set out rights on both sides. He named the husband's duty to give his wife food and clothing in a fitting way. The Qur'an says the same in its own words. Men are to live with women on a footing of kindness and equity, and women have rights like the rights against them. The page "Does Islam oppress women?" discusses the whole passage.
In his Farewell Sermon the Prophet (ﷺ) told the men to fear Allah concerning women. He said that if a wife lets someone her husband dislikes sit on his bedding, he may strike her, but not severely (ghayra mubarrih), and that providing her food and clothing in a fitting manner is his duty to her.
“O ye who believe! Ye are forbidden to inherit women against their will. Nor should ye treat them with harshness, that ye may Take away part of the dower ye have given them,-except where they have been guilty of open lewdness; on the contrary live with them on a footing of kindness and equity. If ye take a dislike to them it may be that ye dislike a thing, and Allah brings about through it a great deal of good.”
“Divorced women shall wait concerning themselves for three monthly periods. Nor is it lawful for them to hide what Allah Hath created in their wombs, if they have faith in Allah and the Last Day. And their husbands have the better right to take them back in that period, if they wish for reconciliation. And women shall have rights similar to the rights against them, according to what is equitable; but men have a degree (of advantage) over them. And Allah is Exalted in Power, Wise.”
Hold fast to the Book of Allah (﷾)
He told them he was leaving among them the Book of Allah (﷾). If they held fast to it, he said, they would never go astray. The Qur'an itself tells believers to hold fast, all together, to the rope of Allah (﷾), and not to be divided. The same Book tells them that whoever obeys the Messenger (ﷺ) obeys Allah (﷾).
In Jabir's account of the farewell pilgrimage, the Prophet (ﷺ) said in his sermon: I have left among you the Book of Allah, and if you hold fast to it you will never go astray. He then asked the people what they would say about him, and they answered that he had conveyed the message, discharged his trust and given sincere counsel.
“And hold fast, all together, by the rope which Allah (stretches out for you), and be not divided among yourselves; and remember with gratitude Allah's favour on you; for ye were enemies and He joined your hearts in love, so that by His Grace, ye became brethren; and ye were on the brink of the pit of Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus doth Allah make His Signs clear to you: That ye may be guided.”
“He who obeys the Messenger, obeys Allah: But if any turn away, We have not sent thee to watch over their (evil deeds).”
Do not turn back and kill one another
At Mina he warned them about the time after he was gone. They were not to turn back into disbelievers, striking one another's necks. He gave this warning in the same sermon that declared their blood sacred to one another.
Abu Bakra reports the Prophet's (ﷺ) sermon on the Day of Sacrifice: their blood, property, honour and bodies are as sacred to one another as that day, in that month, in that town. He asked whether he had conveyed the message, said: O Allah, be witness, and told those present to convey it to those absent, who might understand it better. Abu Bakra adds that it was so. The Prophet (ﷺ) then warned them not to turn back after him into disbelievers, striking one another's necks.
Ibn Abbas reports that on the Day of Sacrifice the Prophet (ﷺ) asked the people what day, town and month it was, and they answered that each was sacred. He said their blood, property and honour are as sacred to one another as that day, in that town, in that month, and repeated it again and again. Then he raised his head and said: O Allah, have I not conveyed? Ibn Abbas adds that his charge to his community was that those present must convey it to those absent, and that they must not turn back after him into disbelievers, striking one another's necks.
Pass it on
He told those present to pass his words on to those absent. Someone who hears them later, he said, may understand them better than someone who heard them from him. Abu Bakra, who reported it, adds that it was so. The duty to carry the message did not end with those who stood before him.
Abu Bakra reports the Prophet's (ﷺ) sermon on the Day of Sacrifice. He asked what day, month and town it was, and was silent each time until they thought he would give it a new name. Then he said their blood and property are as sacred to one another as that day, in that month, in that town, until they meet their Lord. He asked whether he had conveyed the message; they said yes, and he said: O Allah, be witness. He told those present to convey it to those absent, since one who is told may understand it better than one who heard it, and warned them not to turn back after him into disbelievers, striking one another's necks.
Abu Bakra reports the Prophet's (ﷺ) sermon on the Day of Sacrifice: their blood, property, honour and bodies are as sacred to one another as that day, in that month, in that town. He asked whether he had conveyed the message, said: O Allah, be witness, and told those present to convey it to those absent, who might understand it better. Abu Bakra adds that it was so. The Prophet (ﷺ) then warned them not to turn back after him into disbelievers, striking one another's necks.
Abu Bakra reports that on the Day of Sacrifice the Prophet (ﷺ) asked the people what day, what month and what place it was, and then said: your blood, your property and your honour are sacred to one another, as sacred as this day of yours, in this month of yours, in this city of yours. He told those present to pass it on to those absent, since the absent might understand it better.
"O Allah, be witness"
He asked the people what they would say when they were asked about him. They answered that he had conveyed the message, fulfilled his trust and given sincere counsel. He raised his finger to the sky and pointed it at the people. Three times he said: "O Allah, be witness." Umar later recalled that on that day at Arafat the verse came down: "This day have I perfected your religion for you." A few months later the Prophet (ﷺ) died, his mission complete.
In Jabir's account of the farewell pilgrimage, the Prophet (ﷺ) said in his sermon: I have left among you the Book of Allah, and if you hold fast to it you will never go astray. He then asked the people what they would say about him, and they answered that he had conveyed the message, discharged his trust and given sincere counsel.
Abu Bakra reports the Prophet's (ﷺ) sermon on the Day of Sacrifice. He asked what day, month and town it was, and was silent each time until they thought he would give it a new name. Then he said their blood and property are as sacred to one another as that day, in that month, in that town, until they meet their Lord. He asked whether he had conveyed the message; they said yes, and he said: O Allah, be witness. He told those present to convey it to those absent, since one who is told may understand it better than one who heard it, and warned them not to turn back after him into disbelievers, striking one another's necks.
A Jewish man told Umar ibn al-Khattab that if the verse "This day have I perfected your religion" had been revealed to the Jews, they would have kept that day as a festival. Umar answered that Muslims know exactly when and where it came down: on a Friday, while the Prophet (ﷺ) was standing at Arafat during the pilgrimage.
“This day have I perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.”
Two questions people ask
Qur'an 49:13 — Surat al-Hujurat (The Inner Apartments), verse 13
“O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things).”
Cited for
The best-known line of the sermon, that no Arab is better than a non-Arab and no white man better than a black man except by righteousness, is not in Bukhari or Muslim.
The response
That is true, and this page does not quote it as their report; it comes from other collections. Its teaching stands without it. The Qur'an says that the most honoured in the sight of Allah (﷾) is the most righteous, and the Prophet (ﷺ) said that Allah (﷾) looks not at faces or wealth but at hearts and deeds.
Where it lands — The wording comes from other collections; the teaching is the Qur'an's own.
Sahih Muslim 1218 — Kitab al-Hajj (Pilgrimage), hadith 1218
In his Farewell Sermon the Prophet (ﷺ) told the men to fear Allah concerning women. He said that if a wife lets someone her husband dislikes sit on his bedding, he may strike her, but not severely (ghayra mubarrih), and that providing her food and clothing in a fitting manner is his duty to her.
Cited for
In the same sermon the Prophet (ﷺ) allowed husbands to strike their wives.
The response
The passage opens by telling men to fear Allah (﷾) concerning women. It allows a striking in one case only, a wife letting someone her husband dislikes onto his bedding, and only one that is not severe; the classical scholars allow no injury. It then names the husband's duty to feed and clothe her. His wife Aisha reports that he never struck a woman. Muslims keep the law of the country they live in, and in many countries any striking of a spouse is a crime.
Where it lands — The sermon puts duties on husbands first, and the man who gave it never struck a woman.
Perspectives
The Islamic perspective
On his last pilgrimage, the Prophet (ﷺ) set out the heart of his law in a few sentences. Life, property and honour are sacred. The old feuds and usury are ended, starting with his own family. Men have duties toward women. Hold fast to the Book of Allah (﷾). Muslims must not fight one another. And pass the message on. The people bore witness that he had conveyed it.
He declared that lives, property and honour are sacred to one another.
He abolished the blood feuds and the usury of the Days of Ignorance. He began with the claims of his own family.
He told men to fear Allah (﷾) concerning women, and named the husband's duty to provide for his wife.
He left them the Book of Allah (﷾), and said whoever holds fast to it will never go astray.
He forbade Muslims to fight one another after him.
He told those present to pass his words on to those absent.
The people bore witness that he had conveyed the message. That day at Arafat, the religion was declared perfected.