There are many lessons we can learn from such a short speech that was delivered on 9th Dhul Hijjah 10 AH in the Uranah Valley of Mount Arafat.

Prophet Muhammad (saw) said: “O people, lend me an attentive ear, for I don’t know whether, after this year, I shall ever be amongst you again. Therefore, listen to what I am saying carefully and take these words to those who could not be present here today. O people, just as you regard this month, this day, this city as sacred, so regard the life and property of every Muslim as a sacred trust. Return the goods entrusted to you to their rightful owners. Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you. Remember that you will indeed meet your Lord, and that He will indeed reckon your deeds. Allah has forbidden you to take usury (riba), therefore, all interest obligation shall henceforth be waived. Beware of Satan, for your safety of your religion. He has lost all hope that he will ever be able to lead you astray in big things, so beware of following him in small things. O people, it is true that you have certain rights with regard to your women, but they also have rights over you. If they abide by your right, then to them belongs the rights to be fed and clothed in kindness. Do treat your women well and be kind to them for they are your partners and committed helpers. And it is your right that they do not make friends with any one of whom you do not approve, as well as never to commit adultery. O people, listen to me in earnest, worship Allah, say your five daily prayers (salah), fast during the month of Ramadhan, and give your wealth in zakah. Perform hajj if you can afford to. You know that every Muslim is the brother of another Muslim. You are equal. Nobody has superiority over another except by piety and good action. Remember, one day you will appear before Allah and answer from your deeds. So beware, do not astray from the path of righteousness after I am gone. O people, no prophet or apostle will come after me and no new faith will be born. Reason well, therefore, O people, and understand my words which I convey to you. I leave behind me two things, the Qur’an and my example, the Sunnah and if you follow these you will never go astray. All those who listen to me shall pass on my words to others and those to others again; and may the last ones understand my words better than those listen to me directly. Be my witness, O Allah, that I have conveyed your message to your people.”

There are many things we can take from this concise speech but I would like to highlight just a few things that may be relevant:

1. We do not know when we are going to die.
Even the Prophet (saw) did not know the time of this death when he said: “I don’t know whether, after this year, I shall ever be amongst you again.” If the greatest person ever to live and the one most beloved by Allah did not know the time of his death, then how can we be so arrogant and live our lives in a way that suggests that we are going to be here for many years to come?

2. Responsibility to other Muslims
As Muslims we are instructed to regard the life and property of every Muslim as a sacred trust. We are told to return the goods entrusted to us to their rightful owners. This is such a minor command but how many of us borrow a small item from a friend for a week or two but end up holding onto it for months if not years?

3. Don’t hurt anyone
We are told not to hurt anyone so that no one may hurt us. Far too often we complain about how people treat us but we pay little attention as to how we treat the same people in return.

4. Be careful of minor sin
Many of us fall into the trap of knowingly committing what we may feel to be minor or small sins while we try and guard ourselves against the major sins. But we need to think why the Prophet (saw) warned us against following Satan uses the step-by-step approach that we looked at earlier. He fools us into thinking that committing small sins does not matter, but these small sins gradually erode away at our iman, like the dripping of water on a stone, to the point where we end up committing major sins without thinking twice about them. A sin is a sin and no sin should be taken lightly. “You people do (bad) deeds (commit sins) which seem in your eyes as tiny (minute) than hair while we used to consider those (very deeds) during the lifetime of the Prophet (saw) as destructive sins.” (Anas bin Malik)
Each time we commit a sin, it leaves a black spot on our heart. Our iman and consciousness of Allah (taqwa) are lowered slightly. This makes it that bit easier to commit the next sin which in turn leaves another black spot on the heart. If the sins are ignored, neither repented for nor erased by good deeds then the heart becomes covered in black. Allah put a seal on it and the door of guidance is shut.

5. Treat women well
Prophet Muhammad (saw) is specifically instructed men to treat women well as they have been referred to as partners and helpers of men. He did not on this occasion stress to the women to treat their men well but instructed the men to treat the women well showing the respect and honour Allah (swt) has given to women for just being women and nothing else.

6. Equality
Islam is a religion that abhors racism, ethnicism, tribalism, and its newer version, nationalism. Differences of languages, colour, cuisine and accent were meant to add flavor to life, not to be used to ridicule or fight each other. We are told here that we are all equal but there is an exception. Superiority over another human being is not obtained because of gender, nationality, caste or colour. We are who we are because of our good actions and level of piety.

7. Clear direction
The Prophet (saw) told us exactly how we can keep on the straight path by following the Qur’an and his example, the Sunnah.

by Idris Zahoor