The Farewell Sermon at Arafat ﷺ — “O Allah, Be Witness”
The Farewell Sermon at Arafat ﷺ — "O Allah, Be Witness"
The Farewell Sermon at Arafat ﷺ — "O Allah, Be Witness"
Jabir ibn Abdullah رضي الله عنه narrated the whole Hajj of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ in one long, careful narration — the journey, the rites, the movements, all of it.
This story takes only one scene from that narration: the sermon at Arafat.
The Prophet ﷺ had halted at Arafat, and he waited “till the sun had passed the meridian” Sahih Muslim 1218 a.
Then “he commanded that al-Qaswa should be brought and saddled for him” Sahih Muslim 1218 a.
One rider, on one she-camel, coming down to the floor of the valley — and around him, the largest crowd those companions would ever stand in, gone still.
“Then he came to the bottom of the valley, and addressed the people saying:” Sahih Muslim 1218 a
«إِنَّ دِمَاءَكُمْ وَأَمْوَالَكُمْ حَرَامٌ عَلَيْكُمْ كَحُرْمَةِ يَوْمِكُمْ هَذَا فِي شَهْرِكُمْ هَذَا فِي بَلَدِكُمْ هَذَا»
“Verily your blood, your property are as sacred and inviolable as the sacredness of this day of yours, in this month of yours, in this town of yours.” Sahih Muslim 1218 a
His first words were not about himself.
They were about them — their lives and their wealth, declared sacred with the sacredness of that very day, that very month, that very place.
Then he closed the door on an entire age.
“Behold! Everything pertaining to the Days of Ignorance is under my feet completely abolished.” Sahih Muslim 1218 a
“Abolished are also the blood-revenges of the Days of Ignorance.” Sahih Muslim 1218 a
And notice where the abolition began.
Not with an enemy's claim.
With his own family's.
“The first claim of ours on blood-revenge which I abolish is that of the son of Rabi'a b. al-Harith, who was nursed among the tribe of Sa'd and killed by Hudhail.” Sahih Muslim 1218 a
Then he turned to the usury of the pre-Islamic period and abolished it too — and again, the first case he named was the case closest to home:
“the first of our usury I abolish is that of 'Abbas b. 'Abd al-Muttalib, for it is all abolished.” Sahih Muslim 1218 a
Then the sermon entered the homes of the people listening.
“Fear Allah concerning women!” Sahih Muslim 1218 a
“Verily you have taken them on the security of Allah, and intercourse with them has been made lawful unto you by words of Allah.” Sahih Muslim 1218 a
The charge he laid down ran in both directions.
“You too have right over them, and that they should not allow anyone to sit on your bed whom you do not like.” Sahih Muslim 1218 a
“But if they do that, you can chastise them but not severely.” Sahih Muslim 1218 a
“Their rights upon you are that you should provide them with food and clothing in a fitting manner.” Sahih Muslim 1218 a
Rights over them — and rights upon you — spoken in one breath, to the same crowd, on the same plain.
Then he told them what he was leaving behind.
“I have left among you the Book of Allah, and if you hold fast to it, you would never go astray.” Sahih Muslim 1218 a
And then he asked them the question that turns a sermon into a testimony.
“And you would be asked about me (on the Day of Resurrection), (now tell me) what would you say?” Sahih Muslim 1218 a
The crowd answered:
“We will bear witness that you have conveyed (the message), discharged (the ministry of Prophethood) and given wise (sincere) counsel.” Sahih Muslim 1218 a
Then came the gesture Jabir رضي الله عنه never forgot.
“He (the Holy Prophet) then raised his forefinger towards the sky and pointing it at the people” Sahih Muslim 1218 a — and he said:
“O Allah, be witness.” Sahih Muslim 1218 a
He said it “saying it thrice” Sahih Muslim 1218 a — finger raised to the sky, then pointed at the people: the message has been delivered; heaven is called to witness; and now the trust passes to you.
🌿 Stop and Think About This Scene
A man is closing an entire era of feuds and usury.
He could have started anywhere.
He started with his own household — his own clan's blood-claim, his own uncle's usury — abolished first, before anyone else's.
That is where real reform begins.
Not with the faults we can point to in other people.
With the claims we ourselves are holding, the advantages our own families are enjoying, the old scores sitting closest to home.
Before the Prophet ﷺ asked anyone else to let go of the age of ignorance, he put his own family's share of it under his feet.
No one in that crowd could walk away thinking the new order was for other tribes, other families, other people.
The first blood-claim buried that day was one his own clan could have pressed.
The first usury cancelled that day was owed to his own uncle.
When the reform begins at the top of one's own house, no one below can call it unfair.
❤️ The Greatest Lesson for Our Lives Today
Stand once more at the end of the sermon.
A Prophet ﷺ has delivered his message.
A community has answered that he delivered it fully — that he conveyed, discharged, and counselled with sincerity.
And he raises one finger to the sky and calls Allah Himself to witness.
Heaven above.
The people below.
And between them, a trust changing hands.
That is the moment we are still living in.
We were not standing in that valley, but the testimony the crowd gave is now carried by everyone who passes this story on — honestly, completely, without adding and without hiding.
And the anchor he left for the carrying is still with us:
“I have left among you the Book of Allah, and if you hold fast to it, you would never go astray.” Sahih Muslim 1218 a
Hold the Book.
Bear the witness truly.
That is our share of Arafat.
📚 Important Lessons From This Hadith
1. Life and wealth are sacred trusts
He joined the sanctity of blood and property to the holiest coordinates his listeners knew — “as sacred and inviolable as the sacredness of this day of yours, in this month of yours, in this town of yours” Sahih Muslim 1218 a.
A person's life, and what lawfully belongs to him, are not small things to be taken lightly — not in rage, not in business, not in revenge.
2. Justice begins at home
“The first claim of ours on blood-revenge which I abolish” Sahih Muslim 1218 a was his own clan's claim, and “the first of our usury I abolish is that of 'Abbas b. 'Abd al-Muttalib” Sahih Muslim 1218 a — his own uncle.
A rule we apply to everyone except our own family is not justice.
It is decoration.
3. Hold fast to what he left
His farewell gift to the Ummah was not a monument.
It was a Book — and a promise attached to it: “if you hold fast to it, you would never go astray.” Sahih Muslim 1218 a
Guidance after him ﷺ is not a search in the dark.
The anchor was left in our hands.
4. Bear witness honestly
The crowd did not stay silent when he asked what they would say about him.
“We will bear witness that you have conveyed (the message)” Sahih Muslim 1218 a, they said — and he called Allah to witness over their witness.
Every time we retell his story, quote his words, or testify about anyone at all, we stand in that same place: speak what is true, all of what is true, and nothing decorated.
🏠 How Can We Apply This Hadith in Our Daily Lives?
🩸 With people's lives and honour
Treat the blood, property and reputation of others as sacred — in the street, at work, and online, where tearing a person down can feel easy and costless.
💰 In money matters
Walk away from interest-based dealings and from every old, unjust claim — even when letting go costs you, and even when the claim belongs to your own family.
👨👩👧 Inside the home
Remember that those in your care were taken on the security of Allah.
Their rights upon you are real rights: “provide them with food and clothing in a fitting manner” Sahih Muslim 1218 a — provision given with dignity, not as a favour to be resented.
📖 In daily decisions
When a choice is confusing, return to the Book he ﷺ left among us before returning to our habits, our anger, or our desires.
🗣️ In our speech about others
Testify honestly — about the Prophet ﷺ, whose story we carry, and about ordinary people, whose reputations are also a trust.
⚖️ In our own disputes
When we are the ones holding a claim — an old debt, an old injury, an old family grievance — remember where he ﷺ began the abolition: with the claim of his own house.
Letting go first, before demanding that others let go, is the pattern of that day.
🌹 The Most Beautiful Message of This Story
On a plain at Arafat, a Prophet ﷺ finished delivering the message of his Lord.
He abolished an age — beginning with his own family's claims.
He left a Book that would keep his people from going astray.
He asked his companions what they would say about him, and they bore witness that he had conveyed it all.
And then he raised his finger to the sky:
“O Allah, be witness.” Sahih Muslim 1218 a
The sermon ended.
The trust began.
And it is carried, valley by valley and generation by generation, by everyone who holds fast — and testifies truly.
📖 Authentic Reference
Book: Sahih Muslim
Narrator: Jabir ibn Abdullah رضي الله عنه
Chapter: The Hajj of the Prophet (ﷺ) saws
Hadith: Sahih Muslim 1218 a
Grade: Sahih
This story quotes the sermon at Arafat from Jabir's narration of the Farewell Hajj.