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[The Prophet, upon whom be peace, praised and glorified Allah, and then said:]
'O people, listen to what I say, as I do not know if I shall ever meet you at this place after this year.
'O people, your blood and your property [and your honour] are sacrosanct, until you meet your Lord, even as this day and this month are sacrosanct. You shall meet your Lord and He shall ask you of your deeds. I have conveyed [the message]. He who has a trust with him, let him return it to the one who has entrusted him with it.
'[Behold, everything that is jahiliyah is trampled under my feet.] All usury is abolished, but you retain your capital. Do no wrong and you shall not be wronged. Allah has ordered that there should be no usury. All the usury of Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib is abolished. All the (unavenged) blood claims of the jahiliyah are abolished and the first claim I abolish is that of the son of Rabi'ah ibn al-Harith ibn Abd al-Muttalib; he was fostered among Banu Laith, (where the tribe of) Hudhail killed him. This is the first of the jahiliyah blood claims that I begin with. '[O people, Allah has assigned unto everyone his due. Bequest to an heir is illegal. The child belongs to the bed, and the adulterer is to be stoned. Whoever claims to be the son of one who is not his father and whoever claims to be the client of one who is not his master, on him rests the curse of Allah, the angels and all humanity. Allah shall not accept his repentance or redemption.]
'O people, Satan has despaired of ever being worshipped in this land of yours. But if he can be obeyed in anything less (than worship) he will be content with matters you may regard as of little importance. So beware of him in your religion.
'O people, Postponement of a sacred month is an excess in disbelief whereby those who disbelieve are misled; they permit it in one year and forbid it in another year, (deluding themselves) that they may make up the months which Allah has prescribed as sacrosanct; thus they permit what Allah has forbidden and forbid what Allah has permitted. The cycle of time was shaped on the day that Allah created the heavens and the earth. The number of the months with Allah is twelve. Four of them are sacrosanct: three consecutive and the Rajab of Mudar, which is between Jumada [al-Thaniyyah] and Sha'ban.
'O people, you have rights over your wives and they have rights over you. You have the right that they do not permit into your homes anyone you dislike and they should not commit openly indecent acts. If they do, Allah permits you to put them in secluded rooms and beat them without severity. If they refrain (from such things) they have a right to their food and clothing in kindness. Take good care of women, for they are in your trust and have no control of their selves. You have only taken them as a trust from Allah, and you have been permitted by the words of Allah to have sexual relations with them.
'O people, understand my words. I have conveyed (the message), I have left you with plain indication that which if you hold fast to it you will never go astray: the Book of Allah and the practice of His Prophet. 'O people, listen to what I say and understand it. Know that every Muslim is a brother to every Muslim and the Muslims form one brotherhood. It is not lawful for a person to take from his brother except what he gives him willingly. So never wrong yourselves. O Allah, have I not conveyed (the message)?
'You will be asked about me, so what will you say?'
(They said: We witness that you have conveyed (the message) and have performed your duty and that you have meant well with us.) [Pointing his index finger to the heaven and then to the people, the Prophet said: 'O Allah, be witness, be witness; O Allah, be witness; O Allah, be witness.']
'[Let the one who is present convey the message to the absent. Many a listener may comprehend better than those who may be (present) listening. Return not to disbelief after me, killing each other.]
In an historical perspective, the Hajjat al-Wida', or Farewell Pilgrimage, should be seen not as an isolated event in the life of the Prophe...
