Book of Hajj: Jamrat al-Aqabah, Sacrifice, Hair Removal, and First Release

1. The Day of Sacrifice: where this level starts

On the morning of 10 Dhu al-Hijjah, after leaving Muzdalifah for Mina, the pilgrim begins a new series: stoning Jamrat al-Aqabah, sacrifice where applicable, then shaving or shortening the hair. These are not interchangeable obligations: the sacrifice ruling depends on the type of Hajj.

The previous level ended with arrival in Mina. This level finishes at the first release from ihram. The obligatory visitation tawaf belongs to the following level.

2. Beginning with Jamrat al-Aqabah

فَيَبْتَدِئُ بِجَمْرَةِ الْعَقَبَةِ.
Translation: Then he begins with Jamrat al-Aqabah.

Jamrat al-Aqabah is the Jamarah toward Makkah among Mina's three stoning sites. On 10 Dhu al-Hijjah, the rite described here concerns this one Jamarah; stoning all three belongs to the following days.

The verb fa-yabtadiʾu signals sequence: the first rite after reaching Mina is this stoning. It is essential not to confuse the first day with the later days of tashriq.

3. A Jamarah is not the number of pebbles

A jamarah is the ritual stoning site; jamārāt is its plural. A ḥaṣāh is one pebble and ḥaṣayāt are pebbles.

Here the learner must distinguish one site from seven pebbles. On later days three sites are stoned. The number of places is a different count from the pebbles used at each place.

4. Grammar of fa-yabtadiʾu

The conjunction fa- links the next action. Yabtadiʾu is an imperfect verb, Form VIII, from the root b-d-ʾ, meaning 'to begin.' Its implied subject is he, the pilgrim.

Bi-jamrati is a prepositional phrase; al-ʿaqabati is the genitive complement of the idafah. The sentence identifies the starting site, not the count of pebbles.

5. Seven pebbles and the described direction

فَيَرْمِيهَا مِنْ بَطْنِ الْوَادِي بِسَبْعِ حَصَيَاتٍ مِثْلِ الْخَذْفِ.
Translation: He stones it from the valley floor using seven small pebbles of the khadhf type.

The text specifies two different things: seven pebbles and their small size. Khadhf evokes the sort of small pebble flicked with the fingers, not large stones or unrelated objects.

Min baṭn al-wādī describes the historical approach from the valley floor. Modern multilevel structures and official pathways must be respected; it is not an instruction to enter an unsafe route.

6. Counting seven distinct throws

The seven pebbles correspond to seven distinct acts of throwing. For example, someone holding seven pebbles throws them one at a time, not as one handful.

Holding seven objects does not itself complete the rite, and casting them all together is not equivalent to seven distinct throws. Distinguish the count of acts from the count of objects.

7. Vocabulary: hasah, hasayat, khadhf

Ḥaṣāh means a small stone or pebble, while ḥaṣayāt is its plural. Sabʿ gives the numeral seven, followed by the plural noun for pebbles.

Khadhf refers to flicking small objects with the fingers; here it characterizes the size of the pebble, not a precise modern measurement in centimeters.

8. Parsing the stoning sentence

Fa-yarmīhā contains the imperfect verb 'he throws' and a direct-object pronoun referring to Jamrat al-Aqabah. Min baṭn al-wādī describes where the action is performed.

In bi-sabʿi ḥaṣayātin, bi- is the preposition, sabʿi its genitive governed noun and idafah head, and ḥaṣayātin the genitive complement. Mithli al-khadhf describes the pebble’s character. The clause supplies action, object, location, number and description.

9. Takbir with each pebble

وَيُكَبِّرُ مَعَ كُلِّ حَصَاةٍ.
Translation: And he pronounces takbir with each pebble.

The takbir accompanies each throw, rather than one utterance covering only the beginning or end. As the seven pebbles are thrown individually, Allahu akbar is said with each according to the described Sunnah procedure.

Kulli ḥaṣāh means 'every pebble'; one utterance should not be misconstrued as the seven individual takbirs described here.

10. A coordinated action, not two separate totals

The phrase directs takbir with each individual pebble. A useful memory pattern is to pair each action: throw 1 + takbir, throw 2 + takbir ... throw 7 + takbir.

This guards against mistakes in the count and in the placement of remembrance. Omitting a takbir and omitting an act of stoning are not automatically the same legal omission: the core rite and its accompanying remembrance must be distinguished.

11. Morphology: yukabbiru

Yukabbiru is a Form II imperfect verb from k-b-r, expressing magnification or glorification. In the ritual context, the takbir is Allahu akbar.

Maʿa kulli ḥaṣāh combines an adverbial expression with an idafah. It means 'with each pebble' and therefore ties the utterance to each throw.

12. No standing for supplication after this Jamarah

وَلَا يَقِفُ عِنْدَهَا.
Translation: And he does not stop beside it [for the post-stoning supplication].

This instruction concerns not remaining for the prescribed post-stoning supplication at Jamrat al-Aqabah. The pilgrim moves on after completing this rite. It does not ban safety-related pauses or following crowd-control instructions.

On later days the practice after the first and middle Jamarahs differs. Always identify which Jamarah and which day before applying a general rule about stopping to supplicate.

13. Why the no-standing rule needs context

10 Dhu al-Hijjah: This section describes only Jamrat al-Aqabah; no special post-stoning pause is made there.

11 and 12 Dhu al-Hijjah: Three Jamarahs are stoned; the pilgrim pauses for supplication after the first two, but not after Jamrat al-Aqabah.

These later-day details are contextual juristic explanation, not additional words within the current short source clause.

14. When the talbiyah ends

وَيَقْطَعُ التَّلْبِيَةَ مَعَ أَوَّلِ حَصَاةٍ.
Translation: And he ceases the talbiyah with the first pebble.

The talbiyah accompanies the pilgrim through the major ihram stages. Al-Quduri sets a precise stopping point: the first pebble at Jamrat al-Aqabah.

It is not postponed until the seventh pebble, shaving, or the visitation tawaf. Ending the talbiyah and releasing the prohibitions of ihram are separate matters: the talbiyah ends at the first throw, while the initial release is described after hair removal.

15. Stopping talbiyah is not itself release from ihram

Suppose a pilgrim throws the first pebble and ends the talbiyah, but has not finished the stoning or cut any hair. Has complete release occurred at that instant? No.

Only the talbiyah has reached its stopping point. Other ihram rulings continue according to their own conditions. First release follows stoning and hair removal in this Hanafi sequence; complete release follows the visitation tawaf.

16. Parsing yaqtaʿu al-talbiya

Yaqtaʿu is an imperfect verb from q-ṭ-ʿ, here meaning 'to cease'. Al-talbiyata is the accusative direct object: what is ceased? The talbiyah.

Maʿa awwali ḥaṣāh is a temporal construction. The crucial word awwal means 'first'; without it, the exact trigger would be lost.

17. Sacrifice is optional in the ifrad context

ثُمَّ يَذْبَحُ إِنْ أَحَبَّ.
Translation: Then he sacrifices an animal if he wishes.

The words in aḥabba are crucial. Al-Quduri is describing Hajj al-ifrad. A pilgrim performing ifrad is not required to sacrifice merely because of that Hajj mode, though a voluntary sacrifice remains possible.

Do not apply this clause to the obligatory Hajj sacrifice for qiran or tamattuʿ. Those modes have distinct requirements treated in their own sections. Optional in ifrad does not mean optional in all Hajj modes.

18. Sacrifice rules differ by Hajj type

Ifrad: Ihram is for Hajj alone; the Hajj mode itself does not require a sacrificial animal. This explains in aḥabba here.

Qiran and tamattuʿ: Their specified conditions carry an obligatory hady. Other sacrifices due to a vow or violation arise from different legal causes and should not be confused with the voluntary ifrad sacrifice.

The purpose is to recognize the legal distinction signaled by the original phrase, not to cover every rule of all Hajj modes here.

19. The conditional in aḥabba

In is a conditional particle; aḥabba is a past-tense verb here meaning 'wished' or 'liked.' Together with thumma yadhbaḥu, the sentence makes the sacrifice conditional and optional in this specific case.

Translating it as 'he must then sacrifice' would erase the condition and alter the legal meaning. Small grammatical particles can make major differences in legal texts.

20. Juristic differences about sequence

The textual sequence is stoning → sacrifice (where applicable) → shaving/shortening. Detailed Hanafi law discusses when this order is required, especially for qiran and tamattuʿ pilgrims.

Under a well-known position of Abu Hanifah, disrupting the relevant required order can entail a dam, while the two disciples recognize latitude in some cases. This is explanatory fiqh, not a verbatim line of the current source. A concrete case needs the Hajj mode, excuse, and actual sequence.

21. Shaving or shortening the hair

ثُمَّ يَحْلِقُ أَوْ يُقَصِّرُ، وَالْحَلْقُ أَفْضَلُ.
Translation: Then he shaves or shortens the hair, and shaving is superior [for a man].

Ḥalq means shaving the head, while taqṣīr means shortening the hair. Al-Quduri permits either and calls shaving preferable for the male pilgrim.

For a woman the ruling differs: she shortens her hair and does not shave her head. The preference for shaving should never be generalized to women. Detailed minimums for valid taqsir are discussed in Hanafi commentaries.

22. Shaving and trimming are distinct actions

Shaving removes the hair close to the scalp; shortening means actually cutting the legally recognized amount. Merely touching or rearranging the hair is not taqsir.

A man choosing to trim must not assume that a symbolic, negligible snip necessarily meets the legal standard; consult the detailed juristic minimum. This is a ritual requirement with particular conditions, not simply a cosmetic haircut.

23. The different hair rule for women

Later in his Hajj discussion, al-Quduri specifically states that a woman shortens, rather than shaves, her hair. That qualification is anticipated here to avoid misreading the general phrasing.

For example, a husband and wife completing Hajj do not follow identical hair procedures: shaving may be preferable for the man, but shortening is the method for the woman.

24. Morphology: yaḥliqu and yuqassiru

Yaḥliqu is a Form I imperfect verb from ḥ-l-q, meaning 'to shave.' Yuqassiru is a Form II imperfect verb from q-ṣ-r and here means 'to shorten.'

Aw presents the permitted alternatives. In al-ḥalqu afḍalu, al-ḥalqu is the nominative subject and afḍalu its predicate, making a preference between two available methods.

25. First release, with one restriction remaining

وَقَدْ حَلَّ لَهُ كُلُّ شَيْءٍ إِلَّا النِّسَاءَ.
Translation: He is now released from the ihram restrictions except marital intimacy.

Ḥalla here means that the prohibition has been lifted. After the stoning and shaving/shortening, the pilgrim reaches the first release from ihram, when many ihram restrictions end.

The exception illā al-nisāʾ should not be translated as an unqualified statement that 'women are forbidden.' In this legal context it refers to the continuing prohibition of marital intimacy. The second, complete release is addressed with the visitation tawaf in the next level.

26. Two stages of release from ihram

First release: In this Hanafi sequence, stoning followed by shaving or shortening lifts most ihram restrictions, but marital intimacy remains prohibited.

Second release: After the obligatory Tawaf al-Ziyarah, that remaining prohibition ends. The visitation tawaf is an obligatory pillar of Hajj, not something made dispensable by stoning and shaving.

Keeping the two stages distinct prevents the mistaken inference that Hajj is fully completed as soon as the Jamarah is stoned.

27. The legal importance of the exception

In kullu shayʾin, kullu is the generalizing idafah head and shayʾin its genitive complement. Illā introduces an exception; al-nisāʾa is the accusative excepted term.

The exception preserves a particular restriction within an otherwise general release. The phrase must be interpreted in its legal marital context, not as a blanket claim about women as persons.

28. Applied comparison: ifrad and tamattu

Pilgrim A performs ifrad. After the Aqabah stoning, the sacrifice mentioned here is voluntary, because in aḥabba refers to this context. He then shaves or shortens.

Pilgrim B performs tamattuʿ. The obligatory hady applies under its conditions; Pilgrim A's optional-sacrifice ruling cannot be transferred to him. Both must still address the stoning, hair ritual, and subsequent visitation tawaf.

29. The whole ritual sequence in one map

Arrive in Mina → seven separate throws at Jamrat al-Aqabah → talbiyah ceases with the first throw → takbir with every pebble → no special post-stoning supplication pause there → sacrifice where required or desired → shave/shorten → first release.

Remember the two separate triggers: talbiyah ends at the first pebble, but the first release is later. Tawaf al-Ziyarah remains to be performed.

30. A three-part check before answering

Before answering a legal question in this section, check (1) the day and the Jamarah, (2) whether the Hajj is ifrad, qiran or tamattuʿ, and (3) which stages of talbiyah, hair removal and tawaf are complete.

For example, whether sacrifice is required depends on the Hajj mode, not on the count of pebbles. Whether all ihram restrictions are lifted depends on the release stage, not simply on the first throw.