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'''The Farewell Sermon''' (خطبة الوداع, Khuṭbatu l-Wadāʕ) is purported to be the Prophet [[Muhammad|Muhammad's]] final [[Farewell Sermon|sermon]] to his followers before [[Muhammad's Death|his death]] in 632 CE, 10 H. However like most elements of the Islamic tradition our sources for this are late, with the earliest mention coming from Ibn Isḥāq who was born 70 years after the death of the prophet. The entirety of the supposed speech shows up in Ibn Isḥāq while Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim and Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī report shorter versions. Other sources in Hadith repeat isolated fragments of the speech, one of which reminds men to treat their wives well given that they are prisoners to their husbands. It also echoes [[Qur'an]] 4:34 in commanding the beating of women in the case of disobedience. It should be noted that [[List_of_Fabricated_Hadith#Muhammad.27s_Farewell_Sermon|a more recent retelling of the speech]] which omits this injunction is a recent fabrication and not part of the attested classical tradition. | '''The Farewell Sermon''' (خطبة الوداع, Khuṭbatu l-Wadāʕ) is purported to be the Prophet [[Muhammad|Muhammad's]] final [[Farewell Sermon|sermon]] to his followers before [[Muhammad's Death|his death]] in 632 CE, 10 H. However like most elements of the Islamic tradition our sources for this are late, with the earliest mention coming from Ibn Isḥāq who was born 70 years after the death of the prophet. The entirety of the supposed speech shows up in Ibn Isḥāq while Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim and Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī report shorter versions. Other sources in Hadith repeat isolated fragments of the speech, one of which reminds men to treat their wives well given that they are prisoners to their husbands. It also echoes [[Qur'an]] 4:34 in commanding the beating of women in the case of disobedience. It should be noted that [[List_of_Fabricated_Hadith#Muhammad.27s_Farewell_Sermon|a more recent retelling of the speech]] which omits this injunction is a recent fabrication and not part of the attested classical tradition. | ||
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{{Quote| {{Quran|9|28}} | O ye who believe! Truly the Mushrikuns (Pagans and all unbelievers) are unclean; so let them not, after this year of theirs, approach the Sacred Mosque. And if ye fear poverty, soon will Allah enrich you, if He wills, out of His bounty, for Allah is All-knowing, All-wise. }} | {{Quote| {{Quran|9|28}} | O ye who believe! Truly the Mushrikuns (Pagans and all unbelievers) are unclean; so let them not, after this year of theirs, approach the Sacred Mosque. And if ye fear poverty, soon will Allah enrich you, if He wills, out of His bounty, for Allah is All-knowing, All-wise. }} | ||
Accordingly, the listeners were all strictly Muslim. Muhammad was addressing his own people, since no others were allowed to enter the area of the Sacred Mosque, which includes the Plain of Arafat. | Accordingly, according to the tradition the listeners of the Farewell Sermon were all strictly Muslim. Muhammad was addressing his own people, since no others were allowed to enter the area of the Sacred Mosque, which includes the Plain of Arafat. | ||
== Sources of the Sermon == | == Sources of the Sermon == | ||
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Sahih Muslim. Tahqiq by Abdul Baqi. Vol.2 p.886</ref> | Sahih Muslim. Tahqiq by Abdul Baqi. Vol.2 p.886</ref> | ||
Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī reports a short version that lacks the | Ṣaḥīḥ Bukhārī reports a short version that lacks the portion about women. (see next section) | ||
==Text of the Farewell Sermon== | ==Text of the Farewell Sermon== | ||
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== Importance of the Sermon == | == Importance of the Sermon == | ||
The Hadith corpus mentions many sermons by Muhammad but they are very short and usually each sermon includes a single main point. The farewell sermon is the only reported sermon that is long and includes many different points making it the only one that resembles a full sermon. This sermon is significant to Muslims since Muhammad, in front of thousands of followers, bid farewell to his nation by saying that he might not be here ever again, and he died just three months later. He preached several important lessons in this farewell sermon: The sacredness of Muslims’ blood and properties, the abolition of everything pertaining to the pre-Islamic era, how women should be treated by their husbands, and finally that Muslims will never go astray if they hold fast to the book of Allah. | The Hadith corpus mentions many sermons by Muhammad but they are very short and usually each sermon includes a single main point. The farewell sermon is the only reported sermon that is long and includes many different points, making it the only one that resembles a full sermon one would hear in a mosque. This sermon is significant to Muslims since Muhammad, in front of thousands of followers, bid farewell to his nation by saying that he might not be here ever again, and he died just three months later. He preached several important lessons in this farewell sermon: The sacredness of Muslims’ blood and properties, the abolition of everything pertaining to the pre-Islamic era, how women should be treated by their husbands, and finally that Muslims will never go astray if they hold fast to the book of Allah. | ||
What adds more significance to the sermon is the reports that the following verse was revealed on that day<ref>Tafsir of Ibn Kathir. Al-ʕilmiyyah publication. vol.3 p.22</ref>: | What adds more significance to the sermon is the reports that the following verse was revealed on that day<ref>Tafsir of Ibn Kathir. Al-ʕilmiyyah publication. vol.3 p.22</ref>: | ||
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</ref>. | </ref>. | ||
2-The sermon clarified that the beating mentioned in the Quran as a punishment for wives with ill-conduct shouldn’t be severe. No other Hadith | 2-The sermon clarified that the beating mentioned in the Quran as a punishment for wives with ill-conduct shouldn’t be severe. No other Hadith tradition clarifiea this. | ||
3-The sermon in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim is part of a long report by Jābir where he detailed the events of Muhammad's pilgrimage. This detailed report became an important source for how the Hajj should be conducted. | 3-The sermon in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim is part of a long report by Jābir where he detailed the events of Muhammad's pilgrimage. This detailed report became an important source for how the Hajj should be conducted. | ||
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Ibn Isḥāq’s version adds to it: “and the sunnah of his Prophet.” | Ibn Isḥāq’s version adds to it: “and the sunnah of his Prophet.” | ||
The mention of "the Sunnah of the prophet" is | The mention of "the Sunnah of the prophet" is seems to be apocryphal, as Patricia Crone showed in her book ''God's Caliph'', since such a concept did not exist in actual khalifal/Islamic jurisprudence until well into the Abbassid period. Other renditions such as that of Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim don’t mention the Sunnah of the prophet. | ||
== The correct translation of ʿawān عوان == | == The correct translation of ʿawān عوان == | ||
The sermon as reported by Ibn Isḥāq and many other sources includes the following | The sermon as reported by Ibn Isḥāq and many other sources includes the following portion: | ||
“Treat women well, for they are ʿawān with you”. | “Treat women well, for they are ʿawān with you”. | ||
All Hadith exegesis and classical Arabic dictionaries agree that ʿawān mentioned in this Hadith means captives or prisoners. Despite this unanimous agreement, | All Hadith exegesis and classical Arabic dictionaries agree that ʿawān mentioned in this Hadith means captives or prisoners. Despite this unanimous agreement, some modern Muslims have mistranslated this word in some English translations into as follows: | ||
1-“Domestic animals” which appears in Ismail K. Poonawala’s translation of Al-Ṭabarī’s history. | 1-“Domestic animals” which appears in Ismail K. Poonawala’s translation of Al-Ṭabarī’s history. | ||
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2- Rizwi Faizer in her translation of Al-Wāqidī's ''Life of Muhammad, translated'' ʿawān as: “for they are bound to you and are dependent on you.”<ref>Rizwi Faizer (2011). ''The Life of Muhammad: Al-Waqidi's Kitab al-Maghazi''. Routledge. p. 544</ref> This is | 2- Rizwi Faizer in her translation of Al-Wāqidī's ''Life of Muhammad, translated'' ʿawān as: “for they are bound to you and are dependent on you.”<ref>Rizwi Faizer (2011). ''The Life of Muhammad: Al-Waqidi's Kitab al-Maghazi''. Routledge. p. 544</ref> This translation misses the vital meaning of the word, they are indeed dependent on their husbands but this is because they are captives. | ||
3- Another apologetic translation that appears on many websites such as the international Islamic university in Malysia.<ref>https://www.iium.edu.my/deed/articles/thelastsermon.html</ref> | 3- Another apologetic translation that appears on many websites such as the international Islamic university in Malysia.<ref>https://www.iium.edu.my/deed/articles/thelastsermon.html</ref> | ||
In this popular English translation of the sermon, ʿawān is translated as “partners and helpers” which | In this popular English translation of the sermon, ʿawān is translated as “partners and helpers” which is not what the words mean. This mistranslation might have originated from the misconception that the word ʿawān is derived from the word ʿawn عون which means help. Whereas all classical sources affirm the word ʿawān is derived from ʿanā which means to subumit in captivity . And not a single classical source says that ʿawān has anything to do with “help”. | ||
== Related Text == | == Related Text == | ||
Note that while translations of the following hadiths of the farewell sermon differ, the same Arabic text occurs in the line about beating without severity. In Arabic, 'beat them, but not severely' is ''fa-idribuhunna darban ghayra mubarrihin'' (فَاضْرِبُوهُنَّ ضَرْبًا غَيْرَ مُبَرِّحٍ), which literally translates to mean 'beat them, a beating without violence/severity/sharpness/vehemence<ref>[http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume1/00000219.pdf Lane's Lexicon] Book I page 182</ref>'.{{Quote|{{Abu Dawud|| | Note that while translations of the following hadiths of the farewell sermon differ, the same Arabic text occurs in the line about beating without severity. In Arabic, 'beat them, but not severely' is ''fa-idribuhunna darban ghayra mubarrihin'' (فَاضْرِبُوهُنَّ ضَرْبًا غَيْرَ مُبَرِّحٍ), which literally translates to mean 'beat them, a beating without violence/severity/sharpness/vehemence<ref>[http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume1/00000219.pdf Lane's Lexicon] Book I page 182</ref>'.{{Quote|{{Abu Dawud||1905|darussalam}}|[...] Fear Allaah regarding women for you have got them under Allah’s security and have the right to intercourse with them by Allaah’s word. It is a duty from you on them not to allow anyone whom you dislike to lie on your beds but if they do beat them, but not severely. [...]}}The version of the farewell sermon in Sunan Abu Dawud was collected also in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim. | ||
{{Quote|{{Muslim| | {{Quote|{{Muslim||1218a|reference}}|[...] Fear Allah concerning women! Verily you have taken them on the security of Allah, and intercourse with them has been made lawful unto you by words of Allah. You too have right over them, and that they should not allow anyone to sit on your bed whom you do not like. But if they do that, you can chastise them but not severely. [...]}} | ||
The translations of Al-Ṭabarī and Ibn Isḥāq add that the women possess nothing for themselves or lack control over their persons, respectively.{{Quote|{{Al Tirmidhi||2|10|1163}}|Sulaiman bin Amr bin Al-Ahwas said: | The translations of Al-Ṭabarī and Ibn Isḥāq add that the women possess nothing for themselves or lack control over their persons, respectively.{{Quote|{{Al Tirmidhi||2|10|1163}}|Sulaiman bin Amr bin Al-Ahwas said: | ||