Mina and Muzdalifah

Mina — The City of Tents

Mina is a narrow valley approximately 5 kilometers east of Makkah and 9 kilometers west of Arafat. For the vast majority of the year, Mina is uninhabited. During the Hajj season, it becomes the world’s largest temporary city — accommodating over two million pilgrims in vast tent cities spread across its valley floor and hillsides.

What Happens in Mina

Day 8 — Yawm al-Tarwiyah (the Day of Preparation): Pilgrims arrive in Mina after their initial tawaf and sa’y in Makkah, spending the day and night in Mina before proceeding to Arafat. The name al-Tarwiyah (from rawa — to quench thirst or to reflect/deliberate) refers either to the historical practice of watering animals here before the Arafat journey, or to Ibrahim’s reflection on his dream command.

Day 10 — Yawm al-Nahr (the Day of Sacrifice): Pilgrims return from Muzdalifah before sunrise:

Stone the large pillar (Jamarah al-‘Aqaba) — seven pebbles, Allahu Akbar with each
Sacrifice the qurbani (animal sacrifice) — the commemoration of Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice Ismail
Shave or cut hair — the beginning of the release from ihram
Return to Makkah for Tawaf al-Ifadah (the major Hajj tawaf) and Sa’y
Return to Mina for the nights

Days 11-12 (and optionally 13) — Ayyam al-Tashriq: Pilgrims stone all three pillars each day. A pilgrim may leave Mina after stoning on the 12th (before sunset). If they remain at sunset on the 12th, they must stay for the 13th as well.

The Sacred Character of Mina

Mina is within the boundaries of the Haram (the sacred zone around Makkah). This means:

The prohibitions of the Haram apply: no hunting, no cutting of trees
The sacredness that makes the entire Hajj area a zone of divine peace extends here

The Prophet (SAW) said: “Mina is a resting place — whoever comes first settles.” — Unlike the Kaaba, where specific positions matter, Mina’s tent city has no hierarchy of position. First come, first served — an egalitarian camping that mirrors the Hajj’s equality of ihram.

Ibrahim’s History at Mina

The connection of Mina to Ibrahim (AS) is deep and multilayered:

The three encounters with Iblis and the stoning of the three pillars occurred in Mina
The site of the intended sacrifice of Ismail is traditionally identified as in or near Mina
The Hajj sacrifice (Eid al-Adha) takes place here in commemoration of Ibrahim’s trial

The entire landscape of Mina is Ibrahimic: the valley where the prophet’s obedience was tested to the limit, where the tempter was rejected, and where divine mercy intervened with the ram (kabsh) as the substitute sacrifice.

See also: Sayyidna Ibrahim, Eid Al Adha

Muzdalifah — The Night of Collection and Remembrance

Muzdalifah is an open plain between Arafat (to the east) and Mina (to the west), stretching for several kilometers. It has no permanent settlement. Its role in Hajj is concentrated in a single night — the night between the 9th and 10th of Dhul Hijja.

The Night in Muzdalifah

After the wuquf at Arafat ends at sunset on the 9th, pilgrims pour toward Makkah — but stop at Muzdalifah to spend the night. The Arabic name Muzdalifah is derived from izdilaf (approach, drawing near) — Muzdalifah is the place of drawing near [to Allah, to the completion of Hajj, to Makkah].

The combined Maghrib and ‘Isha’ prayers: When pilgrims arrive at Muzdalifah, they perform Maghrib and ‘Isha’ combined (at ‘Isha’ time) — three rak’ahs of Maghrib and two of ‘Isha’, reduced (qasr). This is among the most clearly established Sunnah acts of Hajj.

Sleeping under the open sky: The Sunnah is to spend the night at Muzdalifah in the open — not in enclosed structures. Millions of pilgrims sleep on the ground in Muzdalifah under the night sky. This is a profoundly leveling experience: no hotels, no private spaces, no hierarchy of comfort — only the earth beneath and the sky above.

Collecting pebbles: Muzdalifah is the traditional place for collecting the pebbles (hashayish al-rami) used for stoning the jamarat. The Prophet collected pebbles at Muzdalifah. Pilgrims collect 49-70 small pebbles (depending on whether they stone on the 13th) — chickpea-sized.

Dhikr and du’a through the night: “Then when you pour down from Arafat, remember Allah at the sacred monument.” (2:198) — The Quran calls Muzdalifah al-Mash’ar al-Haram (the Sacred Monument). Pilgrims are commanded to remember Allah at Muzdalifah throughout the night.

The Sunnah of pausing at al-Mash’ar al-Haram: The Prophet stopped specifically at al-Mash’ar al-Haram (a slight rise within Muzdalifah) and made du’a facing the qiblah until the sky was bright. Modern pilgrims are encouraged to replicate this wherever possible within the Muzdalifah plain.

Moving to Mina before sunrise: The general guidance is to leave Muzdalifah for Mina before the Fajr prayer has ended, or after it, in order to arrive early in Mina for the stoning of the ‘Aqaba pillar. The Prophet left just before sunrise.

Al-Mash’ar al-Haram — The Sacred Monument

The Quran gives Muzdalifah a specific name that underlines its sacredness:

“There is no blame upon you for seeking bounty from your Lord [during Hajj]. But when you depart from ‘Arafat, remember Allah at al-Mash’ar al-Haram. And remember Him, as He has guided you, although you were before that among those who had gone astray.” (2:198)

Al-Mash’ar: from sha’ar (to perceive, to feel, to sense) — the Mash’ar is the place of divine sensing/perception. Al-Haram: the sacred. Muzdalifah as a whole, or specifically the site within it, is the place of sacred sensing — where the divine is especially perceptible to the sincere pilgrim who passes through it.

The juxtaposition in the verse is striking: immediately after leaving Arafat (the peak of the Hajj, the standing before Allah in the open plain) comes Muzdalifah (the night of rest and dhikr in the sacred place of perception). Arafat is the day of overwhelming divine presence; Muzdalifah is the night of quiet internalization.

The Ritual Structure: Arafat → Muzdalifah → Mina

The three places form a sequence that traces the soul’s journey:

Arafat: The standing — full presence, du’a, vulnerability before the divine. The moment of the soul’s most exposed positioning before its Lord. “Hajj is Arafat.”

Muzdalifah: The night of gathering — collecting the pebbles (gathering the tools for the battle against the nafs), making dhikr, sleeping on the earth, the quiet after the overwhelming. In the narrative arc: returning from the height of divine encounter and preparing for what comes next.

Mina: The action — stoning (rejection of the nafs’s temptations), sacrifice (the willingness to give what is most precious), hair-cutting (the physical mark of completion), tawaf al-ifadah (the return to the Kaaba now as one changed by the full Hajj journey).

The journey has an inner logic: preparation (ihram, arrival) → peak (Arafat) → gathering (Muzdalifah) → action (Mina) → return to ordinary life (release from ihram).

Dispensations for the Weak and Infirm at Muzdalifah

Islamic jurisprudence shows particular concern for vulnerable pilgrims at Muzdalifah:

The permission for early departure: The Prophet (SAW) specifically allowed the weak (du’afa’), the elderly, and women to leave Muzdalifah for Mina before dawn — before the large crowd begins moving — to avoid the crush. This permission is one of the Prophet’s most cited acts of mercy for Hajj pilgrims.

Ibn ‘Abbas (RA) reported: “The Prophet sent the weak of his family from Muzdalifah before Fajr.” (Bukhari, Muslim)

This principle (facilitating the Hajj for those who find it difficult) extends through Islamic fiqh: the Hajj is designed as a journey of transformation, not as a test of physical endurance that excludes the weak.

Ta’wil of Mina and Muzdalifah

The zahir: Mina is the valley of the jamarat, the sacrifice, the tent city of the Hajj’s active days. Muzdalifah is the open plain of the night’s rest and dhikr between Arafat and Mina.

The batin: In the Ismaili-Tayyibi ta’wil, the spiritual geography of the Hajj journey mirrors the soul’s journey:

Muzdalifah — the night of gathering: After the overwhelming experience of Arafat (the standing before the divine), the soul must gather itself — collect its pebbles (the specific tools for rejecting the nafs’s temptations), make dhikr to internalize what has been received at Arafat, and rest in preparation for the active work ahead. Muzdalifah is the integration space between the peak experience and the application of that experience.
Mina — the field of application: All the internal preparation (ihram, tawaf, sa’y, Arafat, Muzdalifah) manifests in Mina as external action: the stoning (rejecting the nafs’s temptations actively), the sacrifice (surrendering what is most precious to the divine command), the release from ihram (returning to ordinary life now transformed). Mina is where the inner journey becomes outer change.

The complete Hajj journey is: leaving ordinary life (ihram) → internal transformation (Arafat) → gathering and preparation (Muzdalifah) → external application (Mina) → return to ordinary life transformed (release from ihram, tawaf al-ifadah).

The mumin who has completed this journey is not the same person who began it — the transformation is the point. And the ta’wil of this transformation is the soul’s deepening of its walayah: entering the Imam’s presence (as Makkah and the Kaaba are the zahir of the Imam’s spiritual presence), standing fully before the divine (Arafat), gathering the tools for rejecting the nafs (Muzdalifah), and actively living the walayah’s demands (Mina).

Mina and Muzdalifah — The Sacred Camps of Hajj