Tafseer of The Pilgrimage · Al-Hajj · 22:27
And proclaim to the people the Hajj [pilgrimage]; they will come to you on foot and on every lean camel; they will come from every distant pass -
Important: The Arabic source text is always authoritative. This translation is a study aid and has not been verified by scholars — do not use it as a basis for religious proof or for deriving rulings (ahkam). When in doubt, always consult the Arabic text and a qualified scholar.
Abū Jaʿfar says: Allah the Exalted says: We also commanded him to call the people to the pilgrimage (al-ḥajj). By His words وَأَذِّنْ He means: make known and call the people: O people, perform the pilgrimage to Allah's Sacred House. يَأْتُوكَ رِجَالاً — He says: the people will reach on foot the House to whose visitation you call them; وَعَلَى كُلِّ ضَامِرٍ — He says: and riding upon every ḍāmir, that is, the lean camels; يَأْتِينَ مِنْ كُلِّ فَجٍّ عَمِيقٍ — He says: these lean camels come from every deep mountain pass — that is to say: from every road, every place, and every distant path. It says "yātiyna" in the feminine plural, because by "kull ḍāmirin" the she-camels (al-nūq) are meant; the meaning of "kull" is the collective, which is why "yātiyna" is said. Al-Farrāʾ claimed that it is rare in Arabic to say: "I passed by every man while they were standing" (marartu ʿalā kulli rajulin qāʾimīna). He said: it is, however, correct, and Allah's words وَعَلَى ضَامِرٍ يَأْتِينَ demonstrate its validity.
It has been reported that Ibrāhīm ﷺ, when Allah commanded him to make the call to the pilgrimage, stood up at his station and called: "O people, Allah has imposed upon you the pilgrimage — perform the pilgrimage to His venerable house."
There is a difference of opinion concerning the manner in which Ibrāhīm made this call. Some said: he called thus, as Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, he said: Jarīr related to us, on the authority of Qābūs, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, who said: when Ibrāhīm finished building the House, it was said to him: أَذِّنْ فِي النَّاسِ بِالحَجِّ . He said: "My Lord, how far does my voice reach?" He said: "Call, and the conveyance is upon Me." Ibrāhīm called: "O people, the pilgrimage to the venerable house has been imposed upon you — perform the pilgrimage." He said: his voice was heard by all that is between the heaven and the earth — do you not see how the people come from the farthest corners of the earth with the talbiya.
Al-Ḥasan ibn ʿArafa related to us, he said: Muḥammad ibn Fuḍayl ibn Ghazwān al-Ḍabbī related to us, on the authority of ʿAṭāʾ ibn al-Sāʾib, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, who said: when Ibrāhīm had built the House, Allah revealed to him that he should call the people to the pilgrimage. He said: Ibrāhīm said: "Be warned — your Lord has established a house and has commanded you to visit it." Everything that heard it — stone, tree, hill, earth, or anything else — answered: "Labbayk Allāhumma labbayk" (Here I am, O Allah, here I am).
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, he said: Yaḥyā ibn Wāḍiḥ related to us, he said: Ibn Wāqid related to us, on the authority of Abū al-Zubayr, on the authority of Mujāhid, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning the words وَأَذِّنْ فِي النَّاسِ بِالحَجِّ : he said: Ibrāhīm, the intimate friend of Allah, stood upon the stone and called: "O people, the pilgrimage has been imposed upon you." His voice reached those who were in the loins of the men and the wombs of the women. Those who believed, of those whom it was established in Allah's foreknowledge would perform the pilgrimage until the Day of Resurrection, answered him: "Labbayk Allāhumma labbayk."
Muḥammad ibn Bashār related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, he said: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of ʿAṭāʾ ibn al-Sāʾib, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr: وَأَذِّنْ فِي النَّاسِ بِالحَجِّ يَأْتُوكَ رِجَالاً — he said: it settled in the heart of every man and every woman.
Ibn Ḥumayd related to me, he said: Ḥakkām related to us, on the authority of ʿAmr, on the authority of ʿAṭāʾ, on the authority of Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, who said: when Ibrāhīm finished building the House, Allah revealed to him that he should call the people to the pilgrimage. He set out and called the people: "O people, your Lord has established a house — perform the pilgrimage to it." That day he was not heard by anyone of mankind nor of the jinn, nor by tree, hill, earth, mountain, water, nor anything else, but that it said: "Labbayk Allāhumma labbayk."
He said: Ḥakkām related to us, on the authority of ʿAnbasa, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, who said: Ibrāhīm stood upon the station (al-maqām) when he was commanded to call the people to the pilgrimage.
Al-Qāsim related to me, he said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning the words وَأَذِّنْ فِي النَّاسِ بِالحَجِّ : he said: Ibrāhīm stood upon his station and said: "O people, answer your Lord." They said: "Labbayk Allāhumma labbayk." Whoever performs the pilgrimage today is among those who answered Ibrāhīm that day.
Ibn al-Muthannā related to us, he said: Ibn Abī ʿAdī related to us, on the authority of Dāwūd, on the authority of ʿIkrima ibn Khālid al-Makhzūmī, who said: when Ibrāhīm ﷺ finished building the House, he stood upon the station and called with a call that the inhabitants of the earth heard: "Your Lord has built for you a house — perform the pilgrimage to it." Dāwūd said: I hope that whoever performs the pilgrimage today does so as an answer to Ibrāhīm ﷺ.
Muḥammad ibn Sinān al-Qazzāz related to me, he said: Ḥajjāj related to us, he said: Ḥammād related to us, on the authority of Abū ʿĀṣim al-Ghanawī, on the authority of Abū al-Ṭufayl, who said: Ibn ʿAbbās said: "Do you know how the talbiya came about?" I said: "How then?" He said: "When Ibrāhīm received the command to call the people to the pilgrimage, the mountains lowered their summits before him, the villages were raised up, and he called the people."
Ibn Ḥumayd related to us, he said: Jarīr related to us, on the authority of Manṣūr, on the authority of Mujāhid, concerning the words وَأَذِّنْ فِي النَّاسِ بِالحَجِّ : Ibrāhīm asked: "What shall I say, my Lord?" He said: "Say: O people, answer your Lord." He said: it settled in the heart of every believer.
Others said concerning this, as Ibn Bashār related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān related to us, he said: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Salama, on the authority of Mujāhid, who said: it was said to Ibrāhīm: "Call the people to the pilgrimage." He said: "My Lord, what shall I say?" He said: "Say: Labbayk Allāhumma labbayk." He said: that was the first talbiya.
Ibn ʿAbbās also used to say: by "the people" in this place the people of the qibla are meant.
Mention of the report of that: Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, he said: my father related to me, he said: my uncle related to me, he said: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning the words وَأَذِّنْ فِي النَّاسِ بِالحَجِّ — by "the people" the people of the qibla are meant. Do you not hear that He said: إِنَّ أَوَّلَ بَيْتٍ وُضِعَ لِلنَّاسِ لَلَّذِي بِبَكَّةَ مُبَارَكًا ... [up to the words:] وَمَنْ دَخَلَهُ كَانَ آمِنًا — that is to say: whoever enters it of the people whom he was commanded to call and upon whom the pilgrimage was imposed, he is secure. So venerate then the sacred things of Allah the Exalted, for that is among the piety of the hearts.
As for His words يَأْتُوكَ رِجَالاً وَعَلَى كُلِّ ضَامِرٍ : the exegetes said concerning this the same as we did.
Al-Qāsim related to us, he said: Ḥajjāj related to us, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, who said: Ibn ʿAbbās said: يَأْتُوكَ رِجَالاً : he said: on foot.
He said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Abū Muʿāwiya related to us, on the authority of al-Ḥajjāj ibn Arṭāʾa, who said: Ibn ʿAbbās said: "I regret nothing that has escaped me more than that I did not perform the pilgrimage on foot; I heard Allah say يَأْتُوكَ رِجَالاً ."
He said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Sufyān related to us, on the authority of Ibn Abī Najīḥ, on the authority of Mujāhid, who said: Ibrāhīm and Ismāʿīl performed the pilgrimage on foot.
Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, he said: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: يَأْتُوكَ رِجَالاً — he said: on their feet.
Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, he said: my father related to me, he said: my uncle related to me, he said: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās, concerning the words وَعَلَى كُلِّ ضَامِرٍ : he said: the camels.
Al-Qāsim related to us, he said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, who said: Ibn ʿAbbās said: وَعَلَى كُلِّ ضَامِرٍ : he said: the camels.
Naṣr ibn ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Awdī related to me, he said: al-Muḥāribī related to us, on the authority of ʿUmar ibn Dharr, who said: Mujāhid said: they did not ride formerly; then Allah revealed يَأْتُوكَ رِجَالاً وَعَلَى كُلِّ ضَامِرٍ . He said: He commanded them to take provisions with them and granted them permission for riding and trade.
As for His words مِنْ كُلِّ فَجٍّ عَمِيقٍ : Muḥammad ibn Saʿd related to me, he said: my father related to me, he said: my uncle related to me, he said: my father related to me, on the authority of his father, on the authority of Ibn ʿAbbās: مِنْ كُلِّ فَجٍّ عَمِيقٍ — he said: from a far-off place.
Al-Qāsim related to us, he said: al-Ḥusayn related to us, he said: Ḥajjāj related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, who said: Ibn ʿAbbās said: مِنْ كُلِّ فَجٍّ عَمِيقٍ — he said: far.
Ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā related to us, he said: Ibn Thawr related to us, on the authority of Maʿmar, on the authority of Qatāda: فَجٍّ عَمِيقٍ — he said: a far-off place.
Al-Ḥasan related to us, he said: ʿAbd al-Razzāq informed us, he said: Maʿmar informed us, on the authority of Qatāda, the same.