Welcome back to Road to Hajj — a simplified walk-through of what the hujjaj do each day of the Hajj journey.
Now is Maghrib of the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah.
In the day, the hujjaj spent the most important day of the year — the 9th of Dhul-Hijjah — at ‘Arafah. From Dhuhr to Maghrib, they stood in du‘a during wuqūf, the core act of Hajj. It’s the day when most du‘as are answered and the most people are forgiven in the whole year.
From Dhuhr to ‘Asr, many hujjaj make du‘a in their tents, and then as the sun softens, they come out and continue under the open sky. As Maghrib arrives, the emotional energy intensifies — the tears, the hands raised, the hearts laid bare.
After sunset, they begin making their way to Muzdalifah. This journey — part of the wājib acts of Hajj — is done slowly and calmly. The Prophet ﷺ walked this path, holding the reins of his camel, al-Qaswa, making sure it moved gently.
When they reach Muzdalifah, there’s no specific ritual beyond remembrance — dhikr, istighfār. Allah says in the Qur’an:
ثُمَّ أَفِيضُوا مِنْ حَيْثُ أَفَاضَ النَّاسُ وَاسْتَغْفِرُوا اللَّهَ
“Then depart from where the people depart and ask Allah for forgiveness…” [Al-Baqarah 2:199]
So the hujjaj arrive, pray Maghrib and ‘Isha combined and shortened (Jam‘ wa Qaṣr), and then they rest. Not in tents or hotels — just on the bare earth, under the stars.
It’s what I call a five billion star experience.
Sleeping under the sky in Muzdalifah is powerful. You look up and see constellations with no city lights to drown them out. It’s humbling. It strips you of your comforts, your titles, your privilege. Everyone sleeps on the same ground. No one steps aside for you. If someone needs to walk past, they walk over you. It’s raw. It’s real. It’s levelling.
And it reminds you of Yawm al-Qiyāmah. When we rise from our graves, there will be no resumes, no status, no CVs — just us and our deeds.
But there’s something deeper about these stars. Allah swears by them in Surah al-Wāqi‘ah:
فَلَا أُقْسِمُ بِمَوَاقِعِ النُّجُومِ، وَإِنَّهُ لَقَسَمٌ لَوْ تَعْلَمُونَ عَظِيمٌ، إِنَّهُ لَقُرْآنٌ كَرِيمٌ
“But nay, I swear by the setting of the stars — and indeed, it is a great oath if you only knew — that this is indeed a noble Qur’an.” [Al-Waqi‘ah 56:75–77]
Why does Allah link the stars to the Qur’an?
Think about it. If you don’t know anything about stars, they’re just beautiful lights in the sky — awe-inspiring, but directionless. But if you study them, they become a map. The Southern Cross, Orion’s Belt — suddenly, you know which way is north, south, east, west.
Similarly, the Qur’an. If you just listen, it’s beautiful — the rhythm, the words, the recitation. But if you dig deeper, if you study it, reflect on it, it becomes a guide.
At first glance, it might feel like a beautiful mess — one moment you’re reading about the muttaqīn, the next about the disbelievers, then suddenly it jumps to stories of Prophet Adam, Bani Isra’il, then to Ibrahim.
It’s not structured like a typical book. But when you peel back the layers, you start seeing the divine cohesion. The structure. The flow. And how each story, each verse, is placed exactly where it needs to be.
So the stars and the Qur’an — both are majestic, both guide. But only if we take the time to look deeper.
Muzdalifah is that reminder.
It tells us: slow down. Strip away the noise. Reconnect with the basics. Sleep under the stars. Reflect. Ask yourself: Who am I without all the labels? What matters when I’m lying on this ground beneath the sky?
That’s the essence of Hajj — a return to humility. To truth. To submission.
So that’s Muzdalifah — not glamorous, but glorious.
We’ll rest here until Fajr. After that, we’ll make our way to Mina for the next major part of Hajj — the Jamrah.
InshaAllah, we’ll talk about that tomorrow.
