Eid Khutbah – The Farewell Sermon
The final khutbah delivered by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) during the Farewell Pilgrimage gathered together the essence of his message to the Ummah.
Hajj was the last of the five pillars of Islam that Allah made obligatory: it was only mandated in the year 9 AH, compared to fasting and zakat in 2 AH, salah being made obligatory 18 months before Hijrah, and of course the shahada, which has been a crucial part of Islam since the very beginning.
Only Muslims can enter Makkah
In the year 9 AH, Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) wanted to go to Hajj, but he felt it wasn’t appropriate for him to go while there were still many Jahiliyya rituals going on around the Ka’bah, so he sent Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) to lead the Hajj instead.
He received this part of Surat at-Tawbah while the group had gone, and he sent Ali and Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with them) to Makkah to spread these verses among those who had gone for the Hajj. Abu Hurayrah narrated that he and Ali went around all the locations of Hajj shouting these verses until they lost their voices, announcing the obligation from Allah.
وَأَذَ ٰنࣱ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِۦۤ إِلَى ٱلنَّاسِ
یَوۡمَ ٱلۡحَجِّ ٱلۡأَكۡبَرِ أَنَّ ٱللَّهَ بَرِیۤءࣱ مِّنَ
ٱلۡمُشۡرِكِینَ وَرَسُولُهُۥۚ فَإِن تُبۡتُمۡ فَهُوَ
خَیۡرࣱ لَّكُمۡۖ وَإِن تَوَلَّیۡتُمۡ فَٱعۡلَمُوۤا۟ أَنَّكُمۡ غَیۡرُ
مُعۡجِزِی ٱللَّهِۗ وَبَشِّرِ ٱلَّذِینَ كَفَرُوا۟ بِعَذَابٍ أَلِیمٍ
And an announcement from Allah and His Messenger to mankind on the day of the Greater Pilgrimage that Allah renounces the polytheists, as does His Messenger. So if you repent, it is better for you; but if you turn away, know that you cannot thwart Allah. And give to those who have denied glad tidings of a painful punishment (9:3)
يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ إِنَّمَا ٱلۡمُشۡرِكُونَ نَجَسٞ
فَلَا يَقۡرَبُواْ ٱلۡمَسۡجِدَ ٱلۡحَرَامَ بَعۡدَ عَامِهِمۡ
هَٰذَاۚ وَإِنۡ خِفۡتُمۡ عَيۡلَةٗ فَسَوۡفَ
يُغۡنِيكُمُ ٱللَّهُ مِن فَضۡلِهِۦٓ إِن شَآءَۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٞ,
O believers! Indeed, the polytheists are ˹spiritually˺ impure, so they should not approach the Sacred Mosque after this year. If you fear poverty, Allah will enrich you out of His bounty, if He wills. Surely, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise. [9:28]
The message was that no disbelievers should do Hajj anymore – only Muslims could approach the Ka’bah. Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) also said no one would be allowed to do Hajj naked anymore, which had been a practice during Jahiliyya.
عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ بَعَثَنِي أَبُو بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقُ فِي الْحَجَّةِ الَّتِي أَمَّرَهُ عَلَيْهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَبْلَ حَجَّةِ الْوَدَاعِ فِي رَهْطٍ يُؤَذِّنُونَ فِي النَّاسِ يَوْمَ النَّحْرِ لاَ يَحُجُّ بَعْدَ الْعَامِ مُشْرِكٌ وَلاَ يَطُوفُ بِالْبَيْتِ عُرْيَانٌ . رواه مسلم.
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported:
Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) sent me during Hajj before the Farewell Pilgrimage for which Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) had appointed him an Amir, among a group of people whom he had ordered to make announcement to the people on the Day of Nahr:” After this year no polytheist may perform the Pilgrimage and no naked person may circumambulate the House. (Muslim)
This was because a certain group of Quraysh, called Al-Hums, had given themselves a high status, and decreed that anyone outside the group was not allowed to wear their own clothes for Hajj, but had to buy special garments from the Quraysh. People who couldn’t afford these had to do Hajj naked, both men and women. This was why Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) had not wanted to do Hajj at that time; he then did it the following year, 10 AH, shortly before he passed away.
The Greatest Hajj
The Prophet’s Hajj (peace be upon him) is known as al-Hajj al-Akbar, the Greatest Hajj, as it was attended by all the Muslims of the time – around 120,000 people.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) performed many of the rituals on his camel, because he wanted everyone to see what he was doing and understand what the practices were. Recently they have introduced a service for people to do tawaf and sa’ee on small golf buggies, and people have been asking if this is allowed. The opinion is based on this fact of the Prophet (peace be on him) doing Hajj on his camel, and says that if there is a need, you can do tawaf and sa’ee on a wheelchair or golf buggy.
The Farewell Sermons
It was during this Hajj that Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) delivered his Farewell Sermons – which are actually four different but connected khutbahs, delivered in Makkah, Mina, ‘Arafah, and Mina again. The longest part was in Arafah, known as the Hadith Jabir as it was narrated by Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him). This is a long hadith which talks about various parts of the Hajj, including the Farewell Speeches and various other commands.
One of the miracles of Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) was that when he delivered these khutbahs during the Hajj, all the companions who were spread out far and wide in their tents across the vastness of Arafah could hear him. There were no microphones then, and he wasn’t shouting, but Allah enabled everyone there to be able to hear him.
The Hajj is a pillar that creates unity and strength within the Ummah.
The message of the Farewell Sermons
Among the greatest matters emphasised was our relationship with Allah. The Shari’ah governs our relationship with our Creator. Tawhid belongs to Allah alone, and worship is for Allah alone.
Alongside this, Islam also governs how human beings deal with one another. Allah says in the Qur’an:
إِنَّ أَكۡرَمَكُمۡ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ أَتۡقَىٰكُمۡۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ خَبِيرٞ
“Indeed, the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is the one with the most taqwa.” (Surat al-Hujurat 49:13)
There is no superiority of one person over another except through taqwa. The only thing that truly elevates a person is sincerity, righteousness, worship, and devotion to Allah.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) warned the Ummah against wrongdoing and oppression. He made clear that riba is haram — consuming the wealth of others unjustly is haram, taking the wealth of others unlawfully is haram, and oppression in all its forms is haram.
He taught that our dealings must be built upon justice, rights, and goodness. We must be kind and merciful even when we have power over others.
We should be truthful people with noble character. The Prophet (peace be upon him) also reminded us that we must prepare for the akhirah rather than become consumed by the dunya.
These themes formed the foundations of the prophetic message. Whoever reflects on the Farewell Khutbah of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) will see how it gathers together the core principles of Islam.
Allah says:
وُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ نَّاعِمَةٌ لِّسَعْيِهَا رَاضِيَةٌ
“Faces, that Day, will be radiant and joyful, pleased with their efforts.” (Surat al-Ghashiyah 88:8–9)
Allah tells us that some faces on the Day of Judgement will be full of joy because of what they sent forward through their deeds and actions.
This is one of the reasons Surah al-A‘la and Surah al-Ghashiyah are recited during the Eid prayer — to remind us about our deeds and our preparation for the akhirah.
If we fill our lives with righteous deeds, then in sha’ Allah our faces will be bright and joyful on the Day of Judgement, pleased with what we prepared for the akhirah.
But the opening of the surah also warns us that there will be faces humbled and exhausted because of what they earned for themselves.
Although the Ummah today faces many hardships and many matters are not going in the right direction, we should still show the joy of Eid — especially to our children. We should teach them the importance of worshipping Allah, being truthful people, and following the example of the Prophet (peace be upon him).
Spread joy
The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) spread happiness in the community during Eid. This should also be our approach: spreading joy and positivity according to whatever ability Allah has given us.
Eid should be a renewal for the Ummah — giving us fresh energy to renew our thinking, our concern, and our actions. When we fall, we rise again and continue moving forward with the help of Allah.
Eid al-Adha is the Eid of sacrifice. We always remember Ibrahim (peace be upon him) when he was commanded to sacrifice his son Isma‘il (peace be upon him). But Allah saved Isma‘il at the final moment. This became the Sunnah of our father Ibrahim (peace be upon him), and also the Sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): offering the udhiyah on the day of Eid.
This sacrifice is to be performed during the days of Eid by those who are able to afford it and have the means to offer it. Whoever is capable should strive to fulfil this Sunnah.
One may eat from the meat, distribute it, or send it elsewhere. Whether it is done locally or in another country depends on the circumstances and what is most beneficial.
This is from the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and we should strive to preserve this Sunnah. But the greatest lesson from the story of Isma‘il (peace be upon him) is this: when you place Allah first, Allah will elevate you and honour you.
On this Eid, we ask Allah to help us become people of truth, righteousness, and Jannah. We ask Allah to make this blessed Eid an Eid filled with worship, happiness, and joy for the entire Ummah. Amin.
Based on the Eid Khutbah delivered by Shaykh Haytham Tamim on 27th May 2026
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- Eid Khutbah – The Farewell Sermon
- Ibrahim and the greatest sacrifice
- Hajj and Arafah – a landmark of human unity
- How did Imam al-Bukhari collect so many hadith?