O people, do you know in which city you are, what month and what day is this?” asked
the Prophet (r) from his audience.
They replied, “This is the sacred month, the day has a great sanctity and the city is the
holy city.”
Resuming his address the Prophet (r) said, “Your lives and your property and your hon-
or shall remain scared to the Day of Resurrection like this day, this month and this city.
Behold! Take it from me so that you may live. Beware! Do no wrong. Beware! Do no
wrong. Beware! do no wrong! It is not lawful for you to take anything from the property
of a Muslim save by his consent. Every claim for blood-vengeance and bloodwit that was
due since the days of ignorance is now abolished to the Day of Judgment. And the first
claim of blood-vengeance that I remit is that of Ibn Rabi’a b. al- Harith b. ‘Abdul Muttalib
who was suckled among Ibn Laith and killed by Hudhayl. The usury of the pagan past is
abolished is that of ‘Abbas b. ‘Abdul Muttalib.
“Time has completed the cycle to reach the same point when God created the heavens
and the earth.’
Thereafter he recited the Qur'anic verse:
“Lo! The number of months with Allah is twelve months by Allah’s ordinance in the
day that He created the heavens and the earth. Four of them are sacred: that is the
right religion. So wrong not yourselves in them.’ [Qur'an 9:36]
“Behold! Do not become infidels after me, beheading one another. The devil has des-
paired of ever being worshipped of ever being worshipped by those who pray, but he will
create dissensions among you. Fear Allah concerning women. You have claims on your
womenfolk and they on you. They are saddled with the obligation not to bring in anyone
whom you dislike, but if you suspect, instruct and withdraw from them, and chastise them
but lightly. You are obliged to provide them with food and clothing in a befitting manner
for you have got them under God’s security, and have a right to their person by God’s
word.”
“Behold! Whoever holds anything in trust should return it to the person who had
trusted him with it.
The Prophet (r) then asked, “Have I delivered the message? Thereafter he said, “Let him
who is present convey it to him who is absent, for many a one to whom a message is
conveyed can better enshrine it in his memory. (Ahmad, on the authority of Abu Hurra ar-
Raqashi)