196rites from me."3 7 On the ninth day of Dhu al-Hijjah in the tenth year o f
bjjmh, the Prophet addressed 144,000 pilgrims on the Mount of l\krcy
(jabal ar-RBhmah).33 He spoke in short portions, and men around him
repeated his words so that everyone throughout the valley could hear his
speech.39
The co ntent of the message was powerful and intense, and th e Prophet
began by stating that he did not know whether he would again meet the
pilgrims "i n rhis place after this year."4() Then he reminded them o f the
sacred character of the place and month, as well as of that o f their lives,
their honor, and their belongings. He explained that the period of igno-
rance had come to an end, and so had its practices, its rivalries, and its
conflicts based o n power and profit. Henceforth, all J\Iuslims were united
by faith, fratcrnity, and love. which were to transform them into witness -
es of I slam's m essage. They must under no circumstances accept being
"eith er o p pressors o r opprcssed.,,41 T hey wcre to learn of the equality of
all people in front of God and the necessary humility because "you all
descend from Adam and Adam was created from dirt. The most noble in
the sight o f G o d is the most pious. No Arab is superior to a non-Arab,
except by their intimate consciousness of G od [piety].'>42 The Prophet
remindcd all the tvluslims to treat their wives gen tly and added: " Be inti-
mately conscious of God as regards women, and strive to be good ro
them.,,4.3 Then he added, as if to show the \,(:Tay and its conditions to all
the faithful present and all those who were [0 follow his teachings through
the ages: " I have left among you what will, if you keep to it firmly, pre-
serve you from e rro r: clear guidance, th e Book of God and His Pro phet'S
tradition.'>44 After each teaching he reminded them of, the Prophet added:
" Have 1 conveyed the Message? 0 G od, be my witness!" At the end of
the sermon, me pilgrims answered: ' ,\'{Ie bear witness that you have faith-
fully com'eyed the m essage, that you have fulfilled your mission, and that
you have given your community good ad vice." T hen th e Pro phet conclud-
ed: " 0 God, be my witness! ... And let whoe\'er is present convey this
message to whoever is absent."
T he Prophet was indeed a witness in front of the spiritual community
o f Muslims. In communio n with them, at the heart of the pilgrimage-
which itself requires simplicity and m e unit)' of human beings before
their Creator-the Messenger recalled the essential point in the One's
message: dle absolute equality of human beings before G od, regardless of