On the authority of his father, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, say to his wives during the Farewell Pilgrimage: "This, then the surfaces of the mats."(1)

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(1) Its chain is sound in follow-ups and supporting witnesses. Ibn Abi Waqid al-Laythi—whose name is Waqid—is disputed regarding his companionship [of the Prophet], and Zayd ibn Aslam al-'Adawi was the sole narrator from him. Al-Nufayli: he is 'Abdullah ibn Muhammad, and 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn Muhammad: he is Ibn 'Ubayd al-Darawardi.

It was also recorded by Ahmad in his "Musnad" (21905) and (21910), Ibn Abi 'Asim in "al-Ahad wa al-Mathani" (903), Abu Ya'la (1444), al-Tahawi in "Sharh Mushkil al-Athar" (5604), Ibn Qani' in "Mu'jam al-Sahaba" 1/173, al-Tabarani in "al-Mu'jam al-Kabir" (3318), al-Bayhaqi in his "Sunan" 4/327 and 5/228, al-Khatib al-Baghdadi in "Tarikh Baghdad" 3/326 and 7/110, Ibn 'Asakir in "Tarikh Dimashq" 56/135, and al-Mizzi in his biography of Waqid ibn Abi Waqid al-Laythi in his "Tahdhib" 3/415, via multiple paths from 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn Muhammad al-Darawardi, with this chain.

It was also recorded by 'Abd al-Razzaq in his "Musannaf" (8812) from Ma'mar, from Zayd ibn Aslam, as a mursal [tradition].

It has a supporting witness from the hadith of Abu Hurayrah, recorded by Ahmad in his "Musnad" (9765).

Another from the hadith of 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar, recorded by Ibn Hibban in his "Sahih" (3706).

And a third from the hadith of Umm Salamah, recorded by Abu Ya'la in his "Musnad" (6885) and al-Tabarani in "al-Mu'jam al-Kabir" 23/(706).

Regarding his saying "then the surfaces of the mats," al-Sindi said: His saying "this," meaning: this pilgrimage of yours, then "zuhur al-husur"—with two dammas and a sukun on the sad as a lightening [of the vowel], plural of "hasir," a mat spread in houses—meaning: then adhere to the house. Perhaps the intent is to comfort their hearts by leaving off pilgrimage afterward even if it was not feasible, or to indicate that it is permissible for them to abandon it, not a prohibition against pilgrimage. For it is established that they performed pilgrimage after him, peace and blessings be upon him, and 'Umar ibn al-Khattab permitted them to perform pilgrimage during the last pilgrimage he performed, as recorded in "Sahih al-Bukhari" (1860).

Al-Bayhaqi said, 4/327: The pilgrimage of 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her, and other Mothers of the Believers, may Allah be pleased with them, after the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, indicates that the meaning of this report is that pilgrimage is obligatory upon them once, just as it is made clear that it is obligatory upon men once—not a prohibition against doing it more. And see necessarily "Sharh Mushkil al-Athar" 14/256–264.