Staying at Mina on Tarwiyah
an-Nuzul bi-Mina Yawm at-Tarwiyah
Overview
Yawm al-Tarwiyah is the 8th of Dhul-Hijjah, when pilgrims go out to Mina, pray the five daily prayers there (shortened, not combined), and stay until sunrise before moving on to 'Arafah — following the practice of the Prophet (ﷺ).
Qur'an
No ayah of the Qur'an is cited for this act — the evidence for it is from the Sunnah. See the Hadith below.
Hadith
- •When it was the day of Tarwiyah (8th) they went to Mina and put on the ihram for Hajj, and the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) rode and led the noon (Dhuhr), afternoon ('Asr), sunset (Maghrib), 'Isha' and dawn (Fajr) prayers. He then waited a little until the sun rose, and ordered a tent to be pitched for him at Namirah.Reference · Sahih Muslim 1218aGrade · Sahih. Establishes the going to Mina, the five prayers, and staying until sunrise before departing for 'Arafah.
- •The Prophet (ﷺ) led us at Mina in a prayer of two rak'ahs, when we were more in number than we had ever been and in greater security than ever.References · Sahih al-Bukhari 1656 · Sahih Muslim 696a · Sahih Muslim 694aGrade · Sahih — muttafaq 'alayh (agreed upon), al-Bukhari 1656 and Muslim 696a, with Muslim 694a from Ibn 'Umar (RA) sahih to the same effect. He shortened the four-rak'ah prayers at Mina but did not combine them — Jabir's (RA) hadith above lists Dhuhr, 'Asr, Maghrib, 'Isha' and Fajr each offered there in its own time.
Applies to
All Hajj types (Tamattu', Qiran, Ifrad). The Tamattu' pilgrim renews his intention/ihram for Hajj from his lodging in Makkah on the 8th before heading to Mina; Qiran and Ifrad pilgrims are already in ihram from before.
If missed
No penalty; the Hajj remains valid and no dam is due. A pilgrim may proceed directly from Makkah to Arafah on the 9th; he only forgoes the Sunnah. (This is unlike the nights of Tashreeq at Mina, which are wajib and whose omission, per the majority, requires a dam.)
Timing & place
The 8th of Dhul-Hijjah (Yawm al-Tarwiyah): the pilgrim enters ihram for Hajj and goes to Mina in the forenoon, praying Dhuhr, 'Asr, Maghrib and 'Isha there, spends the night, and prays Fajr on the 9th at Mina — then departs for 'Arafah after sunrise on the 9th.
Mina.
Common mistakes
- •Skipping Mina and going straight to 'Arafah on the 9th — the Hajj is valid and no dam is due, but the Sunnah is forgone.
- •Combining Dhuhr with 'Asr, or Maghrib with 'Isha', at Mina — incorrect: at Mina each prayer is offered at its own time and only shortened, not combined, unlike 'Arafah and Muzdalifah.
- •Failing to enter ihram for the Hajj before setting out, especially for a Tamattu' pilgrim, who left ihram at the end of his 'Umrah and must enter it afresh on the 8th.
- •Believing the 8th-night stay at Mina is obligatory — it is Sunnah, unlike the nights of Tashreeq at Mina, which are wajib and whose omission obliges a dam on the majority view.
Across the madhabs
Point of agreement, not of divergence: all four schools hold the Tarwiyah-day stay at Mina to be Sunnah — going out to Mina after sunrise on the 8th, praying Dhuhr, 'Asr, Maghrib, 'Isha' and Fajr there, and spending the night before 'Arafah — and not wajib, so no dam is owed if it is left. Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Qudamah, al-Nawawi and Ibn Rushd each relate consensus on going out to Mina and praying the five prayers there, and the four schools are agreed on spending that night at Mina. The one live divergence sits not in the stay but in the prayers: whether a resident of Makkah shortens at these sites.
- •Hanafi: Sunnah; going out on the 8th, the five prayers at Mina and the night before 'Arafah are all recommended, and a pilgrim who goes straight from Makkah to 'Arafah owes nothing. On the prayers, Abu Hanifah has even a resident of Makkah shorten at Mina, 'Arafah and Muzdalifah, holding the concession to attach to the rite rather than to travel
- •Maliki: Sunnah, on the same terms and with no penalty for omitting it. On the prayers, the well-known Maliki view is that a resident of Makkah does not shorten, because the distance to Mina is not a travelling distance
- •Shafi'i: Sunnah (mustahabb); al-Nawawi relates consensus on the going out and the five prayers, and going straight to 'Arafah is contrary to the better practice rather than a fault in the Hajj. On the prayers, a resident of Makkah prays in full at Mina — he is not a traveller
- •Hanbali: Sunnah (mustahabb); Ibn Qudamah likewise relates consensus, and no dam is due for leaving it. On the prayers the Hanbalis are with the Malikis and Shafi'is — no qasr for a Makkan resident — though Ibn Taymiyyah, and in our era Ibn Baz, took the other side and had him shorten at these sites.
Notes
Shortening (qasr) at Mina: the Prophet (ﷺ) shortened the four-rak'ah prayers to two, each at its own time, without combining. For pilgrims coming from outside Makkah, the four schools have them shorten at Mina, 'Arafah and Muzdalifah. Whether a resident of Makkah shortens is disputed: the Hanafis have even the Makkan shorten at these sites by virtue of the ritual, whereas the well-known view of the Shafi'is, Malikis and Hanbalis is that a Makkan does not shorten as a resident, though at Mina/'Arafah/Muzdalifah — being outside Makkah — he may take the travel concession. No direct Qur'anic ayah legislates the Tarwiyah-day Mina stay. 'Tarwiyah' (تروية, watering) is commonly explained as the day pilgrims stocked water for 'Arafah, or from Ibrahim's (عليه السلام) reflection (ru'ya) — an etymological, not a legal, point.