a tent had been pitched for him at Namirah (1). Does this not apparently indicate that Namirah is part of Arafah?

The answer is that Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him, meant that he did not stop at Muzdalifah as Quraysh used to stop there, standing at Muzdalifah. Thus, Jabir’s words, “until he reached Arafah,” mean that he did not stand at Muzdalifah. This is why he said in the same hadith: “Quraysh had no doubt that he would stand at al-Mashar al-Haram, as they had done in the time of ignorance; but he passed on until he reached Arafah.” This clarifies the endpoint of his journey: its endpoint was Arafah.

Was this stop a prescribed rite, or was it a stop for rest?

The answer is that the well-known view among the scholars is that it was a prescribed ritual stop, though it is possible that it was a stop for rest. For a tent was pitched for the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, at Namirah; yet when he was asked to have a tent pitched for him at Mina (2), he said: “Mina is the camping place of whoever arrives first” (3). Since Mina is a sacred site, his approving that a tent be pitched for him at Namirah and declining this at Mina suggests that Namirah is not a sacred site, and that his stop there was only for rest.

However, the well-known view is that stopping there is a sunnah and is not merely for the sake of rest. Thus, one should stop there if it is feasible. It is now well known, and some pilgrims stay there; they tell us that they find it extremely restful, especially in earlier times, when people performed Hajj on camels and were in need of rest.