rulings of Hajj. It is the report narrated by Muslim1 from Jābir ibn Abd Allah (may Allah be pleased with them both):
1—The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) remained in Medina for nine years without performing Hajj. Then, in the tenth year, he announced to the people that Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) would perform Hajj. Many people came to Medina (all seeking to follow Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) and do as he did)2.
2—We set out with him, and when we reached Dhū al-Hulayfa, Asmā bint Umays gave birth to Muhammad ibn Abī Bakr. She sent word to Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), asking, “What should I do?” He replied, “Bathe, use a cloth as a secure bandage3, and enter ihram.”
1. Muslim, no. 1218. Al-Nawawī states concerning this hadith (8/170): “This is a momentous hadith containing numerous benefits and precious foundational principles of great importance. It is one of the narrations uniquely recorded by Muslim; al-Bukhārī did not include it in his *Sahīh*. Abū Dāwūd transmitted it in the same manner as Muslim. Al-Qādī said: Scholars have discussed its jurisprudential content extensively. Abū Bakr ibn al-Mundhir devoted a lengthy treatise to it, deriving more than one hundred and fifty jurisprudential points from it. Were it examined exhaustively, nearly as many more could be added.…”
2. Omitted from copy “B.”
3. A woman’s *istithfār* consists of fastening something around her waist, then placing a broad piece of cloth over the site of the bleeding and securing it from behind and in front to prevent the discharge from escaping. Its modern equivalent is a sanitary pad. Al-Bassām, *Tawdīh al-Ahkām*, 3/322.