24 – ʿAmr ibn Khārijah ﵁ related: “The Messenger of Allah ﷺ gave us a sermon at Minā while he was on his riding camel, and its saliva was running down onto my shoulder.” Recorded by Aḥmad and by al-Tirmidhī, who declared it authentic (1).

Authenticity grading
The ḥadith is sound. Al-Tirmidhī ruled it ṣaḥīḥ. In its chain appears Shahr ibn Ḥawshab, concerning whom there is some disagreement, yet al-Bukhārī judged him reliable. The report is further supported by what al-Bukhārī (6802), Muslim (1671), and others have established: the Prophet ﷺ instructed the ʿUrayni people to drink camel urine. If the urine is deemed pure, then the saliva is even more so.

Vocabulary of the ḥadith
• Minā: one of the sacred sites; it contains the three stone pillars (jamarāt). It is prescribed to spend the nights of the specified days there. Minā is the nearest of the sacred sites to Mecca and now possesses every facility that makes the pilgrim’s rites easier—roads, bridges, water, electricity, and the like. The rulings governing the rites performed there and its boundaries will be discussed, God willing, in their proper place.
• His mount (rāḥilah): a camel fit to be saddled; plural rawāḥil. Some define a rāḥilah as a camel strong enough for travel and heavy loads.
• Its saliva (luʿāb): the fluid that comes from the mouth—one of the digestive secretions. It is a colorless, viscous liquid with a slightly acidic tendency when produced.