Points derived from the two hadiths:

1 – The hadith of Ibn ʿAbbās indicates that the time for stoning Jamrat al-ʿAqabah on the Day of Sacrifice does not begin until after sunrise, whereas the hadith of ʿĀʾishah establishes that it may be stoned before dawn; a fuller treatment of the issue will follow, Allah willing.

2 – Both reports show that it is permissible for those who are weak—women, children, and others like them—to leave Muzdalifah for Minā before daybreak.

3 – The hadith of ʿĀʾishah further demonstrates that the time for stoning Jamrat al-ʿAqabah actually starts before the break of dawn on the Day of Sacrifice. The Shāfiʿīs and Ḥanbalīs specify this as the beginning of the second half of the night. Ibn al-Qayyim said: “What the Sunnah indicates is hastening once the moon has set, not at midnight; those who fix it at midnight have no proof. Allah knows best.”

4 – The report also proves that the period for proceeding from Minā to the Sacred House for Ṭawāf al-Ifāḍah opens before dawn on the night of the Day of Sacrifice; the Shāfiʿīs and Ḥanbalīs place it at midnight.

5 – The hadith of ʿĀʾishah is more authentic than the hadith of Ibn ʿAbbās. Accordingly, when the two appear to conflict over the starting time for stoning, acting on the report of ʿĀʾishah is preferred. The two can still be harmonised by viewing the hadith of Ibn ʿAbbās as commendable practice and that of ʿĀʾishah as establishing permissibility. Moreover, in our times—when the number of pilgrims has greatly increased and stoning the pillars entails considerable hardship—following ʿĀʾishah’s hadith is a merciful and accommodating course of action.