Section
The third group—Tāwūs, Mujāhid, and ‘Urwah—held that he delayed the visitation circumambulation until night. The Sunan collections of Abū Dāwūd, al-Nasā’ī, and Ibn Mājah (1) contain a report transmitted by Abū al-Zubayr al-Makkī from ‘Ā’ishah and Jābir (2), stating that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, delayed the circumambulation on the Day of Sacrifice until night. Another wording specifies “the visitation circumambulation.” Al-Tirmidhī said: “This is a good hadith.”
This hadith is plainly erroneous. It contradicts what is known of the Prophet’s practice, may Allah bless him and grant him peace—a matter about which scholars familiar with his Hajj have no doubt. We shall now quote the scholars’ comments on it.
Al-Tirmidhī said in his book al-‘Ilal (Hadith Defects) (3): “I asked Muhammad ibn Ismā‘īl al-Bukhārī about this hadith, saying to him: ‘Did Abū al-Zubayr hear from ‘Ā’ishah and Ibn ‘Abbās?’ He replied: ‘From (4) Ibn ‘Abbās, yes; but his having heard from ‘Ā’ishah is open to question.’”
Abū al-Hasan ibn al-Qattān (5) said: “In my view, this hadith is not authentic. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, circumambulated during the daytime that day. The only point of disagreement is whether he prayed Zuhr in Mecca or returned to Minā and prayed there after completing his circumambulation. Ibn ‘Umar says that he returned