the first, on al-Safā; the second, on al-Marwah; the third, at ‘Arafah; the fourth, at Muzdalifah; the fifth, at the first pillar; and the sixth, at the second pillar.

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He—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—delivered two sermons to the people at Minā: one on the Day of Sacrifice, which has already been mentioned, and another on the middle day of the days of Tashrīq. It has been said that this was the second day of Sacrifice, and that “middle” here means the best of those days. Those who held this view cited the hadith of Sarrā’ bint Nabhān, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—say, “Do you know what day this is?” A narrator said (1): It was the day they call the Day of Heads. They replied: Allah and His Messenger know best. He said: “This is the middle day of the days of Tashrīq. Do you know what place this is?” They replied: Allah and His Messenger know best. He said: “This is the Sacred Site.” Then he said:

“I do not know; perhaps I will not meet you again after this (2). Indeed, your lives, your property and your honour are inviolable among you, as sacred as this day of yours (3), in this place of yours, until you meet your Lord and He questions you about your deeds. Let those nearest convey this to those farthest away. Have I conveyed the message?”

When we returned to Medina, only a short time passed (4) before he—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—died. Abū Dāwūd related it (5). The Day of Heads is, by agreement, the second day of Sacrifice.