I extend to each one of you my fraternal Islamic greetings and my sincere wishes that your stay in this blessed land—whose love unites all our hearts—be filled with health, safety, and joy, both in your travels and your return. May every pilgrim among you return to his family and homeland, God willing, in good health and with a tranquil heart, having fulfilled this great Islamic pillar: the pilgrimage to the Sacred House of God, followed by the Sunnah of visiting the Mosque of His noble Messenger. Praise and thanks be to God for granting us all the honor of drawing near to Him and worshipping Him through the rites He has prescribed.
As we gather with you on this blessed and exalted day, on this purified plain, turning to God with our hearts, our hearing, our sight, and the innermost feelings of our souls—answering His call and seeking His mercy—I wish to remind you of the great blessing God has bestowed upon us in enabling us to perform this obligation. We must all adhere to what has been transmitted from the Messenger of God, peace be upon him, adding nothing to it and omitting nothing. God Almighty said: “Whatever the Messenger gives you, take it; and whatever he forbids you, refrain from it.” And the Prophet, standing in this very place on the Day of ‘Arafah, said: “Take your rites from me; take your rites from me.”
Therefore, this obligation must be performed in its most complete form—fulfilling its duties, observing its pillars, and maintaining its Sunnah—as detailed in the authoritative manuals of pilgrimage. It was on this very day, at this very place, that God revealed to His trustworthy Messenger during the Farewell Pilgrimage:
“Today I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favor upon you, and chosen Islam as your religion.”
Let all my brothers know that God prescribed the pilgrimage so that Muslims may witness benefits—both spiritual and worldly—and that the unity of the Muslim word and the gathering of their ranks is among the greatest duties upon every believer. From this sacred place, I call upon all Muslims, in the East and the West, to unite their ranks, to join their word, and to become like a solid structure, each part supporting the other—cooperating in righteousness, forbidding wrongdoing, upholding God’s limits, and devoting themselves wholly to the worship of God alone.
Let all Muslims remember that God has imposed nothing upon them except for their own good—whether its wisdom is apparent or hidden. Today, the welfare of Muslims lies in enjoining truth, practicing patience, liberating their lands, and extending a helping hand to their brothers everywhere, in ease and hardship. If they do so, they will become a single, formidable force—one that enemies fear, respect, and treat with justice.
I feel it is my duty to speak to you with full candor, so that each of us may return to his home resolved to contribute whatever he can to the common good of the Muslims. If we fail to do so, we shall remain divided in our lands, estranged from one another, and weak before our enemies. Let those present convey this message to those absent, and let us all uphold the trust with which God has honored us when He said:
“You are the best nation brought forth for mankind: you enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong.”
God alone is capable of fulfilling our hopes and achieving our aims in uniting the Muslims, elevating them, and restoring their honor:
“For honor belongs to God, His Messenger, and the believers.”
Peace and God’s mercy and blessings be upon you.
Friday, 9 Dhū al‑Ḥijjah 1374 — 29 July 1955