An Example of Noble Character

before the Prophet’s death, this 33-year cycle was nearing completion, and the pilgrimage season was about to align again with the month of Dhu al-Hijjah. Following the conquest of Makkah, the Prophet neither announced any immediate changes to the pilgrimage system nor participated in the pilgrimage immediately afterward. He performed his first and only pilgrimage in 10 AH, commonly known as the Farewell Pilgrimage. That year, due to the natural cycle, the pilgrimage coincidentally fell in the lunar month of Dhu al-Hijjah. Thus, about two months before his death, the Prophet travelled to Makkah and performed the pilgrimage. During his sermon on that pilgrimage, he declared: “O people, time has completed its cycle and returned to the original form on which God created the heavens and the earth.” (For more details, see the author’s book, The Spirit of Hajj, pp. 28–32) This meant that after completing the 33-year cycle, the pilgrimage season once again fell in the month of Dhu al-Hijjah. The Prophet affirmed that this system was in accordance with divine planning and brought an end to the practice introduced by the Quraysh. From that point on, the pilgrimage would permanently take place according to the lunar calendar, in the month of Dhu al-Hijjah. The method of the Prophet of Islam was to introduce reforms without disrupting established traditions. For this reason, he successfully adjusted the pilgrimage dates without breaking the continuity of practices. It is truly remarkable that both