Bukhari

Hadith Commentary:

Staying at Muhassab is not a pillar (rukn) of Hajj. The Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) stayed there for rest, with the thought that departure towards Madinah would be easier from that place. Accordingly, he performed both the Asr and Maghrib prayers there. Even though he (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) stayed there only for this reason, this stay became recommended (mustahabb), and after him, Abu Bakr (radi Allahu anhu) and Umar (radi Allahu anhu) also used to stay there.

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
Is staying in the Valley of Muhassab (Wadi Muhassab) a Sunnah or not? There is a difference of opinion among the early scholars (salaf) regarding this.
Aishah (radi Allahu anha) and Ibn Abbas (radi Allahu anhuma) did not consider camping there to be a Sunnah, because the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) only stopped there after midday for the purpose of resting.
He performed the two Asr prayers and the two Maghrib prayers there.
Camping at this place is not among the rites (manasik) of Hajj.
Ibn Umar (radi Allahu anhu) considered camping there to be a Sunnah, because the descent of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) at that place is established, and the Rightly Guided Caliphs (khulafa’ rashidun) also acted upon this. However, according to him as well, it has no connection to Hajj; rather, it can be considered a separate Sunnah.

(2)
According to us, the Messenger of Allah’s (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) camping in the Valley of Muhassab was to express gratitude to Allah, because Allah granted dominance to Islam, while the polytheists had sworn oaths at that place to annihilate Islam. On this basis, stopping there can be considered recommended (mustahabb) if one passes by, but camping there has no connection to the rites (manasik) of Hajj.
And Allah knows best.

Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues:

➊ Except for the Fajr prayer, there are two tashahhuds in the remaining prayers. There is a difference of opinion regarding the best manner of sitting during them. According to the Hanafis, between the two prostrations and in every tashahhud, iftirash (i.e., placing the right foot upright and spreading the left foot and sitting upon it) is preferable. According to the Malikis, in every place, tawarruk (i.e., placing the right foot upright and bringing the left foot out from between the shin and thigh, then sitting on the buttocks) is preferable. According to the Shafi‘is, Hanbalis, and the hadith scholars, iftirash is to be done between the prostrations; and according to the Shafi‘is and hadith scholars, tawarruk is to be done in the tashahhud in which the salam is given, and in the tashahhud after which there is no salam, iftirash is to be done. According to Imam Ahmad rahimahullah, in those prayers in which there are two tashahhuds, iftirash is done in the first and tawarruk in the second; and in those prayers in which there is only one tashahhud, such as Fajr, Jumu‘ah, and the two ‘Eids, iftirash is done.

➋ In the narration of ‘Abdullah ibn Zubayr radi Allahu anhu, it is mentioned that in the position of tawarruk, the right foot is laid down instead of being kept upright, whereas in the general narrations, the right foot is to be kept upright. Therefore, Qadi ‘Iyad has said that here, the mention of the right foot has occurred by mistake instead of the left, but the correct view is that sometimes the right foot can also be laid down along with the left.

➌ From all the ahadith of this chapter, it is established that as soon as one sits in tashahhud, one should point with the right index finger and continue to do so until the end. There is no mention in any authentic narration of placing it down. According to Imam Abu Hanifah rahimahullah, the finger is raised at "la ilaha" and placed down at "illa," while according to the rest of the imams, the finger is raised at "Allah."

➍ According to Imam Abu Hanifah rahimahullah, Imam Malik rahimahullah, and Imam Shafi‘i rahimahullah, at the time of pointing, one should form the shape of fifty-three (i.e., close all the fingers and raise only the index finger). However, according to Imam Ahmad rahimahullah, and in accordance with the narration of ‘Abdullah ibn Zubayr radi Allahu anhu, the thumb should be placed on the middle finger, and the last two fingers (the little finger and the ring finger) should be closed, and the index finger should be raised. Both methods are correct.

➎ ‘Allamah Ghulam Rasul Sa‘idi has stated that the view of Imam Abu Hanifah rahimahullah and his two companions is that, in accordance with these ahadith, they affirm the raising of the index finger, and he has strongly refuted the later Hanafis who consider it disliked (makruh) or forbidden (haram), or who command breaking it. (Sharh Sahih Muslim: 2/166 to 177)

English Commentary:
1:
Staying and encamping at Muhassab is not among the rites of Hajj.
The Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) stayed here after the decline of the sun (zawal) in order to rest.
He performed the Zuhr and Asr, as well as Maghrib and Isha prayers, and spent the night of the fourteenth there.
Since he encamped here, staying at this place is considered recommended (mustahabb) in following him.
The Caliphs (khulafa) acted upon this after him.
Imam Malik, Imam Shafi'i, and the majority of the scholars have, in imitation of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) and the Rightly Guided Caliphs (radi Allahu anhum), declared it recommended. If someone does not encamp there, then by consensus, there is no harm in it.

Benefit:
It is in the Valley of Muhassab, but it is not related to the sites of Hajj.