Ibn Majah

Hadith Commentary:
(1)
By "weak people" are meant children, women, the elderly, and the sick.
They are permitted, once the moon has set, to proceed to Mina so that they may be spared the hardship of the crowd and perform the stoning (rami) before sunrise, as is made clear by the action of Asma’ radi Allahu anha.
The Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam had granted them this permission, as she herself states.

(2)
In any case, it is necessary to spend the night of the tenth in Muzdalifah; however, children, women, and weak individuals are allowed to stay in Muzdalifah for a short while and then proceed to Mina, so that they may complete the stoning before the crowds arrive.
Although some scholars hold the view that even such weak individuals should perform the stoning after sunrise, the narration of Asma’ radi Allahu anha explicitly contains the permission.
In addition, the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said to Abbas radi Allahu anhu that he should go with their weak ones and women, and perform the morning prayer (salat al-fajr) in Mina, then complete the stoning before the crowds arrive. Likewise, Aisha radi Allahu anha also expressed the wish that she could have performed the morning prayer in Mina and completed the stoning before the crowds arrived.
(Fath al-Bari: 3/668, 669)

Hadith Commentary: Benefits and Issues:

According to Imam Abu Hanifah rahimahullah, Imam Shafi’i rahimahullah, Imam Ahmad rahimahullah, Imam Ishaq rahimahullah, and others, staying in Muzdalifah is obligatory (wajib). That is, if it is omitted, the sacrifice of an animal becomes necessary. According to Imam Malik rahimahullah, it is Sunnah; therefore, if it is omitted, sacrifice is not necessary. ‘Alqamah, Nakha’i, Shu’bi, and Ibn Khuzaymah are of the view that this is a pillar (rukn) of Hajj. Without it, Hajj will not be valid. It is better to perform the standing (wuquf) near Mash’ar al-Haram, and except for the Valley of Muhassir, the standing can be done anywhere in the entire plain of Muzdalifah. It is better to stay the whole night, and after the dawn prayer (Salat al-Fajr), when the light has spread well, one should depart for Mina before sunrise.

However, for women, children, and elderly men, it is permitted to depart after a third of the night has passed, before the dawn prayer. As for the remaining individuals, there is a difference of opinion regarding how long it is obligatory to stay. According to Imam Shafi’i rahimahullah and Imam Ahmad rahimahullah, it is obligatory to stay until half the night. According to Imam Malik rahimahullah, it is obligatory to stay for some time; if one spent the night in Muzdalifah but did not perform the standing (wuquf), then a compensatory sacrifice (dam) is required.

(al-Mughni by Ibn Qudamah, vol. 5, p. 285.) (The author of Fath al-Rabbani has considered the standing (wuquf) to be Sunnah according to Imam Malik rahimahullah.) And the author of al-Hidayah has considered the standing in Muzdalifah to be a pillar (rukn) according to Imam Shafi’i rahimahullah. Thus, there is a difference among the authors in transmitting the legal positions of the Imams.

Commentary:
Hazrat Sawdah (radi Allahu anha) was the first honorable woman whom the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) married after the passing of his first noble wife, Hazrat Khadijah (radi Allahu anha). She was a woman of tall stature, but by the time of the Farewell Pilgrimage (Hajjat al-Wada’), due to old age, she had become heavy and could not walk quickly. Therefore, the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) granted her permission, along with a few other women and children, to depart early from Muzdalifah so that they could reach on time. However, he strictly instructed them not to perform the stoning (rami) before sunrise. This concession for such weak individuals remains in effect even now.

Although this concession is available to every excused (ma‘dhur) person, because the Shari‘ah is not specific to a particular era or individuals, nevertheless, ‘A’ishah (radi Allahu anha) deemed it appropriate that just as she had performed Hajj with the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), she should continue to do so in the same manner throughout her life, even if it involved hardship and difficulty. This is a great proof of her love for the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). However, an excused person may act upon the concession.

Imam al-Nasa’i rahimahullah seeks to reconcile various narrations. In many narrations, there is an explicit command that stoning (rami) should not be performed before sunrise, while in this narration, he has granted permission. It is as if women are permitted to perform rami before sunrise because they are weak and cannot withstand the crowd. Some have mentioned that this special permission was granted only to his noble wife. Among the scholars who hold the view that rami is permissible even before sunrise, their strongest evidence is also the hadith of Asma’ radi Allahu anha, in which it is mentioned that she departed soon after the moon had set. She performed rami before the dawn prayer (salat al-fajr) and then offered the dawn prayer. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Book of Hajj, Hadith: 1679) However, according to some researchers, this evidence is questionable because this action was based on her personal opinion or ijtihad. The hadith does not explicitly state that the rami was performed with the permission of the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. Therefore, the fact that the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam forbade everyone from performing rami before sunrise, and that his own practice was also to perform rami only after sunrise, is clear evidence that rami should be performed only after sunrise. According to Hafiz Ibn Hajar rahimahullah and others, reconciliation (tatbiq) is more appropriate than giving preference (tarjih). According to them, performing rami after sunrise is recommended (mustahabb), and before it is permissible (ja’iz). They interpret the prohibition mentioned in the hadith as a prohibition of undesirability (tanzih). In light of the evidences, this position appears to be the strongest. And Allah knows best. For details, see: (Fath al-Bari: 3/528, 529, and Dhakhirat al-‘Uqba Sharh Sunan al-Nasa’i: 26/41-45)

621 Benefit:
Apart from illness and physical weakness, a heavily built body is also included among disabilities. Such a pilgrim is also granted concession and permission to proceed towards Mina without spending the entire night in Muzdalifah.

Explanation:
Sayyidah Sawdah bint Zam‘ah bin ‘Abd Shams Qurashiyyah ‘Āmiriyyah radi Allahu anha is among the Mothers of the Believers. She accepted Islam in the early period in Makkah Mukarramah itself and participated in the second migration along with her husband. When her husband passed away there, the Messenger of Allah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam married her, and after the demise of Sayyidah Khadijah radi Allahu anha and before the marriage to Sayyidah Aishah radi Allahu anha, he fulfilled the marital relationship with her in Makkah. She passed away in 55 AH.

623 Benefits and Issues:
➊ The concession of stoning (rami) before Fajr is only for women and those weak individuals who accompany them.
➋ It is not correct to deduce from the mentioned hadith that it is permissible for others, besides the above-mentioned individuals, to perform the stoning at that time.
➌ This hadith is stronger in terms of chain of narration than the first hadith; therefore, there is no contradiction between the two.