Talbiyah: Rulings, Virtues, and Scholarly Differences
Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori
The scholars have differed on the ruling of Talbiyah:
Narrated from Ibn ʿUmar (RA): The Talbiyah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was:
لَبيْكَ اللَّهُمَّ لَبيْكَ ، لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ لَبَّيْكَ، إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ وَالنِّعْمَةَ لَكَ وَالْمُلْكَ، لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ
"Here I am, O Allah! Here I am. There is no partner to You. Here I am. Indeed, all praise, grace, and sovereignty belong to You. There is no partner to You."
[Bukhārī: 1549, Muslim: 1184, al-Muwaṭṭa’: 1/331, Abū Dāwūd: 1812, Tirmidhī: 825, etc.]
Narrated from Khallād bin Sāʾib, from his father (RA), the Prophet ﷺ said:
"Jibrīl came to me and commanded me to instruct my companions to raise their voices with the Talbiyah."
[Sahih Ibn Mājah: 2364, Sahih Abū Dāwūd: 1592, Ibn Mājah: 2922, al-Muwaṭṭa’: 1/334, etc.]
Narrated from Abū Bakr (RA): The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was asked: "Which Hajj is best?" He ﷺ said:
العج والثج
"The one in which the Talbiyah is proclaimed aloud and animals are slaughtered (for sacrifice)."
[Sahih Ibn Mājah: 2366, al-Ṣaḥīḥah: 1500, Tirmidhī: 827, Ibn Mājah: 2924, etc.]
Narrated from Sahl bin Saʿd (RA): The Prophet ﷺ said:
"When any pilgrim says the Talbiyah, every stone, tree, and clod of earth on his right and left responds with the Talbiyah until the ends of the land in those directions."
[Sahih Ibn Mājah: 2363, Mishkāt: 2550, Ibn Mājah: 2921]
During Hajj, Talbiyah ends after throwing the last pebble at Jamrat al-ʿAqabah, as mentioned in the narration:
ثم قطع التلبية مع آخر حصاة
"He ﷺ stopped saying the Talbiyah after throwing the last pebble."
[Ibn Khuzaymah: 2887 – Sahih]
During ʿUmrah, Talbiyah ends before starting Tawaf. Narrated from Ibn ʿAbbās (RA):
"In ʿUmrah, the Prophet ﷺ stopped saying Talbiyah upon touching the Black Stone."
[Tirmidhī: 919, Ibn Khuzaymah: 2697, Abū Dāwūd: 1817]
Imam Tirmidhī said:
"Most of the scholars act upon this."
He also stated that Imām Sufyān, Imām Shāfiʿī, Imām Aḥmad, and Imām Isḥāq held this view.
Written by: Imran Ayyub Lahori
Ruling on Talbiyah
The scholars have differed on the ruling of Talbiyah:
- Shāfiʿī and Aḥmad: It is Sunnah.
- Mālikī: It is obligatory, and whoever leaves it must offer a sacrificial animal.
- Abū Ḥanīfah: Talbiyah is among the conditions of Ihram; without it, Ihram is invalid.
[al-Mughnī: 5/100, Nayl al-Awṭār: 3/330, al-Ḥāwī: 4/81, al-Umm: 2/230, al-Mabsūṭ: 4/187, al-Hidāyah: 1/138, Bidāyat al-Mujtahid: 1/268]
Words of Talbiyah
Narrated from Ibn ʿUmar (RA): The Talbiyah of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ was:
لَبيْكَ اللَّهُمَّ لَبيْكَ ، لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ لَبَّيْكَ، إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ وَالنِّعْمَةَ لَكَ وَالْمُلْكَ، لَا شَرِيكَ لَكَ
"Here I am, O Allah! Here I am. There is no partner to You. Here I am. Indeed, all praise, grace, and sovereignty belong to You. There is no partner to You."
[Bukhārī: 1549, Muslim: 1184, al-Muwaṭṭa’: 1/331, Abū Dāwūd: 1812, Tirmidhī: 825, etc.]
Men Should Say Talbiyah Aloud
Narrated from Khallād bin Sāʾib, from his father (RA), the Prophet ﷺ said:
"Jibrīl came to me and commanded me to instruct my companions to raise their voices with the Talbiyah."
[Sahih Ibn Mājah: 2364, Sahih Abū Dāwūd: 1592, Ibn Mājah: 2922, al-Muwaṭṭa’: 1/334, etc.]
Raising the Voice in Talbiyah Increases Reward
Narrated from Abū Bakr (RA): The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was asked: "Which Hajj is best?" He ﷺ said:
العج والثج
"The one in which the Talbiyah is proclaimed aloud and animals are slaughtered (for sacrifice)."
[Sahih Ibn Mājah: 2366, al-Ṣaḥīḥah: 1500, Tirmidhī: 827, Ibn Mājah: 2924, etc.]
Virtue of Saying Talbiyah
Narrated from Sahl bin Saʿd (RA): The Prophet ﷺ said:
"When any pilgrim says the Talbiyah, every stone, tree, and clod of earth on his right and left responds with the Talbiyah until the ends of the land in those directions."
[Sahih Ibn Mājah: 2363, Mishkāt: 2550, Ibn Mājah: 2921]
When Talbiyah Ends in Hajj
During Hajj, Talbiyah ends after throwing the last pebble at Jamrat al-ʿAqabah, as mentioned in the narration:
ثم قطع التلبية مع آخر حصاة
"He ﷺ stopped saying the Talbiyah after throwing the last pebble."
[Ibn Khuzaymah: 2887 – Sahih]
When Talbiyah Ends in ʿUmrah
During ʿUmrah, Talbiyah ends before starting Tawaf. Narrated from Ibn ʿAbbās (RA):
"In ʿUmrah, the Prophet ﷺ stopped saying Talbiyah upon touching the Black Stone."
[Tirmidhī: 919, Ibn Khuzaymah: 2697, Abū Dāwūd: 1817]
Imam Tirmidhī said:
"Most of the scholars act upon this."
He also stated that Imām Sufyān, Imām Shāfiʿī, Imām Aḥmad, and Imām Isḥāq held this view.
