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After departing Arafah at sunset, pilgrims travel to Muzdalifah where they pray Maghrib and Isha combined, collect pebbles for the Jamarat stoning, and spend the night under the open sky. The Quran instructs: 'When you depart from Arafat, remember Allah at al-Mash'ar al-Haram' (2:198).
Muzdalifah is an open plain located between Arafah and Mina, approximately 8-9 kilometers from each. After the sun sets on the Day of Arafah, pilgrims depart for Muzdalifah. Due to the massive number of people moving simultaneously, the journey — which should take 20-30 minutes — often takes 2-6 hours. Upon arrival, the immediate obligation is to pray Maghrib and Isha combined and shortened (Maghrib three rak'ahs, Isha two rak'ahs), with one adhan and two iqamahs. Delaying this prayer until reaching Muzdalifah is the sunnah, even if it means praying Maghrib well after its normal time has passed.
At Muzdalifah, pilgrims collect the small pebbles (approximately chickpea-sized) they will use for the stoning of the Jamarat over the following days. The minimum needed is 49 pebbles (7 for the 10th, 21 each for the 11th and 12th), though many scholars recommend collecting 70 to have extras. The overnight stay at Muzdalifah is considered wajib (obligatory) by most scholars, though the exemption for elderly, ill, and weak pilgrims (and their companions) to depart after midnight is well-established. For others, the sunnah is to spend the night, pray Fajr at its earliest time, then stand at al-Mash'ar al-Haram making dua until the sky brightens, before departing for Mina.
Muzdalifah is specifically mentioned in the Quran: 'But when you depart from Arafat, remember Allah at al-Mash'ar al-Haram. And remember Him, as He has guided you, for indeed, you were before that among those astray' (2:198). Al-Mash'ar al-Haram (the Sacred Monument) is identified with a specific area within Muzdalifah, though the Prophet clarified that all of Muzdalifah is a valid stopping place. The Quranic instruction to 'remember Allah' at Muzdalifah underscores that this is a site of worship, not merely a transit point between Arafah and Mina.
Muzdalifah offers a unique spiritual experience within the Hajj journey. After the emotional intensity of Arafah, the pilgrim arrives at a barren plain with no facilities, no comfort, and no shelter. Sleeping on the bare ground under the stars alongside millions of others creates a profound sense of radical simplicity and equality. There are no walls, no rooms, no beds — just the earth and the sky. Many pilgrims describe this night as one of the most memorable of their entire Hajj, not despite the discomfort but because of it. The simplicity strips away the last remnants of worldly attachment and prepares the heart for the intense ritual activity of the 10th of Dhul Hijjah.