al-Hajj lil-Majishun
- Author died
- 164 AH
- Editions
- دار ابن حزم
al-Hajj lil-Majishun (The Book of Pilgrimage by al-Majishun) is an early Medinese legal text on the rites of pilgrimage composed by the jurist al-Majishun (‘Abd al-‘Aziz ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn Abi Salamah al-Majishun, d. 164 AH / 780–781 CE) .
Historical context and transmission
According to a report cited by al-Qadi ‘Iyad, al-Majishun was said to be the first to compose a Muwatta’, compiling legal discourse without citing hadith narrations; when Malik ibn Anas examined it, he praised its contents but remarked that he would have preferred starting with traditions (athar) before reinforcing them with legal analysis, an observation that prompted Malik to compile his own Muwatta’ Malik .
The surviving text preserves transmission chains tracing back to al-Majishun through North African and Egyptian paths:
- Habib from Sahnun, from ‘Abd Allah ibn Nafi‘, from ‘Abd al-‘Aziz al-Majishun .
- Muhammad from al-Rabi‘ ibn Sulayman, from Abu Salih (the scribe of al-Layth ibn Sa'd), from al-Majishun .
Content and legal method
The treatise begins by citing Quranic verses establishing the obligation of the pilgrimage (including الحج أشهر معلومات [al-Baqarah: 197] and ولله على الناس حج البيت من استطاع إليه سبيلا [Al ‘Imran: 97]), defining capability (istita‘ah) according to transmitted reports as possessing a mount and provisions .
The preserved chapters detail the sequential rites and legal rulings of the pilgrimage:
- Ihram and miqats: Designation of the territorial boundaries (Dhu al-Hulayfah, al-Juhfah, Qarn, and Yalamlam), ritual bathing, clothing regulations—including the prohibition of sewn garments, headgear, veils, and gloves—and the preference for white garments .
- The talbiyah: Wording of the sacred chant, vocalization practices, and additions transmitted from Abu Hurayrah and Ibn 'Umar .
- Prohibitions and expiations: Restrictions on hunting and bodily care, the five noxious creatures permitted to be killed in ihram (where al-Majishun interprets the "biting dog" as encompassing all aggressive predatory beasts such as lions, wolves, and leopards), and the expiation (fidyah) required for medicinal use of perfume .
- Rites in Mecca: Entering the sacred precinct, circumambulation (tawaf), running between Safa and Marwah (sa‘i), and leaving for Mina on the Day of Tarwiyah .
- Arafat and Muzdalifah: Standing at Arafat, shortening and combining the prayers, collecting pebbles, and gathering at al-Mash‘ar al-Haram (Quzah) in Muzdalifah before moving through Wadi Muhassir .
The surviving fragment concludes during the description of departure from Muzdalifah toward Mina .
Manuscripts and publication
The surviving portion of the work was preserved in an incomplete manuscript in the holdings of the Ancient Library of Kairouan (al-Maktabah al-‘Atiqah) . It was edited and annotated by Miklós Murányi and published in Beirut by Dar Ibn Hazm (1st ed., 1428 AH / 2007 CE) in a single volume alongside the pilgrimage section of al-Mustakhrajah by Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-'Utbi (d. 255 AH) .
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