Hadithcore
Sahih Muslim, 1274
sahih

'A'isha (Allah be pleased with her) reported that Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) circumambulated the Ka'ba on the back of his camel on the occasion of the Farewell Pilgrimage and touched the corner and he did not like that the people should be pushed away from him.

حَدَّثَنِي الْحَكَمُ بْنُ مُوسَى الْقَنْطَرِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا شُعَيْبُ بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ، عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ، عَنْ عُرْوَةَ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ، قَالَتْ طَافَ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي حَجَّةِ الْوَدَاعِ حَوْلَ الْكَعْبَةِ عَلَى بَعِيرِهِ يَسْتَلِمُ الرُّكْنَ كَرَاهِيَةَ أَنْ يُضْرَبَ عَنْهُ النَّاسُ ‏.‏

References2 variants
In-Book Reference
Book 15, Hadith 282
USC-MSA web (English) reference
Book 7, Hadith 2920 (deprecated numbering scheme)
Sharh · explanationclick to expand
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) used to teach people through words and deeds, and he would facilitate the matters of religion for them at times of hardship and necessity. For example, he would facilitate the rituals and acts of Hajj that were hard for people. In this Hadīth, ‘Ā’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her), the Prophet's wife, informs that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) performed Tawāf on the back of his camel, which was prepared for traveling, during the Farewell Hajj, that was the Hajj performed by the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) in 10 A.H. It was called as such because the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) seemed to have been bidding farewell to them, and he passed away shortly after that. "and he touched the Corner" i.e., the Black Stone. In the Two Sahīh Collections: "and he touched the Stone with a Mihjan" i.e., a curved-end staff. In a Hadīth narrated by Muslim, Abu At-Tufayl (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: "and he touched the curved-end staff." This is because one of the Sunnahs of Tawāf is to kiss the Black Stone. Clarifying the reason for that, she said: "disliking that the people should be pushed away from him", which means that if he performed Tawāf on foot, it would be feared that people around him would be pushed away. So, out of compassion towards the people, he rode his camel to prevent that from happening. This was a method for turning them away from him without pushing, forcing, or shouting at them. Certainly, the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) would not accept that people be pushed away from him. But he rode his camel lest one of those around him would volunteer to push the people away from him. In a version by An-Nasā’i in As-Sunan Al-Kubra Collection - and also in some versions in the Sahīh Muslim Collection -: "the people be pushed away from him"; "pushed away" instead of "beaten". The pronoun in Arabic may be referring to the Stone, and the meaning would be: If he performed Tawāf on foot, the people would turn away from the Stone each time the Messenger of Allah (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) passed by it, to avoid putting him in crowding, out of reverence for him. And the pronoun may be referring to the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), and the meaning would be: Anyone who tried to reach him to ask him, see him, or follow his example would be unable to do so because of the large crowds around him, and so he would turn away without having his need fulfilled. Also one of the reasons behind his riding during Tawāf was what Jābir ibn ‘Abdullāh (may Allah be pleased with him) reported in a Hadīth narrated by Muslim: "so that the people could see him, and he should be conspicuous, and they could ask him, for the people crowded around him,", i.e. so that the people could recognize him and ask him about anything they found confusing regarding the rituals of Hajj. He rode his she-camel because the people crowded around him, so he feared this crowdedness for them and did not want to be obliged to turn them away from himself. Therefore, his riding was easier for him and them and more beneficial in terms of following his example. The Hadīth denotes the permissibility to perform Tawāf while riding a mount, and this also applies to similar things, like wheel wheelchairs, mainly if riding serves a particular benefit, such as giving Fatwas to people and teaching them. It also mentions touching the Black Stone and indicates that if a person cannot touch it with his hand - because of riding something or crowdedness - he may touch it with a stick or the like..
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