Step 4 of 10
The Talbiyah
Once you have entered ihram, begin the talbiyah, the pilgrim's answer to Allah's call. These are the words of the Prophet ﷺ, as Ibn 'Umar reported them and as Jabir heard them in the Farewell Pilgrimage.
Men say it aloud: the Prophet ﷺ said that Jibril came to him and told him to order his Companions to raise their voices with the talbiyah. Women say it so that they and those near them hear it.
Repeat it often on the way to Makkah. It is a declaration of tawhid: the pilgrim answers that he has come for Allah alone, Who has no partner.
لَبَّيْكَ اللَّهُمَّ لَبَّيْكَ، لَبَّيْكَ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَكَ لَبَّيْكَ، إِنَّ الْحَمْدَ وَالنِّعْمَةَ لَكَ وَالْمُلْكَ، لاَ شَرِيكَ لَكَ
Labbayk Allahumma labbayk, labbayk la sharika laka labbayk, inna al-hamda wal-ni'mata laka wal-mulk, la sharika lak
Here I am, O Allah, here I am. Here I am; You have no partner; here I am. All praise and blessing are Yours, and all dominion. You have no partner.
The four schools differ on some details. Show them
Each school's ruling, with the schools that share it named together.
Is the talbiyah required?
2 of 4 schools agree. Differing: Hanafi, Maliki.
Show each school
- Required to enter ihramHanafi
- Obligatory (wajib)Maliki
- SunnahShafi'i · Hanbali
- Hanafi
- Ihram is entered by the intention together with the talbiyah, or a dhikr that takes its place; the intention alone is not enough.
- Maliki
- The talbiyah is obligatory; ihram is entered by the intention, and one who leaves the talbiyah altogether owes a sacrifice (dam).
- Shafi'i
- The talbiyah is a sunnah; ihram is entered by the intention alone, and nothing is owed for leaving it.
- Hanbali
- The talbiyah is a sunnah; ihram is entered by the intention alone, and nothing is owed for leaving it.
- Sahih al-Bukhari 1549 Sahih · in the two Sahihs
- Sahih Muslim 1184Sahih · in the two Sahihs
- Sahih Muslim 1218Sahih · in the two Sahihs
- Jami' al-Tirmidhi 829Graded by Ahmad Muhammad Shakir: Sahih · Al-Albani: Sahih · Bashar Awad Maarouf: Hasan Sahih · Zubair Ali Zai: Isnaad SahihSahih
- Sunan Abi Dawud 1814Graded by Al-Albani: Sahih · Muhammad Muhyi Al-Din Abdul Hamid: Sahih · Shuaib Al Arnaut: Hasan Sahih · Zubair Ali Zai: Isnaad SahihSahih
What the hadith grades mean
- Sahih (authentic): an unbroken chain of trustworthy, precise narrators, free of hidden flaws or contradiction. It is acted upon.
- Hasan (good): like sahih, but a narrator's precision is slightly lighter. It is also accepted and acted upon. "Hasan sahih" means it reaches sahih by its routes.
- Da'if (weak): a break in the chain or a narrator who is not reliable enough. It is not used to establish beliefs or rulings.
- Very weak (munkar, matruk): a seriously flawed chain or a narrator accused of lying. It is not relied on at all.
- Mawdu' (fabricated): falsely attributed to the Prophet ﷺ. It may not be narrated as his words except to warn against it.
- The two Sahihs: every hadith with a full chain in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim is accepted as sahih by the scholars of hadith.
- Historical report: biographies and histories (Ibn Ishaq, Ibn Sa'd, al-Tabari) record events with chains that are often incomplete. They are used for the story, not for rulings.
- Hadith scholars grade a narration; the four madhhabs do not. Where a hadith carries a ruling, the page shows which schools act on it.
The positions of the four schools are summarised from their standard references and are pending review by a qualified scholar. Follow the school you were taught, and for your own situation, ask a scholar.
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