The Form of the Talbiyah, Its Meaning, and When It Ends

Question:
Your Excellency the Shaykh, after the pilgrim enters the state of ihram and passes the miqat, it is prescribed to recite the talbiyah, which is a great rite, as is well known. We would like to know, may Allah reward you, about the form of this great rite and when this talbiyah ends?

Answer:
The talbiyah is a sunnah (recommended practice) among the sunnahs of ihram. So it is recommended for the one in ihram to engage in the talbiyah from the time he enters ihram until he begins the tawaf (circumambulation) if he is performing 'Umrah, or until he begins the ramy al-jamarat (stoning the pillars) if he is performing Hajj alone. He recites the talbiyah during this period, between his intention to enter ihram and when he begins the tawaf of 'Umrah or the stoning of the pillars if he is performing Hajj alone. If he is performing tamattu' (combining 'Umrah and Hajj with a break between them) or qiran (combining 'Umrah and Hajj in one ihram), he recites the talbiyah until he begins the tawaf of 'Umrah or the tawaf of arrival. Then, because when he begins the tawaf of 'Umrah he begins to exit the state of ihram, the time for the talbiyah ends. The talbiyah is that one says: He repeats this between one time and another. Its meaning is: "Labbaik" means a response. The talbiyah is the response, that is, a response to your call on the tongue of Ibrahim, your close friend, when he called people to Hajj by the command of Allah the Exalted: So Ibrahim (peace be upon him) called people to Hajj, saying: "Indeed, Allah has made Hajj obligatory upon you, so perform Hajj." So everyone who comes intending Hajj or 'Umrah and enters ihram is responding to this call: "Labbaik Allahumma labbaik," meaning: responding to your call on the tongue of your close friend Ibrahim. "La sharika laka" means sincerity to Allah Mighty and Majestic, because the people of the jahiliyyah (the pre-Islamic age of ignorance) used to associate other gods with Allah, such as idols and equals. And the mushriks (those who associate partners with Allah) of this Ummah used to associate partners with Allah by calling upon the awliya (close friends of Allah), the righteous, and the dead. This is shirk akbar (major shirk) that invalidates all deeds. So the one reciting the talbiyah makes his deed sincere to Allah and says: "La sharika laka." In the jahiliyyah, they used to say: "Labbaik, la sharika laka illa sharikan huwa laka tamlikuhu wa ma malaka," meaning by this the awliya and the righteous, from the angels, the prophets, and others among the righteous servants of Allah. They would draw near to them so that they would bring them closer to Allah, as they claimed, and they would take them as intercessors with Allah, meaning that they associated them with Allah the Exalted. Therefore, the Muslim who practices tawhid (the oneness of Allah) says "La sharika laka" in response to this false belief. Yes.