The Meaning of the Talbiyah and Its Time

Question:
The questioner says: May Allah reward you with good, Honorable Shaykh. What is its meaning, when does its time begin, and when does it end? What is the meaning of the talbiyah? Because we see some people begin the talbiyah from the start of their journey until they return.

Answer:
The talbiyah is saying: "Labbaik" (Here I am). This is the form of the talbiyah that was transmitted.
Its time begins when a person enters the state of ihram, from the moment he intends to enter into the rites. In 'Umrah, it continues until he begins the tawaf, and then he stops the talbiyah when he begins the tawaf of 'Umrah, because he has begun to exit the state of ihram. In Hajj, it continues from the ihram of Hajj until he throws the stones at the Jamarat al-Aqabah. When he begins throwing the stones at the Jamarat al-Aqabah, the time for the talbiyah ends.
This is the time for the talbiyah (the pilgrim's chant of response). As for its meaning, it means "Here I am" for the House, that is, a response to Your call on the tongue of Your intimate friend Ibrahim (peace be upon him) when he announced to the people, saying: "O people, Allah has made Hajj (the major pilgrimage) obligatory upon you, so perform Hajj." By Allah's command in His saying: It is a response to the call of Ibrahim (peace be upon him).
It is also said that it is a response to Allah (Exalted and Majestic is He), but it is effective, because the call of Ibrahim and his announcement were only by the command of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He). So whoever responds to Ibrahim has responded to Allah. Allah the Exalted said: [Surah al-Hajj], because he is a messenger from Allah. So "Labbaik" means a response to your call, on the tongue of your close friend Ibrahim (peace and blessings be upon him). "La sharika laka" (You have no partner) is a denial of shirk (associating partners with Allah) in all its types. So it is obligatory for the Muslim to make his deeds sincere for Allah in Hajj and in other matters. He repeats this talbiyah, then he praises Allah and thanks Him, saying: "Al-hamdu wa al-ni'mah laka wa al-mulk" (Praise and blessing are Yours, and the dominion is Yours). Then he repeats and emphasizes by saying: "La sharika laka" (You have no partner). This indicates the obligation of sincerity to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and the remembrance of this matter. This is in Hajj and in other matters; worship is not accepted unless it is sincere for the Face of Allah and correct according to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).