What is the ruling on one who leaves 'Arafah before the sun sets

Question : Honorable Shaykh, what is the obligation of one who leaves 'Arafah before the sun sets?

Answer : It is obligatory for the pilgrim to remain at 'Arafah until the sun sets, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stood there until the sun set, and he would estimate its setting, and he said, "Take from me your rituals," and because remaining until the sun sets is a departure from the practice of the polytheists, for the polytheists used to leave 'Arafah before the sun set. The scholars have stated that remaining at 'Arafah until the sun sets is among the obligations of Hajj, and that abandoning it requires a sacrificial animal. Accordingly, if one leaves 'Arafah before the sun sets, his Hajj is valid, but he owes a sacrificial animal, which he slaughters in Makkah and distributes.