The ruling on the Hajj of one who left 'Arafah before the sun reaches its zenith

Question:
This questioner, Saif Khumays from the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi, says: I performed Hajj last year, and with me was a group of women, and we left 'Arafah about an hour before the sun reached its zenith, out of fear of the crowd, and we waited in the car in front.

The Shaykh: And we left 'Arafah?

The presenter: And we left 'Arafah an hour before the sun reached its zenith.

The Shaykh: Before the sun reached its zenith, or before sunset?

The presenter: He says before the sun reached its zenith, Your Eminence.
The Shaykh: Yes.

The presenter: About an hour, meaning it was before sunset—Your Eminence—out of fear of the crowd, and we waited in the car in front of a restaurant located at the entrance to 'Arafah on the outside, until the sun reached its zenith. Is there anything required of us in that?

Answer:
This requires a detailed explanation: leaving 'Arafah before the sun reaches its zenith, then returning to it after the sun reaches its zenith until sunset, there is nothing wrong with that. As for leaving 'Arafah before the sun reaches its zenith, before the midday prayer, and not returning to it, neither at night nor during the day, his Hajj is not valid and he has missed the Hajj. If he leaves before the sun reaches its zenith and continues without returning to 'Arafah, neither during the day nor at night, neither on the day of 'Arafah nor on the night of the Day of Sacrifice, then he has missed the Hajj.
As for if the intention is that he left before the sun reached its zenith, then returned to it after the sun reached its zenith, or at night, there is no blame on him; he has caught up with the Hajj.

The presenter: May Allah reward you with good, O Shaykh.