After Hajj became an obligation on the Muslims, the Messenger (peace be upon him) ordered Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) to leave for Hajj and establish this rite in front of the people. Therefore, Abu Bakr left for Hajj, and at that time the first ayahs (verses of Qur’an) of Surah Baraa (At-Tawbah) were revealed announcing the disavowal of the polytheists and the termination of the treaties between the Messenger (peace be upon him) and the disbelievers, in order that none of them would stop the people from reaching the sacred house in Mecca (as was stated in the treaty with the disbelievers).
The Messenger (peace be upon him) sent Ali ibn Abu Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) to catch up with Abu Bakr and those with him who had left to perform Hajj; the Messenger (peace be upon him) ordered him to announce and recite to them what had been revealed in the first ayahs of Surah Baraa (At-Tawbah), announcing it to the people on the day of An-Nahr (10th Dhul-Hijjah) when they had gathered at Mina. Ali ibn Abu Talib left riding the Messenger’s camel, Al-Adba, until he caught up with Abu Bakr on his way to Mecca. When they reached Mina, they [the announcers] announced among those at Mina on the day of An-Nahr, “No polytheist shall perform Hajj after this year and no one will circumambulate the Sacred House naked” [related by Al-Bukhari]. Through this announcement, Ali told all those who had convenants with them that the convenants had been renounced, and that no disbeliever would perform Hajj from that year onwards [See: Pearls in Summarizing the Wars and the Prophet’s Biography by Ibn Abdul-Bar].
Abu Huraira said, “So Ali announced, along with the other [announcers], among those at Mina on the day of An-Nahr that no disbeliever would be allowed, from that year onwards, to perform Hajj and circumambulate the ancient house in Mecca” [related by Al-Bukhari].
The Hajj of Abu Bakr was a prelude for the grand Hajj, i.e. the farwell Hajj. During his Hajj, Abu Bakr announced that the era of idols had finished, and that a new stage had started and the people had no choice but to accept Allah’s Shari’ah (legal rules). After this announcement, news of which spread among the Arab tribes in the peninsula, the Arab tribes became sure that the era of the idols had ended. As a result, these tribes started to send their delegations for them to announce they had embraced Islam and entered the religion of Islam.
