And the explanation of the evidence that sharing in one-seventh of a camel or a cow is a means of ease and convenience for the pilgrims, because Allah Almighty has made it obligatory for the pilgrim performing Tamattu’ Hajj to offer the available sacrifice.

Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that during the blessed era of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), we used to perform Hajj Tamattu'. In the narration of Janab Bundar, it is mentioned that we performed Hajj Tamattu' with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), and we would sacrifice one cow on behalf of seven people. We, seven men, would share in it.

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reports that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) sacrificed a cow on behalf of those of his noble wives who had performed ‘Umrah (i.e., had performed Hajj Tamattu‘) during the Farewell Pilgrimage.

Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that when we were in Mina, some beef was brought to me. So I asked, "What meat is this?" The companions replied, "This is beef; the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has offered a cow as a sacrifice on behalf of his noble wives."

Because the purified wives of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) performed Hajj Tamattu’, except for Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), who performed Hajj Qiran, because she assumed the Ihram for Hajj instead of Umrah, as due to menstruation she was unable to perform the Tawaf and Sa’i of Umrah. (Thus, sacrifice was obligatory for all the wives, but in the hadith the word "Duhya" is mentioned (that he offered sacrifice on behalf of all his wives)).

Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sacrificed a cow on behalf of his pure wives. These are the words of the narration of Abdul Jabbar and Ali. The words of the narration of Abu Musa are as follows: When Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) became menstruating at the place of Sarif before entering Makkah, the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to her: "Except for the circumambulation (Tawaf) of the Sacred House, perform all the other rites as the other pilgrims do." Lady Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) says that when we were in Mina, meat of a cow was brought to me. I asked, "What kind of meat is this?" The noble companions replied, "The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) has slaughtered a cow on behalf of his wives."

This issue is of the same type which I have mentioned in several places in my books, that the Arabs sometimes mention a single number of something, but by that number they do not intend to negate more than that.

Sayyiduna Miswar bin Makhramah رضي الله عنه and Marwan bin Hakam رضي الله عنه narrate that the Messenger of Allah set out in the year of Hudaybiyyah to visit the Sacred House (for Umrah), and he did not intend to fight. He took seventy camels with him for sacrifice, and the number of people was seven hundred, thus each camel was for ten people as a sacrifice. In the narration of Sayyiduna Jabir رضي الله عنه, it is mentioned that the number of Companions who participated in Hudaybiyyah was fourteen hundred.

Sayyiduna Miswar bin Makhramah (may Allah be pleased with him) and Janab Marwan (may Allah have mercy on him) narrate that the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) set out in the year of Hudaybiyyah with more than one thousand companions. When he reached Dhul-Hulayfah, he adorned his sacrificial animals with garlands and marked them, and from there he entered into the state of Ihram for ‘Umrah. Then the rest of the hadith is mentioned. Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that in the narration of Muhammad bin Ishaq, it is stated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) took seventy camels for sacrifice with him, and the number of companions was seven hundred. By this, he means that he sacrificed seventy camels on behalf of seven hundred individuals. It does not mean that the total number of companions who participated in the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah was seven hundred. This issue is of the same kind as when we say that by using the word "people" (al-nas), sometimes only some individuals are meant, not all people, as in the statement of Allah the Exalted: «‏‏‏‏الَّذِينَ قَالَ لَهُمُ النَّاسُ إِنَّ النَّاسَ قَدْ جَمَعُوا لَكُمْ» ‏‏‏‏ [ سورة آل عمران: 173 ] "The people said to them, 'Indeed, the people have gathered against you.'" Now, it is certain that not all disbelievers said this, nor did all people gather against them (even though the word "people" is used in both places). Similarly, the statement of Allah the Exalted: «‏‏‏‏ثُمَّ أَفِيضُوا مِنْ حَيْثُ أَفَاضَ النَّاسُ» ‏‏‏‏ [ سورة البقرة: 199 ] "And you should return from where the people return." It is also definite and certain that not all people returned from ‘Arafat. Therefore, by "afada al-nas" (the people return), Allah the Exalted means some people, not all people. This issue is quite lengthy and this is not the place to elaborate on it. The narration of Janab Sufyan bin ‘Uyaynah is a clear proof of the correctness of this interpretation, because it contains the words that the number of companions was more than one thousand. In this way, he has clarified that the number of the people of Hudaybiyyah was more than thirteen hundred, because the word "bidh‘" is used for numbers from three to ten (and Ibn ‘Uyaynah has mentioned one thousand and "bidh‘" as the number), in which it is stated that the number of companions at Hudaybiyyah was fourteen hundred. And this narration is similar to the narration in which it is stated that the number of companions at Hudaybiyyah was fourteen hundred. And this narration also explicitly states that the number of companions was fourteen hundred. This is evidence that in the narration of Ibn Ishaq, the words that the number of companions was seven hundred mean some of the companions who were with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) at Hudaybiyyah, not their total number. Based on this interpretation and these evidences, it becomes clear that the Prophet sacrificed one camel on behalf of ten companions, and some companions, seven individuals, participated in the sacrifice of one camel or one cow. Therefore, the statement of Sayyiduna Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) that "seven of us participated in the sacrifice of a camel, and seven participated in the sacrifice of a cow," means some of the people of Hudaybiyyah, not all of them. And in the narration of Sayyiduna Miswar bin Makhramah (may Allah be pleased with him) and Janab Marwan (may Allah have mercy on him), it is stated that ten individuals participated in the sacrifice of a camel, meaning that out of fourteen hundred companions, seven hundred companions participated in seventy camels, ten by ten. This number is half of the companions who participated at Hudaybiyyah, not the total number.

Sayyiduna Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both) narrates that we were with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) on a journey when Eid al-Adha came, so seven people participated in the sacrifice of a cow and ten people participated in the sacrifice of a camel.