It is narrated from Hazrat Abu Bakrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) delivered a sermon on the occasion of the Farewell Pilgrimage and said: "Behold! Time has returned to its original state as it was on the day Allah created the heavens and the earth. The year consists of twelve months, of which four are sacred months. Three of them are consecutive: Dhu al-Qa'dah, Dhu al-Hijjah, and Muharram, and the fourth is Rajab, which comes between Jumada al-Thani and Sha'ban." Then he said, "Tell me, what day is this?" We replied, "Allah and His Messenger know best." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) remained silent for so long that we thought he would give it another name. But then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Is it not the Day of Sacrifice (Yawm al-Nahr)?" We replied, "Yes, indeed." Then he said, "What month is this?" We replied, "Allah and His Messenger know best." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) remained silent for so long that we thought he would give it another name. But then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Is it not the month of Dhu al-Hijjah?" We replied, "Yes, indeed." Then he said, "What city is this?" We replied, "Allah and His Messenger know best." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) remained silent as before, then said, "Is it not the Sacred City (Makkah)?" We replied, "Yes, indeed." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Your lives, your wealth, and your honor are as sacred to one another as the sanctity of this day, in this month, in this city. Soon you will meet your Lord, and He will ask you about your deeds. Beware! Do not go astray after me, striking the necks of one another. Have I conveyed the message of Allah?" Let those who are present convey it to those who are absent, for sometimes the one to whom the message is conveyed may preserve it better than the one who heard it." The narrator says that it happened just as he said.