Short answer
In the Hanafi school the wajib part of Muzdalifah is being there for any moment between dawn and sunrise on 10 Dhul Hijjah. Missing it without an excuse requires a dam. The weak, the ill, the elderly and women worried by the crowd may leave during the night with no penalty. Spending the night there is sunnah.
Wuquf at Muzdalifah, between true dawn and sunrise on the 10th, is wajib. Spending the night is sunnah mu'akkadah. Leaving before dawn without an excuse requires a dam; with an excuse there is none. Maghrib and Isha are prayed together at Muzdalifah at Isha time, and this delay is wajib.
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- The wajib is being at Muzdalifah for some time after midnight; leaving before then without excuse requires a dam.
- Hanbali
- The wajib is staying the night until after midnight; leaving before then requires a dam.
- Maliki
- The wajib is stopping there for as long as it takes to put down one's baggage during the night.
Explanation
The Quran says: when you depart from Arafat, remember Allah at al-Mash'ar al-Haram, which is Muzdalifah. The Prophet ﷺ slept there, prayed Fajr early and stood in dhikr until the sky grew bright. He allowed Sawdah, who was heavy and slow, to leave before the crowds, and he sent the weak of his family ahead at night.
- Wajib time (Hanafi): from true dawn to sunrise on the 10th. Even passing through counts.
- Excused: the ill, elderly, weak, women and those looking after them may leave after spending part of the night, with no dam.
- No excuse, left before dawn: a dam, unless you come back before sunrise.
- Bus stuck in traffic: if you could not reach Muzdalifah before sunrise because of the road, contemporary Hanafi muftis treat this as an excuse beyond your control, with no dam. Ask a scholar with your details.
Prayers: when you reach Muzdalifah, pray Maghrib and Isha together in Isha's time, Maghrib first, with no sunnah between them. In the Hanafi school this is wajib: if you prayed Maghrib at Arafah or on the road, you must repeat it at Muzdalifah, unless dawn comes first. Many people also pick up their pebbles there, though pebbles from anywhere are fine (see stoning rules).
Ask a mufti about your own case. This answer explains the general ruling. When the details of your situation matter, as they do here, ask a qualified mufti and give them the full facts. Where to ask a scholar.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Baqara 2:198
لَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَن تَبْتَغُوا۟ فَضْلًۭا مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ ۚ فَإِذَآ أَفَضْتُم مِّنْ عَرَفَٰتٍۢ فَٱذْكُرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ عِندَ ٱلْمَشْعَرِ ٱلْحَرَامِ ۖ وَٱذْكُرُوهُ كَمَا هَدَىٰكُمْ وَإِن كُنتُم مِّن قَبْلِهِۦ لَمِنَ ٱلضَّآلِّينَ ﴿١٩٨﴾
There is no blame upon you for seeking bounty from your Lord [during Hajj]. But when you depart from 'Arafat, remember Allah at al- Mash'ar al-Haram. And remember Him, as He has guided you, for indeed, you were before that among those astray.
The command to remember Allah at Muzdalifah.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1680
Sahih... استأذنت سودة النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ليلة جمع ...
"Sawdah asked the Prophet's permission on the night of Muzdalifah to leave early, and he allowed her."
The weak may leave Muzdalifah early without penalty.
Sahih Muslim 1218
Sahih... حتى أتى المزدلفة فصلى بها المغرب والعشاء ...
"He came to Muzdalifah and prayed Maghrib and Isha there."
Maghrib and Isha are joined at Muzdalifah.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Hajj, bab al-ihram, on Muzdalifah. Wuquf after dawn is wajib; the prayers are joined at Isha time.
- Radd al-Muhtar (Ibn Abidin), Kitab al-Hajj, on Muzdalifah. Excuses that remove the dam, and repeating a Maghrib prayed on the way.
- al-Majmu' (Nawawi), Kitab al-Hajj, on the night at Muzdalifah. The Shafi'i view on being there after midnight.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.