Is remaining overnight (Mabit) at Muzdalifah obligatory?

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Remaining overnight at Muzdalifah is obligatory. Whoever abandons it is liable to offer a sacrifice (dam). This is the view held by 'Ata', Al-Zuhri, Qatadah, Al-Thawri, Al-Shafi'i, Ishaq, Abu Thawr, and the People of Reason (Ahl al-Ra'y). Arguments against its obligation rely on Quran 2:198 and the hadith stating that whoever witnesses the prayer and departs with the Prophet after having stood at 'Arafah has completed his Hajj. However, the explicit command (Mantuq) in the textual proofs cited is not an essential pillar (Rukn) of Hajj by consensus; for instance, if one stays overnight but omits the remembrance of Allah or the prayer there, the Hajj is still valid. Therefore, these external matters must be interpreted as obligatory, meritorious, or recommendatory, but not rendering the core act invalid.