Tafsir of Al-Baqarah 2:199

That is, from 'Arafah, not from Muzdalifah. The address is general, and the intention is to invalidate the practice of the Hums (a title given to Quraysh and their allies) of standing at Jam' (Muzdalifah). Al-Bukhari and Muslim recorded from 'Aisha—may Allah the Exalted be pleased with her—who said: "Quraysh and those who followed their religion used to stand at Muzdalifah, and they were called the Hums, while the rest of the Arabs used to stand at 'Arafat. When Islam came, Allah the Exalted commanded His Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—to go to 'Arafat, stand there, and then depart from it. That is the meaning of His saying, the Glorified: 'Then depart'..." The verse means: "Then depart, O pilgrims, from the place from which the generality of people departed in ancient and modern times," which is 'Arafah, not Muzdalifah.

To interpret the pronoun (in "the people") as referring specifically to the Hums necessitates a severance of the context, as all the preceding and succeeding pronouns are general. The clause is conjoined to His saying: "And when you depart..." Since the intention behind this is to provide a corrective instruction, it is effectively as if it said: "Then do not depart from Muzdalifah." The particle thumma (then) is introduced to signal a distinction in rank between the two departures, in that one is correct and the other is erroneous. It is no objection to say that such a distinction is only considered between conjoined elements rather than between the conjoined element and that which the negative particle has entered, for such a restriction is unfounded. Likewise, it is not detrimental that the distinction is understood from one being commanded and the other forbidden, however the conjunction is structured; for the point is that the word thumma signals this, irrespective of the attachment of the command and prohibition.

It has been permitted that the conjunction is upon "so remember Allah," and the distinction between the two departures is considered likewise, without any discrepancy. Some have made it conjoined to an omitted clause, meaning: "Depart to Mina; then depart from where..." but this is baseless, as is the claim that there is a displacement in the verse, with the estimation: "There is no sin upon you in seeking bounty from your Lord; then depart from where the people depart; and when you have departed from 'Arafat, remember Allah at the Sacred Monument, and seek forgiveness."

When the "place of departure" is intended to be Muzdalifah and the "destination" is Mina—as Al-Juba'i stated—the word thumma remains in its literal sense, because the departure to Mina is subsequent to the departure from 'Arafat; for when the pilgrims depart from it at the sunset of the Day of 'Arafat, they come to Muzdalifah on the night of the sacrifice and spend the night there. Then, when dawn breaks and they pray in the early darkness, they go to Quzah, ascending it or standing near it, then they go to the valley of Muhassir, and from there to Mina. The address in this interpretation is general without doubt, and "the people" refers to the human race, as is apparent—meaning from where all people have departed, ancient and modern.

It is also said: The intended meaning is Ibrahim (peace be upon him), and he was called "the people" because he was an Imam (leader) for the people. It is also said: It refers to him and his descendants. It has been recited as al-nāsi (with a kasra), meaning "the forgetful one," referring to Adam (peace be upon him), due to the saying of Allah the Exalted concerning him: "But he forgot." The word thumma in this reading serves to indicate the distance between the departure from 'Arafat and the turning away from it, based on the interpretation that the meaning of "Then depart" is: "Then do not turn away from it, as it is an ancient ordinance." This is what has been said, so contemplate it.

"And seek forgiveness of Allah" for your pre-Islamic practices regarding the alteration of rites and the like. "Indeed, Allah is Forgiving" to those who seek forgiveness, "Merciful" to them, and bountiful toward them.