Day of `Arafah

Arafah

• The Day of `Arafah, which is the 9th of Dhul Hijjah, is the best among all the days of the year.

قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: “صِيَامُ يَوْمِ عَرَفَةَ أَحْتَسِبُ عَلَى اللهِ أَنْ يُكَفِّرَ السَّنَةَ الَّتِي  قَبْلَهُ وَالسَّنَةَ الَّتِي  بَعْدَهُ” مسلم

It is Sunnah (recommended) for the one not performing Hajj to fast on `Arafah as the Prophet, mercy and peace upon him, said that this doing compensates for the sinful doings of the year before and the year after it. (Muslim)

فَإِنْ قِيلَ: كَيْفَ يَكُونُ أَنْ يُكَفِّرَ السَّنَةَ الَّتِي بَعْدَهُ مَعَ أَنَّهُ لَيْسَ لِلرَّجُلِ ذَنْبٌ فِي تِلْكَ السَّنَةِ ، قِيلَ: مَعْنَاهُ أَنْ يَحْفَظَهُ اللهُ تَعَالَى مِنَ الذُّنُوبِ فِيهَا، وَقِيلَ أَنْ يُعْطِيَهُ مِنَ الرَّحْمَةِ الثَّوَابَ قَدْرًا يَكُونُ كَكَفَّارَةِ السَّنَةِ الْمَاضِيَةِ وَالسَّنَةِ الْقَابِلَةِ إِذَا جَاءَتْ وَاتَّفَقَتْ لَهُ ذُنُوبٌ، انْتَهَى.

To compensate for the sinful doings of the next year means that Allah protects the person from doing the sinful doings next year or it means that Allah grants the person the reward which erases the sinful doings of the previous and coming year in case the person has committed the sinful doings these two years.

• It is rewardable to keep saying Allahu Akbar and mention Allah on this day, the day of `Eed, and the three days after it.

• Fear Allah and take the opportunity to do the good deed before your days pass by quickly. These days Allah swore by them in Qur’an in the beginning of Sooratul Fajr and made it important for the smart person to note that. The one who is doing Ihsaan, let him add to it and ask Allah to accept it and the one who is negligent and careless let him/her catch up and fix whatever days are left of his/her remaining days.

• Allah made the days, the nights, the months and times different in rank. A day is better than another and a night is better than another and a month is better than another and an hour is better than another. These Ten Days Allah made them better than other days and the best of these days is `Arafah Day.

• On `Arafah day Allah revealed the verse alMaa’idah, 3,

الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الإِسْلامَ دِينًا

The verse indicates that the Essentials of Islam and Basic Rules have been revealed and Muslims do not need other ones. This was revealed in the Farewell Hajj before the Prophet, mercy and peace upon him, died after it by little more than two month.

• `Arafah Day is the cornerstone of Hajj and its most important integral. The one who does not attend `Arafah has not performed the Hajj.

• The Prophet, mercy and peace upon him, said:

روى أبو داودَ وغيرُهُ أنَّ رسولَ اللهِ صلى اللهُ عليهِ وسلم قالَ: “الحجُّ عرفةُ”

AlHajj is `Arafah. (Abu Daawood)

It means that among the most important integrals of Hajj is to attend `Arafah. Its time is short and it starts from the Dhuhr of `Arafah Day, i.e., the 9th of Dhul Hijjah, until Fajr. It is less than a full day. Other doings of Hajj are easier because one has longer times to fulfill the integrals.

• `Arafah Day is the day of forgiveness when Allah forgives the sinful ones, removes the bad deeds and free his servants from Fire.

• The Prophet, mercy ad peace upon him, said:

عن عائشةَ رضيَ اللهُ عنها أنَّ رسولَ اللهِ صلى اللهُ عليهِ وسلَّمَ قالَ: “ما مِنْ يومٍ أكثرَ مِنْ أن

يُعْتِقَ اللهُ تعالى فيهِ عبدًا مِنَ النارِ مِنْ يومِ عرفةَ”

On no day other than `Arafah Day Allah sets free from Fire more people than He sets free on any other day. (Muslim)

• The Prophet, mercy and peace upon him, said:

عن رسولِ اللهِ صلى اللهُ  عليهِ وسلَّمَ أنَّهُ قالَ: “خيرُ الدعاءِ دعاءُ عرفةَ، وخيرُ ما قلتُ أنا والنبيّونَ مِنْ قَبْلي: لا إلهَ إلا اللهُ وحدَهُ لا شريكَ لهُ لهُ الملكُ ولهُ الحمدُ وهو على كلِّ شىءٍ قديرٌ”.

The best du`aa’ is the du`aa’ on `Arafah and the best thing I said and the Prophets before me is: Laa ilaaha illallaah wahdahu laa shareeka lahu lahulmulku wa lahulhamdu wa huwa `alaa kulli shay’i-qadeer. (atTirmidhiyy)

• Let us thank Allah for this good fortune that He endowed on us and let us renew our thanks to Allah.

• On this Day and the `Eed Day and the three days after (Tashreeq days) it is rewardable to say many time the Takbeer by saying loudly reciting the dhikr, thanking Allah and exhibiting the well-known matters of the Religion as Allah said in sooratul Baqarah, 203:

ولقوله سبحانه: ((وَاذْكُرُواْ اللهَ فِى أَيَّامٍ مَّعْدُودٰتٍ) البقرة 203)

• One will say:

اللهُ أكبَرْ اللهُ أكبَرْ لا إله إلا الله، واللهُ أكبَرْ اللهُ أكبرْ وللهِ الحَمْد، يقول: اللهُ أكبَرْ اللهُ أكبَرْ اللهُ أكبَرُ كبيرًا

Allahu Akbar Allahu Akbar laa ilaaha illallaah, wallaahu Akbar Allahu Akbar wa lillaahilhamd; Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbaru kabeeraa.