*Please note: the meaning of the word ’Arafah refers to the Day of ’Arafah, while the word ’Arafat refers to the Plains of ’Arafat outside Makkah.
What is the Day of ′Arafah?
The Day of ’Arafah is the ninth day of Dhul-Hijjah – this year, it is on 27th of June 2023.
The first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah are the best days of the entire Islamic year. The Prophet (saw) said, ‘There are no days greater and more beloved to Allah than these (first) ten days of Dhul-Hijjah’. [Ahmad]
You may know that Laylat al-Qadr is the pinnacle of the last ten nights of Ramadan, and is thus the best night of the year. Similarly, the Day of ’Arafah is the pinnacle of the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah. It is thus the best day of the entire year.
What are some merits of the Day of ’Arafah?
- Allah (swt) swears by this day in the Qur’an.
‘By the sky containing constellations. And (by) the promised day. And (by) a witness and one witnessed’. [Qur’an, 85:1-3]
Regarding these verses, the Messenger of Allah (saw) said, ’The promised day is the Day of Resurrection, and the one witnessed is the Day of ’Arafah, and the witness is Friday. The sun does not rise or set upon a day that is more virtuous than it (i.e. the Day of ‘Arafah)…’ [Tirmidhi]
- It is a day of immense forgiveness.
The Prophet (saw) said, ’There is no day on which Allah (swt) frees people from the Fire more so than on the Day of ‘Arafah. Indeed, He draws near and then boasts of them to the angels then says, “What do these want?“’ [Muslim]
Undoubtedly, it would be a wasted opportunity if we did not spend ’Arafah in trying to be one of those people whom Allah draws near to and forgives.
- It is when the religion of Islam was perfected.
Laylat al-Qadr is the night when the Qur’an was first sent down. Meanwhile, the Day of ’Arafah is the day when Allah perfected our beautiful religion of Islam.
The final verses of the Qur’an were not yet revealed, but Allah sent down this ayah:
A Jewish man said to Umar ibn Al-Khattab (ra), ‘O Commander of the Faithful! There is an ayah in your Book which you recite – if it had come to us the Jews, we would have taken that day as an Eid (festival)’.
Umar (ra) said, ‘Which ayah?’
He said, ‘“Today I have perfected for you your religion and completed upon you My blessing and I have chosen for you Islam as [your] religion”’.
Umar (ra) replied, ’We surely know that day and the place where it was revealed upon the Prophet (saw). He was standing at ‘Arafat on a Friday’. [Bukhari]
The fact that Allah chose the day of ’Arafah to reveal this verse makes it an even more blessed day.
What do pilgrims do on Hajj on the Day of ’Arafah?
On 9th Dhul-Hijjah, pilgrims travel to the plains of ’Arafat, where they will combine their Dhuhr and Asr prayers and then spend the entire day making du’a. They will stand until sunset facing the Qiblah and seeking forgiveness for their sins.
This is the most important ritual of the Hajj, without which the Hajj would be incomplete. The Prophet (saw) said, ’Hajj is ‘Arafah’. [Nasa’i]
In pre-Islamic Arabia, pilgrims would travel to the plains of ’Arafat to pray, just as we do today – with the exception of the Quraish.
Aishah (ra) said, ’The Quraish and those who followed their religion – and they were called Al-Hums – would stand at Al-Muzdalifah, and they would say, “We are the people of Allah”. The others would stand at ‘Arafat, so Allah (swt) revealed (in Qur’an, 2:199), “Then depart from where the people depart”’. [Tirmidhi]
The Quraish would refuse to leave Makkah, believing that they were Allah’s people and the caretakers of Allah’s House, and thus they would not go to ’Arafat on the Hajj to stand amongst the other Arabs and seek forgiveness. However, the Prophet (saw), following Allah’s commands, ordered everyone to travel to ’Arafat and repent on 9th Dhul Hijjah, as no one was above this ritual. This is why the Prophet (saw) made it clear that Hajj is incomplete without standing in ’Arafat.
SubhanAllah, on this blessed day, Shaitan will be enraged and defeated as he watches millions of pilgrims, whom he has tempted throughout their lives into sin, repent and be forgiven in an instant through Allah’s infinite Love and Mercy. Whatever sins they have committed will be completely erased, so they will emerge from the Hajj as pure and innocent as new-born babies.