The Virtues of the Day of Arafah By Zoya Affaf 10 A
Name and location
Mount Arafat lies 22 km east of
Makkah in the plain of Arafat.[1]
Mount Arafat reaches about 70 m in height and is also known among people
as the mount of mercy.
The ninth day of Dhul-Hijjah is called Arafat day because
Hajj pilgrims spend their whole day in the plain of Arafat.
The rituals on the Day of Arafah
•
Staying at Arafah is one of
the essential components of Hajj. The Prophet ﷺ said: “(The essence
of) Hajj is Arafah.” [2]
Hence, Hajj would be invalid if a pilgrim failed to spend
the required time at Arafah.
•
Pilgrims must move towards
the plain of Arafat on the 9th day after praying Fajr at Mina. “The Prophet ﷺ
remained at Mina until the sunrise and moved out until he reached Arafat where
a tent was pitched for him at Namirah. He ordered that Al-Quswah (his
she-camel) to be readied for him.” [3]
•
It is recommended for the
pilgrims to move at a modest pace. Usamah bin Zaid was asked, “How was the
speed of Messenger of Allah ﷺ while departing from Arafat during Hajjatul Wadaa (farewell pilgrimage)?”
Usamah replied, “The Prophet ﷺ proceeded on with the modest pace and if
there was enough space, he would make his camel go very fast.” [4]
•
Combining the two salah
with one adhan and two iqama. The pilgrims will pray Dhuhr and Asr in this way.
[5]
•
It is recommended for the
pilgrims to pronounce the Talbiyah,
Takbir, Tahleel and Tasbeeh when
going from Mina to the plain of Arafah. [6] • At Arafah, the
pilgrims engage in du’aa to Allah and cry seeking forgiveness.
•
The Prophet ﷺ
said: “The best of du’aa’ is du’aa’ on
the day of ‘Arafah, and the best that I and the Prophets before me said is ‘Laa
ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu la shareeka lah, lahu’l-mulk wa lahu’l-hamd wa huwa
‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer (There is no god but Allah alone, with no partner or
associate;
His
is the dominion, to Him be praise, and He has power over all things).” [al-
Tirmidhi (3585)’, hasan by
al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Targheeb (1536)]
•
After praying Dhuhr and
Asr, the pilgrims move to Muzdalifa where they pray Maghrib and Isha together. [7]
What non-pilgrims do on Arafat day
• Engage in Takbir
• It is recommended to fast on the 9th of Dhul-Hijjah for the
non-pilgrims.
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ
was asked about fasting on the day of Arafah and he said, “It expiates for the past year and coming year.” (Sahih Muslim, no.
1162)
• As for the pilgrims who are present in Arafah, it is mustahhab
(recommended) for them not to fast, because of the hadith in Sahih AlBukhari:
It is narrated from Maymoona (radhi Allahu Anha) that the
people were not sure whether Prophet ﷺ was fasting on the Day of Arafah, so she
sent some milk when he was standing at Arafah and he drank it whilst the people
were looking on. [8]
Arafah day of the Prophet ﷺ in 10H
Let’s trace back to the Arafah
day of the Prophet ﷺ and see what he did. We know that it was
the Farewell Hajj of the Prophet ﷺ.
“Prophet ﷺ, on the 9th day, ordered Al-Qaswah (his
she-camel) to be readied for him. Hence, the saddle was placed on it and he ﷺ
went down the valley where 1,24,000 or 1,44,000 people gathered around him. He
stood and delivered the following speech:
“O people, listen to what I have to say, for
I do not know whether I will ever meet you at this place after this year.
(Indeed) your blood, property, and honor are as sacred as this day, this month
and this city (i.e. Makkah)…..
….. People, fear Allah concerning your
wives. Verily, you have taken them on the security of Allah and have made their
lawful for you by the words of Allah….”
In the end, he said:
“And when you are asked about me, what will
you say?”
The people replied, “We bear witness that you have conveyed
the message and fulfilled your mission.” The Prophet ﷺ then raised his
forefinger skywards and then moved it down towards people saying:
“Oh, Allah! Bear witness.” (Thrice)
As soon as Prophet ﷺ said this, the
following ayah was revealed to him:
“This day I have perfected your religion
for you, completed my favor upon you and have chosen for you Islam as your
religion.”
Upon this, Umar رضي الله عنه cried. When asked, he said, “Nothing
succeeds perfection but imperfection.” [9]
Significance of the Prophet’s speech
•
Scholars considered this
speech very important because this was the last and longest speech by the
Prophet ﷺ.
•
The blood, property and
honor of a Muslim are compared to three sacred things: (i) Day of Arafah; (ii)
Month of Dhul-Hijjah; (iii) City of Makkah.
•
Prophet’s ﷺ
concern for the Ummah regarding the message being conveyed and the Sahabas’
reply.
Virtues
of Arafah
• Allah
perfected the religion
A Jewish man said to ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab رضي الله
عن ه, “O Ameer alMu’mineen, there is an aayah in your Book which you
recite; if it had come to us Jews, we would have taken that day as an ‘Eid
(festival).” ‘Umar said, “Which aayah?”
He said: “This day I have perfected your religion for
you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your
religion.” [alMaa’idah 5:3 –
interpretation of the meaning]. ‘Umar said, “We know on which day and in
which place that was revealed to the Prophet ﷺ. It was when he was
standing in ‘Arafah on a Friday.”
• Allah’s
covenant with mankind
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ
said: “Allah took the covenant from the
loins of Adam in Na’maan, i.e., ‘Arafah. He brought forth from his loins all
his offspring and spread them before Him, then He addressed them, and said: ‘Am
I not your Lord? They said, ‘Yes, we testify,’ let you should say on the Day of
Resurrection: ‘Verily, we have been unaware of this….’ (until the
end of the 172173 verse of Surah al-A’raf.) [Ahmad, saheeh by Al-Albani]
• Day of
Forgiveness
The Prophet ﷺ said: “There is no day on which Allah frees more
people from the Fire than the Day of ‘Arafah. He comes close and expresses His
pride to the angels, saying, ‘What do these people want?’” [Sahih
Muslim]
Comments
Post a Comment