The Day of `Arafah (9th of Dhul-Hijjah): Virtues and how to get them

The Day of `Arafah (9<sup>th</sup> of Dhul-Hijjah) is one of the great days in which invocations are answered, slips are pardoned, and Allah boasts of the people of `Arafat (mountain near Makkah) before His Angels. It is a day which Allah glorified, raised its ranks among other days of the year, and completed thereby the religion and perfected the favors. A day that has all these virtues must know its virtues and benefits.

Virtues of the Day of `Arafah:

1- It is a day which Allah used in oath and it is the witnessed day that was mentioned in Allah's Saying: "And by the witnessing day (i.e. Friday), and by the witnessed day [i.e. the day of 'Arafat (Hajj) the ninth of Dhul-Hijjah]" [Surat Al Buruj: 3].

It was reported in the Hadith of Abu Hurayrah that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "The Promised Day is the Day of Resurrection while the witnessed day is, the day of `Arafah, and the witness is the day of Friday."  [Reported by At-Tirmidhy and others, and the rank of Hadith is good].

It is the witr which Allah used in oath in His Saying: "And by the even and the odd (of all the creations of Allah)." [Surat Al Fajr: 3].

It was reported in the Hadith of Jabir that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "The ten are the ten of Al Adha (the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah), the Witr (the odd-number) is the day of `Arafah (9th day), and the Shaf` (the even-number) is the slaughter day (10^th)." [Reported by Imam Ahmad and Al Hakim who graded it as authentic and Adh-Dhahaby agreed to his judgment on the Hadith].

2- It is the day on which Allah took the covenant from the offspring of Adam. Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Allah took the covenant from the back of Adam on the Day of `Arafah. He took out from his back all his progeny He created, and scattered them in from of Him and spoke to them saying 'Am I not you Lord?' They said, 'You are indeed, we bear witness,' lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection: 'Surely we were unaware of this' Or lest you say: 'Our fathers before us ascribed partners to Allah and we were only descendants after them, will You then destroy us for what those who have followed falsehood have done." [Surat Al A`raf: 172 - 173]." [Reported by Imam Ahmad and Al Hakim who graded it as authentic and Adh-Dhahaby agreed to his judgment on the Hadith. Al Albany also graded it as authentic]. How great is that day and how great is this covenant.

3- it is the day on which Allah perfected the religion and completed the blessing: `Umar ibn Al Khattab narrated: "Once a Jew said to me: O the chief of believers! There is an Ayah in your Book which is read by all of you (Muslims), and had it been revealed to us, we would have taken that day (on which it was revealed) as a day of celebration. `Umar ibn Al Khattab asked: Which is that Ayah? The Jew replied: This day I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favor upon you, And have chosen for you Islam as your religion. [Surat Al Ma'idah: 3]. `Umar replied: No doubt, we know when and where this verse was revealed to the Prophet (peace be upon him). It was Friday and the Prophet (peace be upon him) was standing at `Arafat (i.e. the Day of Hajj)."  [Reported by Al Bukhari in his Sahih, and the questioner was: Ka`b Al Ahbar].

4- It is a day of `Eid to the people of `Arafah. It was reported in the Hadith of `Uqbah ibn `Amir that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "The day of `Arafah, the day of sacrifice, the days of Tashriq are (the days of) our festival, O people of Islam. These are the days of eating and drinking."  [Reported by Abu Dawud, and Al Albany graded it as authentic]. `Umar ibn Al Khattab reported as saying: "The following Ayah was revealed: "This day, those who disbelieved have given up all hope of your religion." [Surat Al Ma'idah: 3] on Friday and on the Day of `Arafah and both are `Eid to us."  [Reported by At-Tabarany and Ibn Jarir]. Ibn `Abbas narrated that the Ayah was revealed in two `Eids: on Friday and the day of `Arafah (on which Hajj is performed)." [Reported by At-Tirmidhy and others, and it is authentic].

5- It is the day of forgiving sins, freeing oneself from Hell-Fire, and boasting of the people of `Arafah. It was reported in the Hadith of `A'ishah that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "There is no day on which Allah sets free more slaves from Hell than He does on the Day of `Arafah. He (Allah) draws near, then He boasts of them before the Angles saying: What do these want?" [Reported by Muslim]. Razin added in his book: O My Angels, bear witness that I have forgiven them.  It was reported in the Hadith of Jabir that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "There is no day better in the sight of Allah than the day of `Arafah when Allah comes down to worldly sky and boasts of the people of the earth before the people of the sky. Then Allah says: Look at My Servants, they have come to Me in the morning in a scruffy state with dusty hair, having crossed every deep valley (in a state of love-sickness for Allah). I call you to witness that I have forgiven them.' The angels submit to Him, 'O Lord, there was also Such-and-such among them who was arrogant and also Such-and-such and So-and-so.' Allah (Glory be to Him) says: 'I have forgiven him as well (for the sake of these lovers).'" The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said, "There is no other day on which more people are set free from the Fire than the day of `Arafah." [Reported by Abu Ya`la and others, and it is good].

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) stood at `Arafat, and almost the sun was about to set, he said: O Bilal, make the people listen to me. Bilal stood and said: O people, listen to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him). People kept silent, and he (the Prophet) said: O people, Gabriel came to me earlier and told me that my Lord sends His Salam (peace) to me, and said: Verily, Allah has forgiven the sins of the people of `Arafah and the people of Al Mash`ar Al Haram and removed the consequences of their sins. Thereupon, `Umar ibn Al Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) said: O Messenger of Allah, is this special to us? He said: This is for you and for those who will come after you until the Day of Recompense. `Umar said: The goodness of Allah has become plenty and good. [Reported by Al Mundhiry who ascribed it to Ibn Al Mubarak, and it is good].

Ibn Sirin said: "People invoke Allah in this situation for anything even women invoke Allah for her pregnancy." Reported by Ibn `Abdul-Bar in At-Tamhid. Talhah ibn `Ubaydullah ibn Kariyz reported that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, "Satan is not considered more abased or more cast out or more contemptible or more angry on any day than on the Day of `Arafah. That is only because he sees the descent of the Mercy and Allah's disregard for great wrong actions. That is except from what he was shown on the Day of Badr." Someone said, "What was he shown on the Day of Badr, Messenger of Allah?" He said, "Did not he see Gabriel arranging the ranks of the angels?" [Reported by Malik in his Muwatta', and ibn `Abdul-Bar graded it as good].

Dear pilgrim, in order to obtain these benefits, you have to do the following things:

1- Guarding bodily organs from forbidden matters. Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: "A young companion of the Prophet, Al Fadhl Ibn `Abbas was riding behind the Prophet (peace be upon him) on the day of `Arafah. He (the narrator) said: They boy kept looking at women while the Prophet was turning Al Fadhl's face the other way with his hand from behind many times. Then the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to him: O my nephew, whoever guards his hearing, sight, and tongue on this day (the day of `Arafah) his sins shall be forgiven." [Reported by Abu Ya`la, and Al Mundhiry ranked it as authentic].

2- Increasing Tahlil (saying: "La Ilaha Illa Allah" [There is no god but Allah]), Takbir (saying: "Allahu Akbar" [Allah is the greatest]), and Talbiyah (saying: "Labbayka Allahumma Labbayk" [Here I am, responding to Your Call]) on that day. It was narrated from `Abdullah ibn `Abdullah ibn `Umar that his father said: "We set out in the morning with the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) from Mina to `Arafat, some of us reciting the Talbiyah and some of us saying the Takbir." [Reported by Muslim]. In the Hadith of Anas ibn Malik: "Some of us recited the Talbiyah and no one criticized them, and some of us recited the Takbir and no one criticized them."  [Reported by Muslim].

3- Increasing invocation for forgiveness and asking Allah for rescuing oneself from Hell-Fire on that day. This situation is great and the day is great. There is no situation greater than the day of `Arafah as Ibn Taymayah mentioned. As for the time of supplication, there was nothing reported from the Prophet (peace be upon him).

It was narrated that Usmah ibn Zayd said: "I was a companion rider with the Prophet at 1Arafat. He raised his hands in supplication, so his she-camel began leaning and he dropped he halter, so he tool the halter while one of his hand while he was raising the other hand." [Reported by An-Nasa'y and others].

As for the Hadith of "The best invocation is the invocation on the day of `Arafah, and the best thing that I or the Prophets before me have said is 'There is no god but Allah, alone, without any partner' (La ilaha illa'llah, wahdahu la sharika lah,)" was reported by Malik in his Muwatta' from the Hadith of Talhah ibn `Ubaydullah ibn Kurayz. At-Tirmidhy reported from the Hadith of `Amr ibn Shu`ayb on the authority of his father from his grandfather: "The best of supplication is the supplication on the day of Arafah. And the best of what I said - I and the Prophets before me is: There is no God but Allah Who is Alone. He has no partner. To Him belongs the dominion and to Him belongs all praise And He is over all things powerful." [At-Tirmidhy graded it as weak]. Ibn Al Qayyim said: The chains of transmissions of these invocations are weak.

As for the reported invocation, `Abdullah ibn Al Harith reported that Ibn `Umar used to raise his voice on the eve of `Arafah with the following: "La Ilaha Illa Allah Wahdahu La Sharika Lahu. Lahul Mulku Walahul Hamdu Wahuwa `Ala Kulli Shay'in Qadir Allahumma Ihdina Bil Huda Wazayinna Bit-Tuqa Waghfir Lana Fil 'Akhirati Wal Ola [No god but Allah alone who has no partner. He has all dominion and praise, and He is All-Able over everything. O Allah, guide us to guidance, decorate us with piety, and forgive our sins in this world and in the next]. Then he lowers his voice then said: O Allah, I ask you of Your Favor and blessings a good and blessed sustenance. O Allah, You have commanded us to invoke You, and ordained upon yourself to answer, and you do not break the promise or lie about Your Covenant. O Allah, any goodness you like make it loveable to us and facilitate it, and whatever evil You hate make it abhorred to us and make us avoid it. And do not take away Islam from us after You had guided us to it." [Reported by At-Tabarany in the book of invocation, and Ibn Taymiyah graded it as good].

Dear pilgrim, the day of `Arafah is one of the best days in which invocations are answered and slips are pardoned. Ibn `Abdul-Bar said: "The invocations of the Day of `Arafah (9<sup>th</sup> of Dhul-Hijjah) are probably answered." So, keep to invocation and engage yourself in mentioning Allah and forgiveness. A person who invokes Allah on the day of `Arafah is a winner because he may gain the forgiveness and rescue himself from Hell-Fire. Ibn Rajab mentioned that rescuing oneself from Hell-Fire is general for all Muslims, and said: Whoever stands at `Arafah and who does not shall have the same benefit.

Dear brother, beware of sins that block the way of forgiveness. How do you ask for protection from Hell-Fire while you still insist on committing major sins? How do you ask for forgiveness while you fight Allah with sins in that great day?

Resort to Allah, face the Qiblah, raise your hands, admit your sins, and make up your minds that you repent sincerely.

4- Humbleness before Allah (Glory be to Him) is the title of sincerity, and the conditions of the truthful stand witness for that. Mutarraf ibn `Abdullah Ash-Shikh-khir and Bakr Al Muzany stood at `Arafah and one of them said: O Allah, do not reject the invocations of the people of `Arafah because of me. The other said: How honorable this situation is and how great it is for its people except that I am one of them. Al Fudayl ibn `Iyad stood at `Arafah while the people were invoking Allah, and he was weeping like a woman who lost her husband. His weeping prevented him from invocation. When the sun was about to set, he lift his head to the sky and said: How sinful I am even if You forgive! Some religious people invoked at `Arafah saying: O Allah, if you do not accept my Hajj and my tiredness, do not deprive me of the reward of observing patience for that. Ibn Al Mubarak said: I came to Sufyan Ath-Thawry on `Arafah eve while he was kneeling down and his eyes weeping and said: Who is the worst person in this assembly? He said: The one who thinks that Allah does not forgive him.

Praise be to the Lord of the worlds, and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and all his Companions.