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What is the Day of 鈥睞rafah? 

The Day of 鈥橝rafah is the ninth day of Dhul-Hijjah. The first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah are the best days of the entire Islamic year. The Prophet (saw) said, 鈥楾here are no days greater and more beloved to Allah than these (first) ten days of Dhul-Hijjah鈥�. [Ahmad] 

You may know that Laylat al-Qadr is the pinnacle of the last ten nights of Ramadan, and is the best night of the year. Similarly, the Day of 鈥橝rafah is the pinnacle of the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah and considered the best day of the entire year. 

When is Arafah 2025?

The first day of Dhul Hijjah 2025 is predicted to fall on 28th May, depending on the sighting of the moon.

The Day of 鈥橝rafah is the ninth day of Dhul-Hijjah - this year, it is on 6th of June 2024.

Eid Al-Adha, 10th Dhul Hijjah, will be on the 7th of June 2024.

What are some merits of the Day of 鈥橝rafah? 

Allah (swt) swears by this day in the Qur鈥檃n:

鈥楤y the sky containing constellations. And (by) the promised day. And (by) a witness and one witnessed鈥�. [Qur鈥檃n, 85:1-3] 

Regarding these verses, the Messenger of Allah (saw) said, 鈥橳he promised day is the Day of Resurrection, and the one witnessed is the Day of 鈥橝rafah, 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 鈥楢rafah)鈥︹�� [Tirmidhi] 

It is a day of immense forgiveness: 

The Prophet (saw) said, 鈥橳here is no day on which Allah (swt) frees people from the Fire more so than on the Day of 鈥楢rafah. Indeed, He draws near and then boasts of them to the angels then says, 鈥淲hat do these want?鈥溾�� [Muslim] 

Undoubtedly, it would be a wasted opportunity if we did not spend 鈥橝rafah 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鈥檃n was first sent down. Meanwhile, the Day of 鈥橝rafah is the day when Allah perfected our beautiful religion of Islam. 

The final verses of the Qur鈥檃n were not yet revealed, but Allah sent down this ayah: 

鈥楾oday I have perfected for you your religion and completed upon you My blessing and I have chosen for you Islam as [your] religion.鈥� (Quran, 5:3) 

A Jewish man said to Umar ibn Al-Khattab (ra), 鈥極 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)鈥�. 

Umar (ra) said, 鈥榃hich ayah?鈥� 

He said, 鈥樷�淭oday I have perfected for you your religion and completed upon you My blessing and I have chosen for you Islam as [your] religion鈥濃��. 

Umar (ra) replied, 鈥橶e surely know that day and the place where it was revealed upon the Prophet (saw). He was standing at 鈥楢rafat on a Friday鈥�. [Bukhari] 

The fact that Allah chose the day of 鈥橝rafah to reveal this verse makes it an even more blessed day. 

What do pilgrims do on Hajj on the Day of 鈥橝rafah? 

On 9th Dhul-Hijjah, pilgrims travel to the plains of 鈥橝rafat, where they will combine their Dhuhr and Asr prayers and then spend the entire day making du鈥檃. 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, 鈥橦ajj is 鈥楢rafah鈥�. [Nasa鈥檌] 

In pre-Islamic Arabia, pilgrims would travel to the plains of 鈥橝rafat to pray, just as we do today - with the exception of the Quraish. 

Aishah (ra) said, 鈥橳he Quraish and those who followed their religion - and they were called Al-Hums - would stand at Al-Muzdalifah, and they would say, 鈥淲e are the people of Allah鈥�. The others would stand at 鈥楢rafat, so Allah (swt) revealed (in Qur鈥檃n, 2:199), 鈥淭hen depart from where the people depart鈥濃��. [Tirmidhi] 

The Quraish would refuse to leave Makkah, believing that they were Allah鈥檚 people and the caretakers of Allah鈥檚 House, and thus they would not go to 鈥橝rafat on the Hajj to stand amongst the other Arabs and seek forgiveness. However, the Prophet (saw), following Allah鈥檚 commands, ordered everyone to travel to 鈥橝rafat 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 鈥橝rafat. 

On this day, Allah descends to the sky and says to the angels, 

鈥楳y slaves have come to me, looking rough, from every deep valley hoping for my mercy, so if their sins are equivalent to the amount of sand or the drops of rain or like the foam of the sea I will forgive them. So go forth my slaves! Having forgiveness for what and who you have interceded for.鈥� [Tabarani] 

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鈥檚 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. 

The pilgrims will depart from 鈥橝rafat at sunset and travel to Muzdalifah, where they will pray Maghrib and Isha and sleep beneath the night sky, without tents or any shelter, all of them absolutely equal to each other. 

What are five recommended actions for the Day of 鈥橝rafah? 

For those of us who are not able to perform Hajj this year, we still have plenty of opportunities to reap the rewards of this blessed day. You should spend as much of the day as possible in worship, with the most important time being between Dhuhr and Maghrib. 

1. Make du鈥檃 

The Messenger of Allah (saw) said of the Day of 鈥橝rafah, 鈥業n it, there is an hour in which no believing worshipper makes a supplication to Allah for good, except that Allah answers it for him, and he does not seek Allah鈥檚 protection from evil, except that He protects him from it鈥�. [Tirmidhi] 

SubhanAllah, we should definitely not neglect making du鈥檃 on 鈥橝rafah! While there are many鈥� benificial du'as 鈥痽ou can make on 鈥橝rafah, and you may even have a list of personal du鈥檃s, you should make sure you say this du鈥檃 on 鈥橝rafah: 

La Ilaha illa-Allah, Wahdahu la sharika Lahu, lahul-mulk wa lahul-hamdu, wa Huwa 鈥榓la kulli shai鈥檌n Qadir

 2. Fast 

It is highly recommended for those who are not pilgrims to fast on this day. The Prophet (saw) said, 鈥橧t (fasting on the Day of 鈥楢rafah) expiates the sins of the past year and the coming year (i.e. those sins will be forgiven)鈥�.鈥痆Muslim] 

SubhanAllah, what an amazing opportunity: to be forgiven for sins we haven鈥檛 even committed yet! 

The pilgrims at Hajj do not generally fast as the most important worship on this day are their prayers, the remembrance of Allah (swt) and begging for His forgiveness. 

鈥睺he people of knowledge consider it recommended to fast on the Day of 鈥橝rafah, except for those at 鈥楢rafat鈥�. [Tirmidhi] 

3. Seek forgiveness 

As mentioned before, 鈥橝rafah is a day of immense forgiveness when Allah sets many people free from the Fire. Even if you are not standing on the Plains of 鈥橝rafat, you can still seek Allah鈥檚 forgiveness from your own home, workplace or local masjid.鈥� 

There is yet another powerful hadith about Allah鈥檚 forgiveness on this day: 

鈥橲haitan is not considered more abased or more cast out or more contemptible or angrier on any other day than on the Day of 鈥楢rafah. That is only because he sees the descent of the mercy and Allah鈥檚 disregard for great wrong actions.That is except from what he (Shaitan) was shown on the Day of Badr鈥�. [Malik] 

鈥橝rafah is thus a day on which Shaitan witnesses Allah forgive even those servants who have committed great wrong actions. It is a day on which we should humble ourselves to seek Allah鈥檚 forgiveness and never despair of His mercy. 

4. Make dhikr 

The Prophet (saw) said: 

There are no days greater and more beloved to Allah than these ten ays of Dhul Hijjah, so increase in them your declaration of the oneness of Allah (tahleel), your exaltation of him (takbeer, and your praise of him (tahmeed).鈥� 

He (saw) recommended reciting tahleel (La ilaha ill-Allah), takbeer (Allahu Akbar) and tahmeed (SubhanAllah and Alhamdulillah, for example). 

5. Give a Prophetic Qurbani 

Finally, while ordering your Qurbani, you can earn even more reward by sacrificing an extra Qurbani like the Prophet (saw). 

Abu Talhah (ra) reported, 鈥楾he Prophet (saw) sacrificed for the one who could not sacrifice from his Ummah, one who bore witness to the Oneness of Allah and [his] Prophethood鈥�. [Tabarani and Ahmad] 

For those who are able to, giving an extra Qurbani like the Prophet (saw) is an excellent way to gain reward on the day of 鈥橝rafah. Not only will you be reviving a forgotten Sunnah, you will be also doubling your impact by feeding even more families a rare meal with meat during the days of Eid al-Adha.鈥疭ee all our Qurbani locations here. 

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