ʿArafah: Among the Best of Days

KEY TAKEAWAY

The Day of ʿArafah is a rare once-a-year opportunity to seek God’s forgiveness, purify the soul, and draw nearer to Him—so seize it, for it may be your last.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. What Is The Day of ʿArafah?
2. What Does the Word ʿArafah Mean?
3. Is Standing on Mount ʿArafah More Virtuous Than Standing Elsewhere in ʿArafāt?
4. Nine Unique Virtues of the Day of ʿArafah 
5. Nine Best Ways to Spend the Day of ʿArafah

1. What Is The Day of ʿArafah?

The Day of ʿArafah is the 9th day of Dhul-Hijjah in the Islamic calendar, immediately preceding the major Islamic festival of sacrifice, Eid al-Aḍḥā. It is the day on which pilgrims performing Ḥajj gather in the sacred plain of ʿArafāt near the Holy City of Mecca, fulfilling the greatest pillar of Ḥajj.

The plain of ʿArafāt covers approximately 12.7 square miles. Within this sacred area stands the well-known Mount ʿArafah (Jabal ar-Rahmah – the Mountain of Mercy), which rises about 230 feet high and is commonly associated with the Day of ʿArafah.

The terms “ʿArafah” and “ʿArafāt” are often used interchangeably. However, “ʿArafāt” usually refers to the entire sacred plain, whereas “ʿArafah” may refer either to the day itself or specifically to the mount located within that plain.

2. What Does the Word ʿArafah Mean?

The word ʿArafah comes from the Arabic root: ʿA-R-F (ع ر ف), which carries the meanings of: to know, to recognize, and to realize. The connection to the Day of ʿArafah is profound:

• To know: to know God through learning about His absolute greatness and His beautiful and perfect names and attributes through abundant remembrance, sincere supplication, and deep reflection.
• To recognize: to recognize one’s sins, shortcomings, weaknesses, and failures before God Almighty.
• To realize: to realize one’s complete dependence upon God Most High for guidance, mercy, forgiveness, support, and ultimate salvation.

ʿArafah is a blessed day to know God, recognize oneself, and realize one’s absolute need for Him.

3. Is Standing on Mount ʿArafah More Virtuous Than Standing Elsewhere in ʿArafāt?

There is no authentic evidence that standing on Mount ʿArafah itself—or on its top—is more blessed or virtuous than standing elsewhere within the sacred plain of ʿArafāt. In fact, after standing near Mount ʿArafah—not on it or on its summit—Prophet Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, said: “I stood here, but all of ʿArafāt is a place of standing.” [1] (Narrated by Jabir Bnu Abdillah and reported in Sahih Muslim)

By “here,” the Prophet ﷺ meant the specific location near Mount ʿArafah where he stood during Hajj. Through this statement, he clarified that the entire plain of ʿArafāt shares equally in the validity and blessing of wuqūf (standing at ʿArafāt), and that the virtue is not restricted to the mountain itself.

4. Nine Unique Virtues of the Day of ʿArafah

1st Virtue: The Day of ʿArafah Is Among the Greatest and Most Blessed Days of the Year

The Day of ʿArafah is among the greatest and most blessed individual days of the year because of the immense mercy and forgiveness God pours upon the countless believers and pilgrims gathered at ʿArafāt, along with the countless acts of worship performed on that day.

Jabir Bnu Abdillah narrated that Prophet Muhammad, God bless him and grant him peace, said: “Among the best of days is Arafah.”[2]

2nd Virtue: The Day of ʿArafah Falls Within the Greatest Ten Days of the Year

The Day of ʿArafah is the ninth day of the greatest ten days of the entire year: the first ten days of Dhul-Ḥijjah. This further increases its greatness, blessing, and virtue because righteous deeds performed during these ten days are more beloved to God than those performed during any other days of the year. 

Abdullah Bnu Abbas (radiyallāhu ʿanhu) narrated that the Messenger of God ﷺ said: “There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to God than these days,” meaning the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah. They said: “O Messenger of God, not even jihād in the path of God?” He said: “Not even jihād in the path of God —except for a man who goes out with his life and wealth and returns with neither.”[3] (Sahih al-Bukhari)

3rd Virtue: The Day of ʿArafah Is the Essential Pillar of Ḥajj, the Fifth Pillar of Islam

Gathering at ʿArafāt on the Day of ʿArafah to call upon God, remember Him abundantly, and humble oneself before Him is the essential pillar of Hajj; without it, Hajj is invalid.

Abu Hurayra, God be pleased with him, narrated that Prophet Muhammad, God bless him and grant him peace, said: “Hajj is Arafa”[4] (Reported by Imam Ahmad).

4th Virtue: The Day of ʿArafah Is a Day When God Praises the Pilgrims Before the Angels

The Day of ʿArafah is so great that God praises the pilgrims gathered at ʿArafāt before the angels because of their humility and sincere supplication. What a tremendous honor!

Abu Hurayra narrated that Prophet Muhammad, God bless him and grant him peace, said: “Surely, God, Most High, praises the people of Arafat to the people of Heaven, telling them, ‘Look at My servants who have come to Me disheveled and dusty’”[5] (Ibn Khuzayma).

5th Virtue: The Day of ʿArafah Is the Day When Satan Is Most Humiliated, Defeated, and Enraged

The Day of ʿArafah is the day on which Satan is most disgraced, humiliated, defeated, and enraged because of the immense mercy and forgiveness that God showers upon the pilgrims and believers on that day. It is also because of the loud and repeated chanting of “Labbayka Allāhumma Labbayk” (“Here I am, O God, here I am”) by millions of believing men and women answering the call of their Lord with sincere submission and true humility.

Satan becomes enraged and defeated because all of this directly opposes and destroys his lifelong mission to misguide humanity, distract them from God, and lead them away from the straight path into disbelief and disobedience.

6th Virtue: The Day of ʿArafah Is the Greatest Day for Supplication

The Day of ʿArafah is the greatest day for supplication (duʿāʾ) because of the immense mercy God showers upon that day. Supplications made on it are among the most likely to be answered, accepted, and blessed. This is true for both pilgrims and non-pilgrims.

Abdullah Bnu Amr, God be pleased with him, narrated that Prophet Muhammad, God bless him and grant him peace, said: “The best of supplication (du’a) is during the day of Arafa”[6] (Tirmidhi).

7th Virtue: Fasting the Day of ʿArafah Expiates the Sins of the Previous and Coming Year

Fasting the Day of ʿArafah is among the greatest voluntary acts of worship because of the immense forgiveness, mercy, and reward associated with it.

When Prophet Muhammad, God bless him and grant him peace, was asked about fasting on the day of Arafa, he said that “it expiates the sins of the prior year and the current one.”[7] (Narrated by Abu Qatada al-Ansari and reported in Sahih Muslim).

This hadith may mean that God Almighty grants such immense mercy through fasting the Day of ʿArafah that it is more than sufficient to expiate the sins committed during the previous year as well as the coming year.

The expiation of the coming year’s sins—before they are even committed—is not an invitation to commit them. Rather, it may mean that God protects the fasting person from falling into such sins by granting them the strength to restrain and control themselves, guiding them toward abundant good deeds and acts of worship that leave little room for sin. Then, after taking the necessary means, striving sincerely, and constantly seeking God’s forgiveness, if they do fall into some sins, God may forgive them through His mercy.

The sins referred to in this hadith are generally understood to be the minor sins.

8th Virtue: The Day of ʿArafah Is the Day When the Most People Are Freed from the Fire

The Day of ʿArafah is the day on which God frees more people from the Hellfire than on any other day because of the immense mercy and forgiveness He showers upon that most blessed day. Both pilgrims and non-pilgrims may be among those freed from the Fire.

Lady Aisha, may God be pleased with her, narrated that the Messenger of God, God bless him and grant him peace, said, “There is no day on which God saves more people from Hell than He does on the day of Arafa. He surely draws near then shows His angels that He is proud of them, saying: What do these want?”[8] (Reported in Muslim).

9th Virtue: The Day of ʿArafah Is the Day on Which God Perfected the Religion and Completed His Favor

Prophet Muhammad ﷺ performed his first and only Hajj in the year 632 CE, the 10th year after his migration (Hijrah) to Madinah. It is known as the Farewell Hajj because the Prophet ﷺ passed away only a few months later in the same year.

During this blessed Hajj, specifically on the Day of ʿArafah, God Almighty revealed the following verse from Sūrat Al-Māʾidah (The Table Spread) (5:3): “Today I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favor upon you, and approved Islam for you as religion.”[9]

The revelation of this verse on the Day of ʿArafah gives the day exceptional greatness and virtue because it marks the divine declaration of the perfection and completion of Islam.

Umar Bnu al-Khattab narrated that a Jewish man said to him: “O Leader of the Believers, there is a verse in your Book that you recite; had it been revealed to us Jews, we would have taken the day of its revelation as a festival.” ʿUmar asked: “Which verse?” The man replied: “Today I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favor upon you, and approved Islam for you as your religion.” ʿUmar then said: “We know the day and place where it was revealed to the Prophet ﷺ: while he was standing at ʿArafah on a Friday.”[10] (Reported in Sahih al-Bukhari)

God Almighty completed His favor upon humanity by sending the Final Messenger Muhammad ﷺ, perfecting the final religion, clarifying the path to guidance and salvation, and establishing a believing community that would carry this message until the end of time.

5. Nine Best Ways to Spend the Day of ʿArafah 

Given the unique and immense virtues of the Day of ʿArafah, it should be treated as a rare once-a-year opportunity for spiritual purification and growth to achieve nearness to God Almighty. Among the best ways to spend this blessed day are:

• Praying qiyām al-layl during the last third of the night preceding the Day of ʿArafah
• Fasting, if one is not performing Hajj
• Seeking God’s forgiveness; He is the All-Forgiving and the Oft-Forgiving
• Deeply reflecting on one’s relationship with God, one’s life, and one’s deeds during the past year
• Reviving one’s ultimate purpose of seeking God’s pleasure, attaining al-Firdaws, and seeing His Noble Face in the Hereafter
• Engaging in sincere supplication (duʿāʾ) with humility, concentration, and deep reflection
• Reading, listening to, and reflecting upon the Holy Qur’an
• Abundantly remembering God through takbīr, tahlīl, tahmid, and other forms of dhikr, such as: Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar, lā ilāha illallāh, Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar, wa lillāhil-hamd (“God is Greater, God is Greater, God is Greater; there is no god but God; God is Greater, God is Greater, and to God belongs all praise.”); as well as sending prayers and peace upon Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
• Spiritually joining the pilgrims by filling the day with abundant remembrance of God and sincere supplication, hoping to share in the immense mercy, forgiveness, and acceptance that God pours upon His servants on the Day of ʿArafah.

[1] [وَقَفْتُ هَاهُنَا، وَعَرَفَةُ كُلُّهَا مَوْقِفٌ]
[2] [أفضل الأيام يوم عرفة]
[3] «مَا مِنْ أَيَّامٍ الْعَمَلُ الصَّالِحُ فِيهِنَّ أَحَبُّ إِلَى اللَّهِ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْأَيَّامِ – يَعْنِي أَيَّامَ الْعَشْرِ – قَالُوا: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، وَلَا الْجِهَادُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ؟ قَالَ: وَلَا الْجِهَادُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ، إِلَّا رَجُلٌ خَرَجَ بِنَفْسِهِ وَمَالِهِ، ثُمَّ لَمْ يَرْجِعْ مِنْ ذَلِكَ بِشَيْءٍ»
[4] [الحج عرفة]
[5] [إنَّ اللهَ يُباهي بأهلِ عرفاتٍ ملائكةَ السماءِ ، فيقولُ: انظُروا إلى عبادي هؤلاءِ ، جاءوني شُعْثًا غُبْرًا]
[6] [خير الدعاء دعاء يوم عرفة]
[7] [صيام يوم عرفة، أحتَسِب على الله أن يكفِّر السنة التي قبله والسنة التي بعده]
[8] [مَا مِنْ يَوْمٍ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ أَنْ يُعْتِقَ اللَّهُ فِيهِ عَبْدًا مِنَ النَّارِ، مِنْ يَوْمِ عَرَفَةَ، وَإِنَّهُ لَيَدْنُو، ثُمَّ يُبَاهِي بِهِمُ الْمَلَائِكَةَ، فَيَقُولُ: مَا أَرَادَ هَؤُلَاءِ؟]
[9] [ٱلْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِى وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ ٱلْإِسْلَـٰمَ دِينًۭا]
[10] [عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ، أَنَّ رَجُلاً، مِنَ الْيَهُودِ قَالَ لَهُ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، آيَةٌ فِي كِتَابِكُمْ تَقْرَءُونَهَا لَوْ عَلَيْنَا مَعْشَرَ الْيَهُودِ نَزَلَتْ لاَتَّخَذْنَا ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمَ عِيدًا‏.‏ قَالَ أَىُّ آيَةٍ قَالَ ‏”‏الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الإِسْلاَمَ دِينًا‏”.‏ قَالَ عُمَرُ قَدْ عَرَفْنَا ذَلِكَ الْيَوْمَ وَالْمَكَانَ الَّذِي نَزَلَتْ فِيهِ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَهُوَ قَائِمٌ بِعَرَفَةَ يَوْمَ جُمُعَةٍ‏.‏]