Day of Arafah falls on the 9th day of Dhul Hijjah. It is expected to fall on 19th July 2021, although this is subject to the sighting of the moon.
The day of Arafah is so important because this amazing ayah was revealed on this day:
“This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion.”
/Surah al Maa’idah 5:3/
This Ayah means that Arafah is a significant day for all Muslims because Arafah was the day on which Allah perfected His religion, completed His favors upon His beloved Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and approved Islam as a way of life.
The day of Arafah is also important because Allah swore by this day in Surah al Burooj. It is known that Allah swears by nothing except that which is great and mighty, so the Day of Arafah is greatly significant:
“By the sky containing great stars. And [by] the promised Day. And [by] the witness and what is witnessed”
(85: 1-3)
Virtues of Day of Arafah
It is the day God perfected the religion of Islam.
It is the day God bestowed the completion of His divine favor upon the Muslims, and for humanity.
It is the day God said He chose and was pleased with Al-Islam — The Peace — as the religion of the believers unto the end of the world.
It is the day God revealed these three virtues of Islam to His Prophet, God’s blessing and peace upon him, as part of the Quran (Sûrat Al-Mâ’idah, 5:3).
It is the day of the Prophet’s Farewell Pilgrimage (Ḥajj Al-Wada‘) and his celebrated Farewell Address (Khutbah Al-Wadâ‘) to all the believers until the end of time, on him be peace, which took place on a Friday, the Muslim weekly communal day of Congregational Prayer (Jumu‘ah), during which the previously cited revelation came down.
It is the day the Prophet, on him be peace, bore witness three times before the believers and God that he had successfully completed the divine mission of His messengers: To convey God’s message of the Quran and Islam to humanity.
Why is it called Arafah?
‘Arafah, or ‘Arafât is the Place of Meeting, or Knowing, is a vast, open desert plain about 12 miles southeast of the Ka‘bah, which is in the city of Makkah. The Plain of ‘Arafah is marked by the prominence of Jabal ‘Arafah, the Mount of Meeting, also known as Jabal Al-Raḥmah, the Mount of Mercy.
God names the place of ‘Arafât in the Quran and in the same verse cites the pilgrim celebrants’ completion of that day:
“Yet when you pour forth from ‘Arafât, then remember God much at the Sacred Waymark [of Muzdalifah]” (Sûrat Al-Baqarah, 2:198).
We need to do many things on that day. So what to do about it?
Things to Do on Arafa:
1- We Fast on That Day fasting:
“Fasting on the Day of Arafah expiates the sins of the past year and the coming year.” (Muslim)
2- Duaa. As our prophet says: The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said of the Day of Arafah dua:
“The most excellent dua is the dua on the Day of Arafah, and the best of what I and the prophets before me have said, is “There is nothing that deserves to be worshiped in truth except Allaah, He is Alone and has no partner, to Him belongs the dominion and to Him belongs all praise, and He is All-Powerful over all things.'” (Muwatta)
3- Also, we seek Allah’s forgiveness for everything past. Seek forgiveness from Almighty Allah:
The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said
“On this day, Allah, the Most Exalted, descends to the nearest heaven, and He is proud of His servants on the earth and says to those in heavens, look at My servants, they have come from far and near, with hair disheveled and faces covered with dust, to seek my Mercy. Even if their sins are as much the sand or the froth of the sea, I shall forgive them.”
Traditions of Arafat Day
At dawn on Arafat Day, Muslim pilgrims will make their way from Mina to a nearby hillside and plain called Mount Arafat and the Plain of Arafah. It was here that Muhammad gave his Farewell Sermon in 632 CE.
The Hajj is the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca. This pilgrimage is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by all who are physically and financially capable of undertaking the journey. The state of being capable of performing the Hajj is called istita’ah, and a Muslim who fulfills this condition is called a mustati.
That day is so important for all Muslims, all over the world and so important to know about it. You need to know what to do and when is that day. The most important thing on it is to pray and Du’aa, Tahlil, and Takbir.
You need to recite takbir (Allahu Akbar), tahmid (Alhamdulillah), tahlīl (Lā ilāha illā allah), and tasbeeh (SubhanAllah)
The Prophet Muhammad said: “There are no days on which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days.”
The Prophet Muhammad said: “The most excellent dua is the dua on the Day of Arafah, and the best of what I and the prophets before me have said, is ‘There is no god but Allah, alone, without a partner.”