In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
The day we all have been anxiously waiting for, the day of Arafah (Dhu'l-Hijjah 9) has finally arrived...don't sleep. This year the Day of `Arafah in Saudi Arabia is on Friday. However, many other regions Dhu'l-Hijjah 9 is on Saturday. No doubt it has caused much confusion and division among us.
Regardless of which day you choose to follow, Friday or Saturday, we should never lose sight of the purpose of our existence, which is to worship none other than Allah Almighty, and there is not much time left to do this.
كُلُّ مَنْ عَلَيْهَا فَانٍ ﴿٢٦﴾ وَيَبْقَىٰ وَجْهُ رَبِّكَ ذُو ٱلْجَلَـٰلِ وَٱلْإِكْرَامِ ﴿٢٧﴾ فَبِأَىِّ ءَالَآءِ رَبِّكُمَا تُكَذِّبَانِ ﴿٢٨[Qur'an, Ar-Rahman 55:26-28]
Whatsoever is on it (the earth) will perish. (26) And the Face of your Lord full of Majesty and Honor will remain forever. (27) So which of the favors of your Lord would you deny? (28)
So, Allah has given us this tremendous opportunity and favor to connect ourselves to the way of Mercy -- the way of knowledge, the way of the shining light of the beloved Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace).
لَقَدْ جَآءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ مِّنْ أَنفُسِكُمْ عَزِيزٌ عَلَيْهِ مَا عَنِتُّمْ حَرِيصٌ عَلَيْكُم بِٱلْمُؤْمِنِينَ رَءُوفٌ رَّحِيمٌ ﴿١٢٨[Qur'an, At-Tawba 9:128]
There has certainly come to you a Messenger from among yourselves. Grievous to him is what you suffer; [he is] concerned over you and to the believers is kind and merciful. (128)
وَمَآ أَرْسَلْنَـٰكَ إِلَّا رَحْمَةً لِّلْعَـٰلَمِينَ ﴿١٠٧[Qur'an, Al-Anbiya' 21:107]
And We have not sent you, [O Muhammad], except as a mercy to the worlds. (107)
These are challenging times for Muslims as individuals and as an Ummah. But we need to remember that both the Qur'an and Prophetic guidance tell us that our collective condition is the result of a disconnect from the way of Mercy.
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) taught us to fast on the Day of Arafah, the 9th Dhu’l-Hijjah with the promise that this would wipe away the wrongdoings of the previous year and the wrongdoings of the year to come.
It is a time to turn to Allah to ask for forgiveness and for our needs to be answered. There is nothing to stop any of us setting aside a little time in the afternoon today to do so. In doing so we imitate the people standing at Arafat, to whom forgiveness is guaranteed and we ask Allah to give to us what he is giving to them.
“The one who imitates a people is one of them.”
Let Allah see our desire for His mercy and His forgiveness especially at that blessed time and let us have no doubt that we will be encompassed by His immense generosity.
We should divide this time between reading the Qur’an (especially Surat al-Ikhlas), sending prayers upon the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, and other forms of remembrance, particularly tahlil, or proclaiming the oneness of Allah.
The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
“The best du‘ā’ is the du‘ā’ of the Day of Arafah. The best thing which I and the Prophets before me have said is:
لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَ لَهُ الْحَمْدُ وَ هَو عَلَى كُلِّ شَيءٍ قَدِيرٍ
“There is no god but Allah, alone, He has no partners. To Him belongs the dominion and all praise and He has power over all things.”
If it is possible to gather with a group of people at that time then the reward is greater and the chance of acceptance is higher. This was the way of Sayyiduna `Abdullah Ibn `Abbas and other Companions and it is a tradition in Tarim where hundreds gather in an open square after Asr to remember Allah and make dua until Maghrib.
Eid Takbirs
The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, taught us to fill these blessed days and nights with the remembrance of Allah generally and specifically with the takbir in which we express Allah’s greatness and transcendence. We should make the takbir after every prayer (fard or nafl) from Fajr on 9th Dhu’l-Hijjah until Asr on the 13th Dhu'l-Hijjah, the final day of the three days of tashriq.
We should also fill the night before Eid with takbir from Maghrib up until the Eid prayer. On this night only the takbir is not limited to being read after the prayer, but rather it should be read at all times in our houses and mosques and in the streets (without causing disturbance). We should read it with our hearts filled with the greatness of Allah so that we are not merely repeating words without experiencing their meaning.
It is a sunna to give life to the night before Eid, meaning spending whatever time we are able to during that night in worship and remembrance such that the night comes alive. The least we should do is to pray Maghrib, Isha and Fajr in congregation and then devote whatever time we are able to Allah.
The mosques of Tarim fill in the the second half of the night with people reading the Qur’an in groups, praying and making takbir together at intervals. At the end of the night everyone comes together for a khatm and du'a.
It is mentioned in the hadith that whoever gives life to the nights before the two Eids Allah will give life to his heart on the day when hearts die. What is primarily meant is safety on the Day of Judgment but even in this life the majority of people’s hearts are dead, starved of the remembrance of Allah and heedless of the return to Him. Remembering Allah on nights such as these, however, when most people are busy with other things, will give life and tranquility to our hearts. Eid then will be a true celebration, an expression of our gratitude to Allah for the ability to worship and remember Him in the previous days and nights.
How was the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, ordered to show his gratitude to Allah for the immense good that he was given? “So pray to your Lord and slaughter” (Surah al-Kawthar), which refers to the Eid Prayer and the sacrifice.
May Allah adorn our hearts and tongues with His remembrance and our bodies with acts of worship. May He unite our hearts with those on Hajj, unite the hearts of this Umma and give relief to those who are suffering and help us all to return to Him whatever our state may be, Allahumma amin.
There are different forms of the takbir. Here is one of them:
اللهُ أَكبرُ اللهُ أَكبرُ اللهُ أَكبر , لا إله إلا الله , والله أكبر الله أكبر ولِلَّهِ الحَمْد
“Allah is most great, there is no god but Him, all praise belongs to Him.”
(three times)
الله أكبرُ كَبيرا والحمدُ لله كثيرا وسُبْحانَ اللهِ بُكْرَةً وأَصيلاَ
لا إله إلا الله ولا نَعْبُدُ إلا إِيَّاهُ مُخْلِصِين لَهُ الدِّينَ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الكافِرون
“There is no god but Him and we worship none but Him in complete sincerity even if the disbelievers dislike it.”
لا إله إلا الله وَحْدَه صَدَقَ وَعْدَه ونَصَرَ عَبْدَه وأَعَزَّ جُنْدَه وهَزَمَ الأَحْزَابَ وَحْدَه
لا إله إلا الله واللهُ أكبرْ اللهُ أكبرْ ولِلَّهِ الحَمْد
“There is no god but Him alone. He fulfilled His promise, gave victory to His slave, made mighty His forces and He alone destroyed the Confederates. Allah is most great, there is no god but Him, all praise belongs to Him.”
The scholars say that whenever it is recommended to remember Allah, it is also recommended to mention His Messenger, Allah bless him and grant him peace. Had it not been for him there would be no `Arafat or Eid or takbir.
For this reason we should add, in honor of our Messenger, his Companions, wives and progeny:
اللهُمَّ صلِّ على سَيِّدِنا مُحمد
وعلى آلِ سَيِّدِنا مُحمد وعلى أَصْحابِ سَيِّدِنا مُحمد
وعلى أَنْصَارِ سَيِّدِنا مُحمد
وعلى أَزْواجِ سَيِّدِنا مُحمد
وعلى ذُرِّيِّةِ سَيِّدِنا مُحمد
وسلِّمْ تَسْليماً كثيراً
May Allah bless you, your families, loved ones and the Ummah on this tremendous day of Arafah. May Allah grant us all to be of those freed from the hellfire and to be ones He loves and looks on with His Endless Mercy. May Allah keep our hearts together for His Sake and accept our efforts out of His endless Grace. May Allah reunite us always in the best of states and in the highest Paradise forever.
Please don't forget us in your prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
Taken from Shaykh Abdul-Karim Yahya's Interpreter's Path with additions.
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