بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
We are approaching the climax of the magnificent ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah, which is the Day of `Arafah (9th Dhu’l-Hijjah).
It is the day on which the religion was perfected and Allah’s Favor was completed. It was reported from ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) that a Jewish man said to him, “O Ameer al-Mu’mineen, there is an aayah (verse) in your Book which you recite; if it had come to us Jews, we would have taken that day as an ‘Eid (festival).” ‘Umar said, “Which aayah?” He said: “This day I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion.” [al-Ma’idah 5:3 – interpretation of the meaning]. ‘Umar said, “We know on which day and in which place that was revealed to the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace). It was when he was standing in ‘Arafah on a Friday.” {Bukhari & Muslim]
On this day there is an immense outpouring of Divine mercy and bounty and it is considered by many scholars to be the best day of the year.
On this day Allah descends to the nearest heaven in a manner that suits His Majesty, and He is proud of His slaves on the earth and says to those in heaven, “Look at My servants. They have come from far and near, with hair disheveled and faces covered with dust, to seek My mercy, even though they have not seen My chastisement. Far more people are freed from the Hellfire on the Day of Arafah than on any other day.” (Abu Ya’la, Ibn Khzayma, al-Bazzar and Ibn Hibban)
It is the day of forgiveness of sins, freedom from the Fire and pride in the people who are there: It was narrated from Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: “There is no day on which Allah frees more people from the Fire than the Day of ‘Arafah. He comes close and expresses His pride to the angels, saying, ‘What do these people want?’” [Muslim]
It has also been narrated that anyone who has an atom’s weight of faith in their heart will be forgiven by Allah on this day, whether or not they actually stand at `Arafah. [Abū Dāūd]
Intend to Fast on Day of Arafah if not on Hajj
The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and grant him peace) taught those not on Ḥajj to fast on this day with the promise that this would wipe away the wrongdoings of the previous year and the wrongdoings of the year to come. [Muslim, Aḥmad, Abū Dāūd and al-Nasā’ī]
What is meant by the wrongdoings of the coming year being wiped out? The scholars mention that it is either protection from falling into them in the coming year or that if we fall into them, we will be forgiven. The wrongdoings mentioned are “minor” sins between a person and Allah, not cases where one person has wronged another. This is an immense gift from Allah to the Ummah of His Beloved (Allah bless him and grant him peace). There is no day better in the sight of Allah than the Day of Arafah.
Repentance and Asking for Forgiveness
We should turn to Allah to ask for forgiveness and for our needs to be answered, especially in the afternoon of this day. In doing so we imitate the people standing at `Arafah, to whom forgiveness is guaranteed, and we ask Allah to give to us what He is giving to them. As the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: “The one who imitates a people is one of them.”[Abū Dāūd and Aḥmad]
Reciting the Qur'an
We should apportion some time to recite the Qur’ān. It has been narrated that whoever reads Sūrat al-Ikhlāṣ one thousand times will be given whatever they ask for. [al-Hindī in Kanz al-`Ummā]
Sending Blessings upon the Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wassallam) and other Remembrance
We should also bestow prayers upon the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace), and spend time in other forms of remembrance, particularly tahlīl, or proclaiming the oneness of Allah.
The Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: “The best prayer is the prayer 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
Lā ilāha ill’Allāhu waḥdahu lā sharīka lahu, lahu’l-mulku wa lahu’l-ḥamdu wa `alā kulli shayin qadīr
“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.” [al-Tirmidhī]
Another narration contains the following addition to the previous prayer:
اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْ في قَلْبي نُوراً و في سَمْعِي نوراً و في بَصَري نوراً ، اللَّهُمَّ اشْرِحْ لي صَدْرِي وَيَسِّرْ لي أَمْرِي
Allāhumma’j`al fī qalbī nūran wa fī sam`ī nūran wa fī baṣarī nūran. Allāhumma’shraḥ lī ṣadrī wa yassir lī amrī
“O Allah, place light in my heart, my hearing and my sight. O Allah, My Lord bring tranquility to my heart and give me ease in my affair.” [al-Bayhaqī]
Sayyidunā `Alī (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the supplication that the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) made most on the Day of `Arafah was:
اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ الحَمْدُ كَالَّذي نَقُولُ وخَيْراً مِمَّا نَقُولُ اللَّهُمَّ لَكَ صَلاتِي ونُسُكِي ومَحْيَايَ ومَمَاتِي وإِلَيْكَ مَآبِي ولَكَ رَبِّ تُرَاثِي اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ عَذابِ القَبْرِ ووَسْوَسَةِ الصَّدْرِ وشَتَاتِ الأَمْرِ اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِن شَرِّ ما تَهُبُّ بِهِ الرِّيحُ
Allāhumma laka’l-ḥamdu kalladhī naqūlu wa kharyan mimmā naqūlu. Allāhumma laka ṣalātī wa nusukī wa maḥyāya mamātī wa ilayka ma`ābi wa laka rabbi turāthī. Allāhumma innī a`ūdhu bika min `adhābi’l-qabri wa waswasati’l-ṣadri wa shatāt al-amri. Allāhumma innī a`ūdhu bika min sharri mā tahubbu bihi arrīḥ
“O Allah, to You belongs all praise, as we praise You and better than that. O Allah, my prayer, worship, life and death are for You, and to You is my return. Everything I possess, my Lord, returns to You. O Allah, I seek refuge in You from the punishment of the grave, the whispering of the devil and from my affairs being in disarray. O Allah I seek refuge in You from the evil which the wind carries” [al-Tirmidhī]
May Allah accept our worship and good deeds and forgive all our sins and shortcomings. May Allah grant the pilgrims an accepted hajj, make them remember to make du'a for us, and grant us the opportunity to perform hajj next year. Ameen.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
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