Arafah: The Witnessed Day
– By Sana Ibrahim
Hajj is Arafat. [Al-Hakim]
Verily there shall be no reward for a righteous pilgrimage except Jannah. [Hazrat Abu Huraira reporting the words of Mohamed (pbuh)]
Smiling at Satan’s Grief
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) smiled when he finished. Some of the Sahabah (companions) remarked: “We sacrifice our fathers and mothers for your sake. You smiled at a time at which you never smiled previously; may Allah always make you happy, but what made you smile?”
The prophet (pbuh) replied, “I smiled because of the predicament of Satan, the enemy of Allah. After Allah accepted my supplications for my Ummah and forgave those who transgressed against themselves, Satan started pouring soil upon his head and crying out for his own destruction, so I smiled at his grief.” [Ahmad]
Iblis, the enemy of Allah (swt), was never more humiliated and enraged than on the day of the battle of Badr, except for every year on the day of Arafah, the ninth day of Dhul-Hijjah (the Month of Hajj). On that day he sees the mercy that Allah pours down. When he witnesses the descent of Allah’s angels and Allah’s forgiveness of sins, Iblis weeps.
The Perfecting of Our Religion
It is stated in a Hadith that no further verses were revealed with regard to halal and haram after this one:
This day, I have perfected your religion for you, completed My Favor upon you, and have chosen for you Islam as your religion. [Al-Maidah, 5:3]
Umar (ra) said: We know the day and the place in which that was revealed to the Prophet (saw); it was when he was standing on Arafat, on a Friday.
Praying Until Sunset
There once existed a masjid on the right slope of Jabal-ur-Rehmah, called Masjid Sakhrah. It signified the spot where the Prophet (saw), after leading the Zuhr and Asr salahs, faced towards the Qibla and engaged in dua until sunset. It was on this spot that the above verse of the Quran was revealed.
It was on this mount– Mount Arafah— that the prophet gave his final sermon, a kind of a constitution for us Muslims; it’s our duty to pass it on to our brothers and sisters.
Standing in His Footsteps
The Messenger (saw) of Allah (swt) said: The best supplication is the supplication on the day of Arafat. [At-Tirmidhi and Malik]
The day of Arafah is the greatest day and the essence of Hajj. On this great day millions of worshippers from every corner of the world, black and white, rich and poor, sick and healthy, gather together on one plain with only one purpose in mind. Men and women dressed in white, showing the unity of Muslims, cry out to their Lord in humility, asking for forgiveness.
Why We Were Created
Aishah (ra) narrated that the Prophet (saw) said, There is no day in which Allah sets free more souls from the fire of hell than on the day of Arafat. During this auspicious day, Allah does not refuse the requests of His worshipers. Allah (swt) is so merciful that He calls the angels and tells them: This is the reason I created humans.
A Chance to Be Clean
Subhana Allah this is our lord, full of mercy toward His slaves, giving us the opportunity to be pure, to cleanse ourselves, and to fear Him. This is how love for Him builds by itself, allowing us to feel the essence of Islam, to feel the power of His greatness, to trust Him blindly, and to practice His deen with true spirit.
Arafah is so honoured that Allah swore by it in His Book, as Arafah is the odd numbered day (the ninth) which is mentioned in Surat Al-Fajr: By the dawn. And (by) ten nights. And (by) the even and the odd. (Al-Fajr 89:1-3)
Moreover, the day of Arafah is so blessed that fasting on it will expiate the sins of two years. Abu Qatadah narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Fasting it (Arafah) expiates the sins of the previous and the current year. (Muslim)
When Stone, Tree, and Earth Recite
Sahl bins Sa’ad (ra) reports that Rasulullah (saw) said: When a Muslim shouts ‘Labbaik!’ then verily every stone, tree, and all the ground to his right and to his left recites the same, and this continues till that cry reaches the end of the earth.
Jazak Allah khairan.
May Allah forgive all our sins and give us the sweetness and noor of iman.
Assalamu Alaikum Allahu Akbar.
