The Day of Arafah, by Zanib Mian
The day of Arafah is a very very special day. You can say it is Allah Ta’aala’s most favourite day, and there is no day better than it! As for Shaytan, it is his worst day! He hates the day of Arafah. On this day he feels really grumpy and angry. That’s because on this day, Allah sends down a great amount of mercy and forgives people.
The day of Arafah is on the 9th of Dhul-Hijjah. If anyone from your family or friends has gone for the wonderful journey of Hajj, on this day after Fajr salah they will be marching by foot or driving in cars and buses to a place called Arafah. There will be millions of people all going to the same place, peacefully, and all of them will be saying to Allah: “Here I am in Your service, O Allah, here I am. Here I am, You have no partner, here I am. All praise and blessings are Yours, and all power, You have no partner.” There will be people from all over the world, of every size, age, and colour; all going to do the same thing, with a love of Allah in their hearts.
When they get to Arafah they listen to a special talk at Dhuhr time and pray. They spend the whole day praying, reading Qur’an and making dua. Allah is so pleased with the people, He comes down to the lowest heaven, and He says: ““Look at My servants. They have come from far and near, with hair all messy and faces covered with dust, to seek My mercy…”
In Arafah there is a mountain called Mount Arafat or the Mount of Mercy. Prophet Muhammad (saw) stood on it to give a talk to his people during Hajj.
Even if you’re not on Hajj, this day is special! We should fast on the day of Arafah because if we do, insha’Allah our sins for the last year and the one to come will be forgiven. We should also carry on reciting Takbir, Tahmid, and Tahleel, Say: “Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Lã ilãha illallãhu wallahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Walillahil hamd.
Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest. There is no deity besides Allah and Allah is the Greatest. Allah is the Greatest and all praises are for Allah only.”
The best thing you can do on the day of Arafah is to make dua. The prophet (saw) made this dua:
“Lailaha illalahu wahadahu lasharikalahu lahulmulku walahu hamdu wahuva alakulli shayin kadir”
The people who are making Hajj must stay in Arafah on this day, only then will their Hajj be complete. At sunset, people start to leave Arafah and they go to a place called Muzdalifah to pray Maghrib and Isha and rest for the night. The next day is the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah – Eid day!
