Excellence Of The Day Of `Arafah
From Shaikh Muhammad al-Malki’s lecture (summarized):
1. The favors and blessings of Allaah upon us are too many, we can neither count them nor can we thank Him fully for them.
2. Yet we are obliged to thank Him for these favors, because thanking Him for these favors only helps in increasing them, as Allaah تعالى said:
وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ ۖ وَلَئِن كَفَرْتُمْ إِنَّ عَذَابِي لَشَدِيدٌ
{And (remember) when your Lord proclaimed: “If you give thanks (by accepting Faith and worshipping none but Me alone), I will give you more (of My Blessings), but if you are thankless (i.e. disbelievers), verily! My Punishment is indeed severe.”}
[Surah Ibraaheem (14): 7]
3. The greatest favor of Allaah upon us is to worship Him, to be upon Tawheed. This is the greatest favor because through it a person achieves success in this world and the Hereafter.
As Allaah تعالى said:
وَتَزَوَّدُوا فَإِنَّ خَيْرَ الزَّادِ التَّقْوَىٰ ۚ وَاتَّقُونِ يَا أُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ
{And take provisions (with you on the journey), but indeed, the best provision is fear of Allaah. So fear Me, O you men of understanding.}
[Surah al-Baqarah (2): 197]
4. And as Imaam al-Shaafi`ee said:
I do not see success in amassing wealth…
…but he who is God-conscious is prosperous.
The fear of Allaah is the best provision to accumulate…
…and with Allaah – for he who is God-conscious – is more.
5. The successful person is he, who follows up one act of obedience with another (succeedingly) and utilizes all his time in Allaah’s obedience.
6. For life is slipping away and the Hereafter is approaching and getting near, and a person does not know when his record book will be folded, and when he will be placed in the grave, to be left alone with his deeds.
7. In his grave, his good deeds will come in a form of a person – good-looking, having a pleasant smell, pleasing to the one who looks at him. The person will say to him: “Who are you? You seem to be a carrier of good news.” He will reply: “I am your good deeds (which you used to do in the world).”
8. In that dark, constricted place, in that loneliness, a comforter from you (i.e., your good deeds) will come to you, and not (the good deeds) from others.
9. So, hasten to do good deeds to fill that loneliness in that place – the grave, and don’t wait, hoping for others to do good deeds for you (i.e., supplicate for you, or give charity on your behalf, etc.)
10. We are in these days, which is one of the great favors of Allaah upon us, i.e., the (first) ten days of Dhul-Hijjah. The best days in the whole year. As Allaah تعالى said in His Glorious Book:
وَالْفَجْرِ * وَلَيَالٍ عَشْرٍ
{By the dawn; By the ten nights (i.e. the first ten days of the month of Dhul-Hijjah)}
[Surah al-Fajr (89): 1-2]
Allaah does not swear an oath by a thing except when that thing has a high status with Allaah.
11. And the Prophet ﷺ explained to us the importance and the virtues of these days, when he ﷺ said: “There are no days in which good deeds are more beloved to Allaah than these days.” (Meaning the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah). They (the Companions) asked: “Not even Jihad?” He ﷺ replied: “Not even Jihad, except that of a man who does it by putting himself and his property in danger (for Allaah's sake) and does not return with any of those things.”
[Sunan Abu Dawood (2348), Sunan al-Tirmidhee (757), Sunan Ibn Maajah (1727), and graded as “Saheeh” by Shaikh al-Albaanee. Imaam al-Bukhaaree also reported in his Saheeh (969) with a slight different wording]
12. Jihaad for Allaah’s sake is a great act, and it involves hardship, exhaustion, fear, uncertainty, death, injury, etc., yet doing good deeds in the ten days surpasses all of these in reward. So, why should we hold back, and why should we be negligent?
13. And part of these ten days is a day which is absolutely the most superior day of the whole year, i.e., the day of `Arafah. This is the greatest of all the days.
14. These ten days are the best days of the year, better than even the last ten days of the month of Ramadhaan. The daytimes of these ten days are better than the daytimes of the last ten days of Ramadhaan.
15. And one of these ten days is even better than Laylatul-Qadr, which falls in the last ten nights of Ramadhaan. In Laylatul-Qadr, the Rooh, i.e., Angel Jibreel عليه السلام and other Angels descend, but on the day of `Arafah, Allaah جل وعلى descend to the nearest Heaven, and He is proud of His slaves on earth, and He praises them in the presence of the Angels.
16. In Laylatul-Qadr, Allaah تعالى forgives the one who spends the night praying, and on the day of `Arafah, Allaah تعالى forgives everyone who seeks His forgiveness.
17. Whoever is negligent of this day has lost a great deal.
18. A Muslim should not be negligent on this day, not even for a second, leave alone for the minutes and the hours.
19. A person should utilize this day, from dawn to dusk in the remembrance of Allaah.
20. And the best thing to say on this day is what the Prophet ﷺ said: “The best of supplication is the supplication of the Day of `Arafah. And the best of what I and the Prophets before me have said is:
لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ، لَهُ المُلْكُ وَلَهُ الحَمْدُ وَهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
Laa ilaaha illallaahu wahdahoo laa shareeka lahoo, lahul-Mulku wa lahul-Hamdu, wa Huwa `alaa kulli shay’in Qadeer
None has the right to be worshipped but Allaah, Alone, without partner, to Him belongs all that exists, and to Him belongs the Praise, and He is powerful over all things.
[Sunan al-Tirmidhee (3585) and graded as “Hasan” by Shaikh al-Albaanee]
21. If a person rotates between this Dhikr and the Takbeeraat, then that is better.
22. And if the person also does other Dhikr like saying Sub-haan Allaah, Alhamdulillaah, Laa ilaaha illallaah, then that is good too.
23. And sending prayers upon the Prophet ﷺ is good too.
24. And the recitation of the Qur’aan is the greatest Dhikr.
25. But do not let any other activity occupy your time, except Dhikr and Du`aa.
26. The one who is clever should not waste his time going to the market or spend his time on his mobile or on social media.
27. Every moment of this day is precious and one should utilize them in the remembrance of Allaah and His obedience.
28. It is only a day, but with Allaah, it is great. As reported in the Saheehain:
Once a Jew said to `Umar رضي الله عنه: “O the chief of Believers! There is an Aayah in your Holy Book that is read by all of you (Muslims), and had it been revealed to us, we would have taken that day (on which it was revealed) as a day of celebration.” `Umar Ibn Al-Khattaab asked: "And which Aayah is that?" The Jew replied: “{This day I have perfected your religion For you, completed My favor upon you, And have chosen for you Islaam as your religion.}” (5:3) `Umar replied: “No doubt, we know when and where this Aayah was revealed to the Prophet. It was Friday and the Prophet ﷺ was standing at `Arafah (i.e. the Day of Hajj).”
[Saheehain]
29. This is a great day in which Allaah تعالى perfected His religion and completed it.
30. This religion has been perfected, so one should not engage in activities which Bid`ah, but rather one should worship upon the teachings of the Prophet ﷺ and we should strive to be sincere.
31. We Fast on this Day, to join in worship with the people of `Arafah, hoping to receive some of what Allaah will bestow on the people in the plains of `Arafah and on the day of `Arafah.
32. The Day of `Arafah, and the days following it, are days of `Eid for the people of Islaam, as the Prophet ﷺ said: “The day of `Arafah, and the day of sacrifice, and the day of At-Tashreeq are days of `Eid, for the people of Islaam, and they are days of eating and drinking.”
[Sunan Abu Dawood (2419), Sunan al-Tirmidhee (773), Sunan al-Nasaa’ee (3004) and graded as “Saheeh” by Shaikh al-Albaanee]
33. And this is a great day because Allaah took an oath by this day, and Allaah تعالى does not take an oath of a thing except when that thing has a lofty status with Allaah.
34. And this day is the “Mash-hood” (that which is witnessed), as in the saying of Allaah تعالى in Surah al-Burooj:
وَشَاهِدٍ وَمَشْهُودٍ
{And [by] the witness (i.e., Friday) and what is witnessed (i.e., the day of `Arafah)}
[Surah al-Burooj (85): 3]
35. And Abu Hurairah رضي الله عنه narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said: “Al-Yawmul-Maw`ood (the Promised Day) is the Day of Resurrection, and Al-Yawmul-Mash-hood (the Attended Day) is the Day of `Arafah, and Ash-Shaahid (the witness) is Friday.”
[Sunan al-Tirmidhee (3399) and graded as “Hasan” by Shaikh al-Albaanee. See al-Saheehah (1502)]
36. And it has been reported that Ibn `Abbaas رضي الله عنهما said about the saying of Allaah تعالى:
وَالشَّفْعِ وَالْوَتْرِ
{And by the even and the odd}
[Surah al-Fajr (89):3]
He commented saying: “The Odd is the day of `Arafah, and the Even is the day of Sacrifice.”
And this is how Ikrimah and al-Dhah-haak, from the people of Tafseer, reiterated this.
37. And this day, Fasting on it, expiates the sins for two years, as the Prophet ﷺ said: “I seek from Allaah that Fasting on the day of `Arafah may atone for the sins of the preceding and the coming year.”
[Saheeh Muslim]
38. Fasting on the day of `Arafah is only for those who did not go for Hajj. But as for the pilgrims, it is forbidden to Fast on this day. The Prophet ﷺ informed the people not to Fast, but when the people did not eat, he ﷺ came out to them with milk and drank in front of them to show them that he ﷺ is not Fasting.
39. The Prophet ﷺ, after having praye Dhuhr and `Asr combined in `Arafah, spent the whole time, facing the Qiblah, with hands raised, supplicating to Allaah till the sunset.
40. He ﷺ did not talk to anyone, narrate to anyone, eat, drink, or sleep. He ﷺ spent the whole time supplicating, almost 5 to 6 hours, at the base of the mount at `Arafah. He ﷺ did not climb the mount nor did his companions.
41. This day is the day of forgiveness and emancipation from the hellfire, as the Prophet ﷺ said: “There is no day on which Allaah sets free more of His servants from Hell than on the Day of `Arafah. He draws near, then praises them to the angels, saying: {What do these people want?}”
[Saheeh Muslim]
42. Allaah تعالى boasts about them in front of the Angels, because the Angels were created for obedience, without free will. But as for humans, they were created and given free will, and they had a choice to disobey Allaah, but instead they came to Allaah, supplicating to Him, beseeching Him, asking Him for forgiveness.
43. So, those who did not go for Hajj, should Fast on this Day and spend their time in Allaah’s remembrance, hoping for Allaah’s mercy.
44. It is an obligation upon us, as Muslims, to honor the Symbols of Allaah. And whoever honors the Symbols of Allah, then it is truly from the piety of the heart.
[Summarized from Shaikh Muhammad Al-Malki’s lecture on 25 June 2023]
