5 Ways to Seize the Day of Arafah
Family & Life Team
28 July, 2020
When it comes to Muslims, there is nothing more spiritually powerful and fulfilling in the month of Dul-Hijjah than to follow the footsteps of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by increasing the good deeds, asking Allah for forgiveness and performing the spiritual journey of Hajj.
But, what about those who are not going to hajj? Is there some blessings left for them?
Getting the Most from Dhul-Hijjah
Getting the Most from Dhul-Hijjah
The answer is YES. The first ten days of Dul-Hijjah are full of blessings. Let alone the 9th day, which is the day of Arafah ; it’s a very special day for all Muslims whether on Hajj or not.
In order to show the importance of the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said:
“There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days.” The people asked, “Not even Jihad for the sake of Allah?” He said, “Not even Jihad for the sake of Allah, except in the case of a man who went out, giving himself and his wealth up for the cause (of Allah), and came back with nothing” – (Bukhari)
Here are ways to reap the most benefits during this holy month, especially during the blessed ten days and during the day of ‘Arafah:
1. Fasting
Fasting is one of the most important acts of worship during the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah, especially on the day of Arafah. Fasting on the day of Arafah removes our sins for two whole years, the previous year and the coming one.
“One who fasts sincerely on the day of Arafah will receive forgiveness of his/her sins for the previous and following year.” – (Kitab Al-Sawm) Sahih Muslim :: Book 6 : Hadith 2603
2. Dhikr – Rememberance of Allah
This blessed day is all about doing good deeds which will be highly regarded in the eyes of Allah. Remembering Allah during this day is the best thing to do.
Recite: “SubhanAllahi wa bihamdihi, SubhanAllahil Adheem” (Glory be to Allah and all praise is due to Him).
“Two words (subhanAllah wa bihamdihi) are light on the tongue, weigh heavily in the balance, and are loved by the Most Merciful One.” – Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) – (Bukhari)
3 Most Important Things to Do in the Day of Arafah
3 Most Important Things to Do on the Day of Arafah
3. Tasbeeh, Tahmeed, Takbeer and Tahleel
These four kinds of dhikr are to be recited as much as possible on the day of Arafah.
Tahleel means “Laa ilaaha il-lal-laah”
Tahmeed means “Alhamdulillaah”
Tasbeeh means “Subhanallaah”.
Takbeer means “Allahu Akbar”
4. Recite Quran
Though one should recite Quran on a daily basis, this day holds special importance as every good deed is multiplied and the verses of Quran seek for forgiveness of Allah.
5. Make Du’a
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said:
“The most excellent dua is the dua on the Day of Arafah, and the best of what I and the prophets before me have said, is “There is nothing that deserves to be worshiped in truth except Allah, He is Alone and has no partner, to Him belongs the dominion and to Him belongs all praise, and He is All-Powerful over all things.” (Tirmizi)
Make du’a as much as you can. Seek Allah’s forgiveness and ask for all what you want! Keep making du’a till the time of iftar (Maghrib)
Muslim reported from `A’ishah that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said,
“There is no day on which Allah sets free more slaves from Hell than He does on the Day of `Arafah.”
This is the day of Arafah, it is the most blessed day of the year. It is the day in which Allah boasts to the angels of His servants gathered together, all covered in dust… But calling upon Him invoking Him for His Mercy, and people all over the world doing the same.
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
Hajj is Arafah.
And what he meant by that is that the core of Hajj is Arafah; the core of Hajj is really contained in those blessed moments of Arafah.
The same way that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
Dua is worship.
Or he said:
Regret is repentance.
It’s not that it is only regret that is repentance, but the core of true repentance is sincere regret…
Likewise “Arafah is Hajj”, it is the core of Hajj and it has significance to all of us around the world. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
There is no date in which Allah sets free more souls from the fire than on the day of Arafah; and on that day, Allah draws near to the earth and by way of exhibiting His pride remarks to the Angels: What is it that these servants of Mine are asking Me for so that I may Grant it to them?
Make Dua
Imagine the scene of Arafah, of all of these four million people, all making dua at the same time, in their different languages with their sincere requests… And Allah honoring each and every single one of them at that moment, answering their supplications.
Each and every single one of them as they call out to Allah with their hearts and with their souls and in their own languages, and Allah not depriving a single one of them.
Imagine how blessed that is when the people all over the world on that day also try to be a part of that blessing and call upon Allah wherever they are on this best day of the year, begging Allah for forgiveness, seeking Allah’s pleasure, seeking Allah’s bounty for everything in their lives, and Allah answering each and every single one of them in the different languages in Arafah and in the different places all around the world.
The benefits of Hajj and Arafah reach the entire Ummah. So pray for yourself, pray for your Ummah, pray for the people around the world; and let the benefit flow insahllah because this is the most blessed day of the year.
Fast
Fasting this day is important; praying this day is important; making dua this day is important; not doing anything that removes the blessings of this day in terms of sin is important.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
There is no day in the year in which the Shaytan is more humiliated and in more despair than he is on this day – the day of Arafah.
Why?
Because he sees these people, he sees you and he’s been working for your entire life to take you away from your Creator. And then on this day, in these few hours you call upon Allah, and Allah forgives you for all of your sins; Allah puts you back in good ranking and good standing… And all of his efforts to delude you and to take you astray are in vain.
And he sees all of these people calling upon Allah, being forgiven, leaving his grasp into the Mercy of Allah and he feels completely humiliated.
He sees the descent of the angels coming upon these people, and Allah hearing the reports of the angels and forgiving these people. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said:
The only day that he was more humiliated was the day of Badr when he saw Jibreel and his army descend.
Satan thought that the end of Islam was going to be the battle of Badr, but when he saw Jibreel descend, he knew that he was going to lose this battle.
Likewise on the day of Arafah, when he sees all of these angels descending and he sees these people being forgiven, he knows that he’s lost the battle with you as an individual.
Make this the day in which you completely stamp Satan out of your life; and you are completely freed from any type of punishment; and you are amongst those that Allah boasts about and earn His pleasure.
One of my fondest memories as a child was when my father decided that I, at the ripe age of 6, was old enough to understand the concept of altruism, sacrifice and devotion.
I remember I had wondered why he was fasting the first days of the month of Dhul Hijjah asking him if the month of Ramadan had come upon us once again. After all, at 6, Ramadan and fasting were one to me.
He explained to me that in commemoration of the trials of the Prophet Ibrahim and his family in Makkah, which included Ibrahim’s willingness to sacrifice his son in response to God’s command, Muslims worldwide make a pilgrimage to the sacred city at least once in their lifetime.
The Hajj – or pilgrimage – he said is one of the “five pillars” of Islam, and thus an essential part of our faith and practice as Muslims.
He never got tired of my questions and it was when I asked him which was better the last ten nights of Ramadan or the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah that he advised me to seize the moment and that God was Merciful in that He gave a second chance to make up for those nights we may have missed in Ramadan and take advantage of the first days of Dhul Hijjah.
Perform any good deeds, he would say, and encourage us as we counted down and marked off the days of the calendar leading us to what he had described as the best day of all as the day Muslims stood on Arafah as one. The Quran reminds us that, originally, humankind was one Ummah (Nation), but this unity was broken by various differences which we as human beings created among ourselves it says:
{The people were but one nation, then they differed. And had it not been for a previous command from your Lord, the matter would have been immediately judged between them for what they differed.} (Yunus 10:19)
In Unity There is Strength
Mindful of my father’s words every year I recollect the mercy of God during these days.
Somehow I always felt guilty for not taking full advantage of the last 10 nights of Ramadan and feel that He is giving me a second chance in the first 10 days of Dhul Hijjah to do good and reap the bountiful rewards during the process.
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
“There are no other days that are as great as these in the sight of Allah, the Most Sublime. Nor are there any deeds more beloved to Allah than those that are done in these ten days.
So increase in tahlil (to say la illaha illallah), takbir (to say allahu akbar) and tahmid (to say alhamdulillah).” (At-Tabarani)
Every year at this time, I, now equipped with my late father’s advice, teach my children to go above and beyond. Do just a bit more with something at work, school or at home with friends or with family.
In short, give more than is expected. Mark on a calendar and count down the days to where Muslims as one unite on the Day of Arafah and experience the strength in just being part of this great day regardless of where you are.
With the current turmoil where I live, the upcoming 10 days of Dhul Hijjah will give me, personally, time to reflect on where I stand at this point and what can be done to improve myself.
My willingness to examine my own possible biases is an important step in understanding the roots of stereotypes and prejudice in our society as I see it today and the rift which has unfortunately taken a strong foothold on the country.
The current discrimination which is treating people unequally because of their group memberships with discriminatory behavior, which range from slights to hate crimes, often begins with negative stereotypes and prejudices.
Pondering over events in the country one can only liken the situation of Hagar, Prophet Ismail’s mother, who had complete faith in God that He would make things better and provide for her infant son when she ran across the desert looking for water.
The Zamzam Well to me represents this faith, perseverance and hope.
We, as Muslims, should start these days with sincere repentance to God and that includes cleansing ourselves from the prejudices and working on becoming one, remember, in unity there is strength.
I personally believe the only way for any people including both Muslims and non-Muslims alike of any situation is through going back to the guidance of God and the Quran. We can do this through reflection, self-examination and true sincerity, in order to truly correct ourselves.
Recognizing that any problem is in others as well as in ourselves should motivate us all to try both to understand and to act on this basis.
On a larger scale there is comfort in knowing that Islam being a flexible religion allows for a variety of opinions and customs, as long as they do not contradict the religion.
As mentioned, disagreements can be resolved by turning to the Quran, not by isolation or segregation.
The Quran is the book of guidance for all of mankind. How can we convince anyone of this if we cannot even be united amongst ourselves?
We should learn to adopt the principle of consensus and as Voltaire once said I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it and also learn to accept difference of opinion.
Exercising restraint during these days is just as significant as fasting during Ramadan.
We can aim at holding our tongue simply by not saying it. We may want to. We may have the right to. But we should just try smiling instead. Hard?
For sure.
Rewarding?
Definitely.
Islam has taught us to show humility and what better time to demonstrate it than now?
Purely bask in just knowing your own greatness inside without the need to have it reinforced publicly. We should seize the moment and during the upcoming days define our own insight regarding integrity. What does it mean to us as Muslims on a larger scale and as an individual family member on another?
Write it down then question ourselves are we living in it or are we caught up in the moment forgetting or disregarding it as we occupy ourselves with less important things.
Lastly remember that any good deed done during the first 10 days of Dhul Hijjah is rewarded tenfold and now is the time to examine our intentions.
We should as individuals carefully look at why we are doing something. And ask do our intentions match our values? If not, reconsider. Bear in mind that intentions are the foundations of every action. The prophet says:
“Verily actions are by intentions, and for every person is what he intended.
So the one whose ‘hijrah’ (migration) was to Allah and His Messenger, then his ‘hijrah’ was to Allah and His Messenger.
And the one whose ‘hijrah’ was for the world to gain from it, or a woman to marry her, then his ‘hijrah’ was for what he made ‘hijrah’ for.” (Muslim)
