Why is the day of Arafah special?

The day of Arafah (or Arafat) is the greatest day of the entire year in the Islamic calendar! Sacred days really don’t get any bigger than this one. It’s the perfect opportunity to ask for forgiveness for our past sins and earn amazing rewards for our good deeds.

The day of Arafah is:

• The day the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) gave his farewell sermon.
• It’s the day that Islam was perfected as a religion.
• It’s a day that Allah swears by the Qur’an.
• It’s when Allah will descend to the skies so he can look down on the millions of Hajj pilgrims on Mount Arafah and offer them divine forgiveness.
• The time when millions of Muslims from all over the world will fast to cleanse themselves of the sins of the previous and coming years.

"Fasting on the day of Arafah expiates the sins from the past and coming years." [Muslim] 

When is Arafah 2017?

The day of Arafah always falls on the ninth day of Dhul Hijjah (the month of Hajj) and on the second day of Hajj rituals. This year, the day of Arafah will be 31^st August.

Where is Mount Arafah? 

Mount Arafah is a historic site in Islam, situated on a plain of land around 20km southeast of the holy city of Mecca. The mount itself is a granite hill, 230ft tall and also known as the ‘Mount of Mercy’ or Jabal al-Rahmah.

In Islam, Mount Arafah is where the Prophet Muhammad (phub) gave his Farewell Sermon to the fellow Muslims who had accompanied him on the Hajj pilgrimage in his later years.

What do pilgrims do on the day of Arafah?

If you’re going on Hajj, the second day of rituals will be all about Mount Arafah.

At dawn, around four million Muslims will make the journey from Mecca to the nearby hillside of Mount Arafah on the Plain of Arafah. From dawn until sunset, pilgrims will stand in sincere devotion, opening their hearts to Allah and praying for his mercy. This supplication must be completely sincere to invoke God’s forgiveness.  

Many pilgrims will shed tears as they recite prayers and offer up heartfelt duas. All pilgrims are in a state of Ihram (purity) and their identical white clothing puts them on an equal footing before Allah.

What should I do on the day of Arafah? 

If you’re not making the sacred Hajj pilgrimage this year, don’t worry! There are plenty of other ways you can earn the forgiveness of Allah without travelling to the Mount of Arafah.

On the Day of Arafah, it’s highly recommended that you:

• Fast from sun up to sunset.
• Recite prayers and duas as much as possible, and ask for forgiveness for your sins over the past year and the year to come. This sacred day should be spent in worship and supplication.
• Glorify Allah in all your actions, so ensure that you don’t indulge in bad habits or unkind behaviour.
• Give generously to charity and go out of your way to help others.
• Read the Qur’an.
• Honour your parents by spending time with them, listening to their opinions and serving them in any way you can.

Spiritual rewards for all of these actions are multiplied many times over, so this is the perfect time to gain the amazing blessings and mercy of Allah.

It’s time to pay your Qurbani 

One of the most important things that all Muslims must do during the ten sacred days of Dhul Hijjah is pay their Qurbani. The Qurbani sacrifice is how Muslims from all over the world commemorate the obedience of the Prophet Ibrahim (as) and follow in his footsteps.

It’s easier than ever to pay your Qurbani with Human Appeal. You simply select the country you’d like your Qurbani shares to be distributed and pay for as many shares as you’d like. Remember that a small animal like a sheep counts as one Qurbani share and a larger animal such as a cow or camel counts as seven Qurbani shares. 

It’s our mission to ensure that vulnerable families living in famine-stricken and conflict-affected countries receive a life-saving parcel of nutritious Qurbani meat in time for Eid ul-Adha. Don’t wait – give your Qurbani today.