The Opportunity Arafah Provides (with British Sign Language) - Shaykh Mustafa Abu Rayyan

The Opportunity Arafah Provides

We have errors and mistakes, oppressions and transgressions that we do not want to meet Allah with. We have an opportunity to raise our hand and say, Ya Allah, forgive us. Ya Allah, forgive us. Ya Allah, we are here.

Labbayk Ya Allah, we are here — even those among us that couldn't go to Hajj. Ya Allah, we are here.

The Best Dhikr on the Day of Arafah

The best thing to say on the day of Arafah — the best thing to say tomorrow — is to declare La ilaha illa Allah.

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3383; Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 3800)

The greatest dhikr and remembrance is to say La ilaha illa Allah — none has the right to be worshipped except Allah. A declaration of Tawheed.

The Prophet ﷺ said:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3585; al-Bayhaqi in Shu'ab al-Iman)

Khayru al-du'a yawmi Arafah — the best du'a to make on the day of Arafah. And khayru ma qultuhu ana wa al-nabiyyuna min qabli — the best thing that has been said by me and the Prophets that came before me — is:

La ilaha illa Allah — none has the right to be worshipped except Allah. La sharika lah — He has no partners. Lahul mulk wa lahul hamd — to Him belongs all dominion and all praise belongs to Him alone. Wa huwa ala kulli shayin qadeer — and He is able to do all things.

The Power of Tawheed

Now, what's interesting about that du'a — about that dhikr, about that remembrance — is that it doesn't have an ask in there. There's nothing you're asking Allah there. You're just declaring Allah's oneness, the Tawheed of Allah. And that should teach you something, brothers and sisters: the one who declares La ilaha illa Allah, by mere virtue of declaring Tawheed, you are sorted. You don't need to ask Allah anything, because with that you will get everything that you need. You will get everything that you need.

This is true belief — those who believe, who have Tawheed, who say La ilaha illa Allah, live by it and believe in it.

Wa lam yalbisu imanahum bidhulm — and they do not mix, they do not add into their iman, they do not ruin it with dhulm (oppression). And the oppression that is talked about here is shirk. And shirk is when you associate partners with Allah.

A lot of people assume that that's talking about just paganism or idolatry. My brothers and sisters, there are many forms of shirk. And to simplify it for you: if you ever put anything in this world at the same level as Allah in your heart, you are in danger of falling into shirk if you haven't already. And that's why Allah speaks in the Quran of those that worship their desires, because they have put their whims and desires equal to Allah. And there are those that worship all sorts of things. We single out Allah in worship, and nothing is more important to us than Allah.

What does Allah promise the people of Tawheed? Allah says they will be given safety, security and peace, and they will be guided. So by establishing La ilaha illa Allah, by living by Tawheed, Allah gives you everything that you want.

Safety and security from what? Safety and security from sin, from shirk, from bid'ah. Allah will protect you from that if you truly establish and live by La ilaha illa Allah. And Allah will protect you from the hereafter, from the fire. And they will be guided — guided in this world upon the straight path, upon the Sunnah, upon Tawheed, upon worship, not sin. And in the hereafter they will be guided to Jannah and to Allah's pleasure.

So this is why it's important that if you're going to repeat something tomorrow, let the thing that you repeat the most be a declaration of the single greatest statement ever said:

And you couple that with takbeer and tahmeed, as the Prophet ﷺ told us. Praise Allah, glorify Allah. And do not let your glorification of Allah, and your statement of Tawheed, and your praising of Allah — do not let that be mere statements that you're not aware of when you're saying them. For every single time you declare Allah's greatness, you should mean it. And every time you seek Allah's forgiveness, you should mean it. And every time you glorify Allah, you should mean it.

Why am I saying this? Because the trap that many of us fall into is saying La ilaha illa Allah — we're saying it but we're not really thinking about what we're saying. Which is not the way forward, my brothers and sisters. Dhikr has an impact on your heart when you truly mean it.

Summary: What to Do on the Day of Arafah

So inshallah, my brothers and sisters, to summarize — tomorrow is the single greatest day where we should focus on ibadah, where Allah will free the most people from the fire. And as Ibn Rajab mentioned, this is not specific to the people in Arafah — you and I could potentially be among those, if we do the right things.

1. Fast on the Day of Arafah

Tomorrow you should fast, for fasting will expiate the sins from the previous year and the coming year.

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1162)

2. Declare Allah's Tawheed

Tomorrow you should declare Allah's Tawheed — La ilaha illa Allah — because it is the single greatest thing that has ever been said, and the Prophet ﷺ told us specifically to say it on the day of Arafah.

3. Engage in Lots of Ibadah

Tomorrow you should be engaged in lots of ibadah and worship, so that you can be among those that on this very day are engaged in that which they have been created for, and perhaps are honored by being among those that are freed from the fire.

4. Stay Away from Sin

Tomorrow, most importantly my brothers and sisters, you should stay away from sin. While the Prophet ﷺ was in Hajj and he was on the day of Arafah, there was a young man that was on a riding camel with him. And this young man glanced — he glanced at some womenfolk. And the Prophet ﷺ grabbed his cheek and turned him away, and he said: "Allah forgives, Allah forgives on the day of Arafah" — those that ensure they keep their eyes and their ears away from sin.

So keep that in mind, my brothers and sisters. Safeguard yourself from sin. Hasten to repentance to Allah. Remember the Almighty, the Most Merciful, descends on the day of Arafah. Do not let it go to waste. Do not let your family make it go to waste. Everyone should be engaged in ibadah and worship.

Closing Du'a and Reminder

All praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds, and with Him we seek help in all matters of the world and in religion. There is no aggression except against the wrongdoers.

I hope that we are all reminded, and focused, and ready to engage in as much ibadah as possible on the day of Arafah. And may Allah allow all of us to be freed from the fire and to be showered with Allah's mercy. May Allah grant us the tawfiq to be able to be active in worship tomorrow and every single day after, until we meet our Lord.

A Note on Fasting on a Saturday

I just want to highlight one more thing, which is that fasting tomorrow — tomorrow is a Saturday. And some of you may have heard that we shouldn't single out Saturdays in fasts. So how do you reconcile with that, tomorrow being a day of fasting?

To summarize for you all, my brothers and sisters: the vast majority of our ulama hold the view and recommend that we should fast on the day of Arafah regardless of whatever day it falls into. What is not recommended is singling out a day like a Saturday with ibadah. But if it happens to fall on a day that you would have to fast anyway — such as fasting on the day of Arafah, such as fasting on Ashura — then this should not be a problem.

And in fact, many of the ulama have mentioned regarding the narration upon which that ruling is based, that you are not allowed to fast on Saturdays except if it is an obligatory fast. So in other words, tomorrow you have every reason to fast, every reason to worship, every reason to repent, every reason to make as much du'a as possible.

May Allah accept all of your du'a. And remember all of our brothers and sisters all over the world that are suffering — remember them in your du'a as well. Allah rewards you for the Muslims you make du'a for. Remember them in your du'a.