The Rules of The Day of Arafah and Your Udhiyah

The Rules of The Day of Arafah and Your Udhiyah

All praise is due to Allah, and His praise and blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam. I bear witness that Allah is the only one worthy of worship and Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, is His last and final Messenger.

The Blessed Ten Days of Dhul Hijjah

My brothers and sisters, as we enjoy the few days left in the blessed days of the year — the ten days of Dhul Hijjah — the Nabi, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, said the best days in the year are the days of Dhul Hijjah. These are the days which Allah made an oath with them:

As Ibn Abbas, radiyallahu anhu, and others said, these are the ten days of Dhul Hijjah. And we are coming to the best of the best — which is the day of Arafah and the day of Eid, the tenth. The Nabi, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, said the best day of the year — the best day of these ten days, which are themselves the best of the year — is as he said:

(Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 1765; classed as sahih)

The most greatest day in Allah's sight is the day of An-Nahr — the day of Eid al-Adha.

The Udhiyah and Salatul Eid

On that day, one of the best things to do is to offer the Udhiyah — to offer the qurban — reviving the practice of Ibrahim, alayhi salam. And since that time, the muwahhidun — the people of Tawheed, the people of Islam — have been offering the Udhiyah every year. You are just one person among those who continue to carry this legacy, generation after another, by the grace, favor, and mercy of Allah.

Also on that day is Salatul Eid, which is one of the greatest things — to the extent that one of the Sahabah, radiyallahu anhu, said that praying Eid on that day is like going to Hajj — he said this to show the importance of it. And it is not just a celebration or a cultural thing. No, it is a great act of worship, which is something Allah ordered His Prophet Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, to do:

Pray — which is the Eid prayer — and offer the sacrifice — which is the Udhiyah and the qurban.

Salatul Eid is highly recommended for everybody to attend, to the extent that the Nabi, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, ordered women who have their menses — who do not pray — to come and witness Salatul Eid. So what do you think of men and women who are able to perform the prayer? They are definitely much more highly recommended to attend.

And alhamdulillah, from the greatest of blessings of Allah, this Eid will be coming on a Sunday — a day off for so many of us. And also there are multiple choices, as this masjid will be offering two prayers: one early in the morning at 7:00 a.m., and for those who can go to the public place we have chosen in Texas City to accommodate Salatul Eid at 9:30, inshallah. I hope that everybody will be able to join and come out for Salatul Eid, as well as the many masajid around the city that are offering Salatul Eid as well, alhamdulillah.

The point is that everybody should try their best to be there and not to oversleep. I know in Ramadan we don't miss Salatul Eid because we've been staying up all night — we're used to staying late. But in Eid al-Adha, so many times we don't wake up early to pray, especially on a weekend. So with this being said, let me share certain things in regard to these two days.

First: Fasting the Day of Arafah

Fasting the day of Arafah is highly recommended, and the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, said it will erase the sins of two years — this one and the next one. That is because of the immense reward that comes from fasting the day of Arafah.

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1162)

And if you cannot fast for whatever reason, you are highly recommended to occupy that day with du'a. As Ibn Rajab, rahimahu Allah, said: the du'a on the day of Arafah is not only restricted to the du'a of the people standing on the mountain of Arafah. Allah accepts the du'a of those standing on Arafah and of whoever else they may be.

إِنَّ هَذَا لَيْسَ مَخْصُوصًا بِأَهْلِ عَرَفَةَ وَإِنْ كَانُوا أَكْمَلَ النَّاسِ فِي حُصُولِ الْقَبُولِ لَهُمْ — No doubt that the people standing in Arafah have far greater reward and acceptance than anyone else, but everybody else has a share in the goodness, alhamdulillah.

That is why it is recommended that as Asr comes — and that was the practice of the early generations in Islam — when Asr or even Dhuhr comes, they would stay in the masjid, pray, make du'a, read Qur'an, and remain until Maghrib comes, occupying that time with salah, ibadah, and dhikr of Allah.

This is something I highly recommend for everybody — whether you are at home, you come to the masjid, or you spend time with your family. Just make sure that you are not spending all your time following the Euro Cup, but also spending time doing what will benefit you in your akhirah. This is just one day — one day that you should dedicate to ibadah and du'a.

The Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, said the best du'a is the du'a of Arafah, and the best thing ever said on the day of Arafah is:

(Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3585; classed as hasan)

And you can pray with whatever du'a you wish on that day.

Making Special Du'a Through Good Deeds (Tawassul)

As al-Awza'i said, the early generations — from the Sahabah and the Tabi'een — would wait until the day of Arafah to make their requests. Or if they had done something special and unique in their life or that year, they would not ask Allah by virtue of those good deeds until the day of Arafah came.

So let's say you donated a great amount of money this year, or you helped someone who was in great need, or you did something very unique — you can say, "Ya Allah, if You know that I did this for Your sake, then do this and this for me." That is part of the tawassul — and one of the greatest forms of tawassul is to seek what you want through the good deeds you have offered to Allah.

For instance, Ibn Umar might free a hundred slaves on the day of Arafah, wait for that day, and when he freed all those hundred slaves he would say: "Ya Rabb, I just freed them from slavery — so free me from the Hellfire, and free them from the Hellfire, the people in Arafah." They used to do something so unique on that day.

So maybe think about something unique you can do on that day before asking Allah — as long as it is not a bid'ah, not something you invented outside the religion. I am talking about something within the religion of Islam, within the realm of the Sunnah of the Prophet, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam — something extra that you do not usually do, some extra ibadah. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of that.

Combining the Fast of Arafah with Making Up Days from Ramadan

A lot of people ask the question: "Sheikh, can I combine the day of Arafah fast with making up one of the days I missed in Ramadan?" I want to address this from two perspectives — from a pure fiqh perspective and from a taqwa and religiosity perspective.

We have become so commercialized — it's not like a "two-for-one, buy one get one free" kind of attitude. I just don't like the attitude behind it, as if you're trying to maximize your buck — get the extra large for free or get a free extra drink. That is not how we deal with the deen and sharia. It is a great thing to fast two days — to fast the day of Arafah and another day to make up the days you missed. I just don't want the attitude of laziness and aiming low. We should always be inspired to aim high, to do more than what we think we can.

That is why the Nabi, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, said:

(Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6692; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1639)

That is why in Islam it is highly disliked to make a nathr. What is nathr? It is when you say, "Ya Allah, if You do this for me, I will do this for You." You know — "If You heal me, I will fast one month." "If You give me this business deal, I will donate fifty thousand dollars." Habibi, you should donate fifty thousand dollars regardless — whether you got the business deal or not! It is not like, "Hey, You do this for me, I'll do that for You." That is why it is highly disliked to make such things in Islam. But if you do make that nathr, you are highly praised if you fulfill the promise you made to Allah — if you made it, you must fulfill it.

In any case — the same spirit applies here. You just don't want this to be the spirit of us as Muslims. But if you ask technically: can you do that? This is debated in the concept the fuqaha' call tashrik al-niyyah — when you have two intentions for one action. Many of the great scholars of our time said it is allowed, like Shaykh Mustafa al-Muti'i, rahimahullah, or Shaykh Ibn Baz, rahimahullah. They said it is allowed to combine the two intentions. We may give a more detailed answer to some of these points tonight inshallah, as we have a fatwa night.

Second: The Question of Which Day is Eid

A lot of people are also asking about the day of Eid. As you know, alhamdulillah, in our city we don't have this problem, but it may exist in a very small percentage here and in some other communities — unfortunately, some are celebrating Eid on Monday rather than Sunday, based on their sighting of the moon one day later.

I'm not going to go into the fiqh debate over this. But I wish that in a non-Muslim country like where we are living as a minority, we would look for every reason to unify the Muslims — as long as that reason is permissible in Islam. I understand the big debate and the reasons behind the differences in Ramadan — I have no excuse for two communities in the same city starting their fast or celebrating Eid al-Fitr on two different days; there is no excuse for that. But I think in Hajj we have even more reason to be unified around the Hajj — around the people standing in Arafah.

Those who will make Eid on Monday — are they going to fast Saturday as the day of Arafah? And if they do, what will Sunday look like? And if you're going to be fasting on Sunday, can you claim you're fasting Arafah while nobody is in Arafah that day? Yes, you can — you can say Arafah is the ninth, not the day of standing — but it's a weak position. There is something uncomfortable about that.

I understand that in certain countries, the whole entire country makes their Eid on one particular day — like Morocco, or some countries in Central Asia — and the whole country is unified. But I am not talking about that. I am talking about us as a community here. Why would we divide?

But if your family members are celebrating — let's say you go to Chicago or another city with a big community that will celebrate on Monday — what should you do? I think you should not fast on Sunday, and you should celebrate Eid privately on Sunday, because there is no need for it to be otherwise. Fasting the day of Eid is haram, but fasting Ashura and fasting Arafah are recommended. So you do not fast on Sunday, and you celebrate with them on Monday for Eid — because the Eid prayer can be prayed on the first or the second day, which is acceptable — and in this way you will be unified with your family members and there is no need to make it a fiqh debate.

Third: Rules Regarding the Udhiyah

Not Cutting Hair or Nails

The Nabi, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, said that those who intend to do the Udhiyah should not cut their hair or their nails. And in the Nabi's, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, saying "those who intend to do the Udhiyah," it shows that the Udhiyah is not wajib — it is not obligatory.

(Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1977)

Is the Udhiyah Obligatory?

The vast majority of Muslim scholars agreed that the Udhiyah is a highly recommended Sunnah. The only scholar who differed was Abu Hanifah, who said it is wajib upon a person who is financially capable to offer the Udhiyah. He based his argument on a hadith which the scholars of hadith, including Imam Ahmad and others, declared to be munkar — rejected and inauthentic. That is usually what the debate between scholars has been about: some recognize the authenticity of a narration while others do not.

In any case, the vast majority of scholars said it is not obligatory. And I think the argument arose because those who say it is recommended do not say it is just "recommended" lightly — they say the Udhiyah is extremely highly recommended in Islam. The obligatory and the recommended are not on one level. The recommended acts have hundreds of levels, and the obligatory acts are also levels.

For example: aren't you obligated to say السَّلَامُ عَلَيْكُمْ? Yes, by all the scholars — you are obligated to respond to the greeting. But can you imagine that responding to the salam is at the same level as taking care of your mother? It will never be the same — taking care of your mother is at a far higher level. So there are levels in Islam.

If you can imagine it, the Udhiyah would be in the area between the highest level of a recommended act and perhaps the lowest level of an obligation. So it is something highly recommended — and if you have the financial ability, you should do it.

Offering the Udhiyah Outside Your Country

You are allowed to offer the Udhiyah outside your country, but it is not the Sunnah. The Sunnah is to offer it here — to witness it and to eat from it. But if you truly cannot offer it here because it may be very expensive, while you could pay a fraction of the price outside — don't go cheap just to save money. You deal with Allah; Allah knows your finances. However, if you genuinely do not have enough money or are not financially capable, you are allowed to do it outside.

And if there is a crisis somewhere that requires the Udhiyah, it is also good to send it there. There is also a lot of advertising about offering the Udhiyah for the people of Gaza and Palestine — which is understandable and fine. But I want you to know that most likely these organizations will freeze the meat for several days or weeks until there is a possibility to bring it inside. My advice to these organizations is usually not to offer such things; the people of Gaza and Palestine do not need your Udhiyah as much as they need your sadaqah. You can give from your sadaqah, and it can be distributed in a much simpler format — immediately given without any chance of it going rotten or something going wrong in the process — because the Udhiyah is an act of worship that should be honored. But in any case, you are allowed to give through them, and they are responsible for it. Alhamdulillah, all the Muslim organizations that we know, deal with, and recommend — we trust them and know that they do their best to ensure your Udhiyah reaches the people.

Not Cutting Hair and Nails — Ruling and Wisdom

Regarding not cutting the hair and nails: the majority of the fuqaha' said it is highly recommended to avoid such things. The Hanbalis said the hadith says "don't" — meaning it is haram and not allowed. You should avoid cutting the hair and nails regardless.

I think there is wisdom in this. I know it creates a sense of inconvenience — believe me, I forgot to trim my mustache before the ten days started and every time I say it I wish I had. But you know what? That inconvenience makes me feel that these are very different days from the rest of the year. I think sometimes the sharia puts certain rules to make you feel the difference between these days and other days — and that intention in itself, that feeling that these are unique and special days, is the point. And it is not a hardship that will cause any real problem.

That is why, islamically, even if you are in ihram — and let's say you break a nail, or a hair is falling in front of your eyes and preventing you from seeing clearly — you are allowed to remove it even if it would otherwise be haram. If it causes you harm, you can deal with it. But in general, it is not a very serious inconvenience. It is a little bit of inconvenience, but it always reminds me that these are the ten days — so say:

Avoid what is haram, avoid doing what is not allowed, avoid wasting your time — and so forth.

Is Avoiding Hair and Nails a Condition for the Udhiyah?

There is so much more to be said. But I hope you understand: if you cut your nails, can you still make the intention to do the Udhiyah? Yes, you can. Can you start from today? Yes, you can. Can you do more than one? Yes, you can. Is cutting hair connected to cutting nails — are they tied to each other? No, they are not connected. It is highly recommended — or according to some scholars, obligatory to avoid — but if this is what stopped you from offering the Udhiyah, because someone thought you cannot make the Udhiyah without that condition — no, it is not a condition. All the ulema agree that the Udhiyah is still accepted.

Making the Intention and Multiple Udhiyah

Somebody also asked: "Sheikh, can I initiate the intention for the Udhiyah today, or does it have to be from the first of Dhul Hijjah?" No — you can make the intention now. And can I do my own Udhiyah even though my father is doing one on my behalf, or my mom, or my husband? Yes, you can. You can make as many Udhiyah as you want.

The Nabi, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, offered the Udhiyah with two rams. And in Hajj, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, he slaughtered with his own hand 63 camels — one for every year he lived — then passed the knife to Ali to finish the hundred. Each camel stretched its neck towards the Prophet, as if seeking the honor of being slaughtered by him — something that made the Sahabah surprised; they had never seen anything like it before. And he made Udhiyah with al-baqar (cows) on behalf of his wives, and a ram on behalf of himself, his family, and his ummah, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam.

You are allowed to join multiple people in one Udhiyah. One of the things I learned from some of my teachers and from people I respect is this: every year when I offer my Udhiyah, I always make sure I offer one on behalf of myself, and another one on behalf of my teachers — those who have done good to me — and also on behalf of any member of my community who was not able to offer the Udhiyah that year. Make sure to do this every year, because the Nabi, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam, did this on behalf of his ummah as well. We are the people who lived after him, sallallahu alayhi wa sallam — we should look after one another.

Closing Du'a

May Allah accept from all of us our good deeds. There is more to say, and we will talk about it tonight inshallah, so I encourage you to come and attend after Salatul Maghrib for our fatwa night tonight inshallah.

May Allah make this a blessed Eid for all of us, and blessed days for all of us, and accept our good deeds and make it easy for our brothers and sisters around the world — especially our brothers and sisters in Palestine. May Allah bring peace and justice to them, and may Allah turn things around against those who oppress them.