What to do on 'Arafah

The Best Day of the Year: Yawm 'Arafah

We begin by praising Allah and bearing witness that none has the right to be worshipped or unconditionally obeyed except for Him. And we bear witness that Muhammad ﷺ is his final messenger. We ask Allah to send his peace and blessings upon him, all of the prophets and messengers that came before him, his family and companions that served alongside him, and those that follow in their blessed path until the Day of Judgment. And we ask Allah to make us amongst them. Allahumma ameen.

Dear brothers and sisters, this Monday is literally the best day of the year. A time that if Allah gives us the ability to see it — may Allah allow us to live to see it and allow us to be accepted on that day — may never come back to us.

And it's a day that the Prophet ﷺ described:

The best day that the sun has risen upon is the day of 'Arafah. (Sahih Ibn Hibban, Hadith 3853; reported by at-Tabarani)

The day that you come to know your Lord every single year. The Prophet ﷺ said:

The best supplication is the supplication on the day of 'Arafah, and the best of what I and the prophets before me have said is: There is no god but Allah, alone, with no partner. To Him belongs all dominion and all praise, and He has power over all things. (Sunan at-Tirmidhi, Hadith 3585)

Meaning all of the prophets were guided to this day. They said on that day:

There is only one God — alone with no partners. To Him belongs all dominion. To Him belongs all praise. And to Him belongs power over all things. This is what all of the prophets would say on this day.

The Day of the Covenant

The day that marks يَوْمَ أَشْهَدَهُمْ عَلَى أَنفُسِهِمْ — the moment that we all stood in front of Allah. And just as you look around and you see all of these people spread out today, all of us stood before Allah on that day. And it was upon us that an oath was taken. Allah asked each and every single one of us:

"Am I not your Lord?" And all of us said: "Yes, we bear witness."

The du'a — that oath — that the Prophet ﷺ mentions, that Allah refers to in the Qur'an when He says شَاهِدٍ وَمَشْهُودٍ — the Prophet ﷺ said in an authentic narration that اليَوْمُ المَوْعُودُ, the promised day, is the Day of Judgment. The شَاهِد, the witness, is سَيِّدُ الأَيَّامِ يَوْمُ الجُمُعَةِ — the best of all days of the week, which is Friday. And مَشْهُود, the witnessed day, is the day of 'Arafah — where Allah calls the angels and says: look at all of these people around the world, calling upon Me, invoking Me in their languages, coming to the place of 'Arafah, covered in dust, exhausted, their sleep schedules off, each one of them with their own unique du'as, each one of them with their own hopes, calling upon one God.

The day that the angels witness that Allah has forgiven all of us — may Allah make us amongst those that are forgiven. Allahumma ameen.

'Arafah and the Pillars of Islam

The day that represents one of the five pillars of Islam. This is very interesting. Of the five pillars of Islam, the first pillar — which we will witness today insha'Allah — is when someone testifies to the oneness of God for the very first time:

One pillar of Islam fulfilled by one statement, one testimony. In which you turn the page with your Lord. Everything that has been done before is forgotten. You come back to your origin and enter into that fitrah. That's the first pillar of Islam.

And the last pillar of Islam is Hajj — where you go back to your Lord in an enactment of death, wearing the clothes of death, once again testifying:

Here I am, O Allah — responding to Your call, affirming Your oneness, uncorrupted and undistracted by everything that the world has thrown at me, recognizing my purpose in life is to worship You.

الحَجُّ عَرَفَةُ — Hajj is 'Arafah. That moment where once again you stand in front of Allah, saying throughout the day لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ — You are only One, and I'm coming to You fully acknowledging that. On my terms. Responding to You, O Allah.

And the Prophet ﷺ is teaching us that throughout the day of 'Arafah, the best thing that you can do is renew that covenant over and over and over again. Before you think about your du'a wish list, before you think about all the things you want to ask your Lord — throughout the day: لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ. You are my Lord. وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ. Continuously renewing your covenant with Allah throughout the day.

The Meaning of 'Arafah: Coming to Know Your Lord

The word 'Arafah means to come to know — to come to know who? To come to know your Lord.

وَمَنْ عَرَفَ رَبَّهُ عَرَفَ نَفْسَهُ — And if you know your Lord then you know yourself. وَمَنْ عَرَفَ نَفْسَهُ اعْتَرَفَ بِذَنْبِهِ وَنَقْصِهِ مَعَ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ — And if you know yourself, then once you know your Lord and then you know yourself, you will naturally know your own shortcomings in regards to your Lord. The blessings that He has bestowed upon you are a prerequisite to you understanding the deficiency with which you have responded — which then leads you to the most sincere version of your supplication.

Realize that the du'a that we say throughout that day does not just have an acknowledgement of Allah's oneness, but a praise for all of the blessings that He showers upon us throughout the year. And the Prophet ﷺ taught us سَيِّدُ الاسْتِغْفَارِ — the chief of seeking forgiveness:

O Allah, You are my Lord. There is no god but You. You created me and I am Your slave. I am upon the covenant and promise to You to the best of my ability. I seek refuge in You from the evil of what I have done. I acknowledge to You Your blessings upon me and I acknowledge my sin, so forgive me — for none forgives sins but You. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 6306)

Oh Allah, You are my Lord. You created me and I am Your slave. And I am upon the promise, the oath, the covenant that I have taken with You — I will perform it to the best of my ability. I seek refuge in You from what I have done. And I admit to You all of Your ni'am — all of the blessings that You have bestowed upon me. وَأَبُوءُ بِذَنْبِي — and how I have responded in a way in which shortcoming is inevitable, due to Your magnificence and the blessings that You have bestowed upon me.

And subhanAllah, throughout the day, on the day of 'Arafah, you are acknowledging that as well. Because you can't know your own deficiency unless you acknowledge His blessings upon you. The same way that you can't know that you are His slave if you don't acknowledge Him as your master. The same way that you can't negate all of the other gods unless you acknowledge and affirm the oneness of God — the God of Abraham, the God of Moses, the God of Jesus, the God of Muhammad ﷺ. May His peace and blessings be upon all of His prophets. You cannot do one without the other. And look at the similarity of those du'as as they come together.

'Arafah: A Place and a Time

Now, a lot of times when you think of 'Arafah, you think of a place. You think of the place of 'Arafah. 'Arafah is so much more spectacular when you're actually there — in the maqam, in the place. And you see the pilgrims covered in dust. You can envision what the hadith is telling you about the humility of the people that are coming before their Lord — leaving everything behind, acknowledging His oneness, sleep-deprived but hopeful in His mercy. You can see it when you're there in 'Arafah.

But as Ibn Rajab rahimahullah said, 'Arafah is maqam and zaman — it's a place and a time. وَمَنْ وَقَفَ فِي عَرَفَةَ جَمَعَ فَضْلَ الْمَكَانِ وَالزَّمَانِ — And if a person is blessed to stand in the place of 'Arafah — may Allah allow us all another opportunity to stand in 'Arafah — then he or she combines the blessing of the time and the place.

But you have to remember that the ibadah of 'Arafah — the worship of 'Arafah — for the Prophet ﷺ for seven years before Hajj was fasting. It was fasting the day of 'Arafah in Medina, longing for the opportunity to stand in 'Arafah just like we long for it. It was a remarkable day, a special day to the Prophet ﷺ and the Muslims every single year without Hajj. And we have to renew that in our hearts — that this is the best day of the year.

You think about what you would do if you had the most important day of your life — your wedding, the day that you have a child, or your spouse gives birth to a child, the day of your child's graduation. That day is a momentous day on that year's calendar. You're looking forward to it. You are longing for it.

And as Ibn Rajab points out — how amazing is it that in Ramadan we don't know which of the last ten nights is لَيْلَةُ الْقَدْرِ, so the best night of the year is concealed, and we strive for all ten nights. But we know exactly when 'Arafah is. We know exactly when 'Arafah is. We know the day, we know the time. We can plan for it. We have no doubt that this is the best day of the year. We have no doubt that everything the Prophet ﷺ said is happening in those moments — where Allah is boasting to the angels and forgiving His creation.

As Ibn Rajab said, الْعِتْقُ مِنَ النَّارِ — the prize of being forgiven on that day — عَامٌّ لِجَمِيعِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ — that is for everyone observing the zaman of that day, the time of that day. That is not just for the people standing in the place of 'Arafah. The forgiveness from Allah that comes on that day covers everyone who is renewing that covenant with Allah on that day.

What to Do on the Day of 'Arafah

So what do we do on that day? Well, first and foremost — the intention. It comes back to the intention, from now. Ya Allah, I'm going to worship You on that day. Ya Allah, I'm going to fast that day. And you know what — if you can't fast for any reason, the Prophet ﷺ assured you that the reward is there anyway because you had the intention. And if you were prohibited by means or by circumstances that are out of your hands, then Allah has written down for you the full reward.

So: I'm going to fast that day. I'm going to observe that day. I'm going to look forward to that day. Everything before that day — as I plan for that day — is ibadah, is an act of worship. Mu'adh ibn Jabal said: إِنِّي لَأَحْتَسِبُ نَوْمَتِي كَمَا أَحْتَسِبُ قَوْمَتِي — "I seek the reward for my sleep the same way I seek the reward for being awake." Why? Because I sleep so that I can be more energetic in the worship of Allah and in the performance of charity and all good deeds, in the service of Allah and His creation. The sleep is with the intention of energizing myself.

So you know what? Your sleeping early on Sunday night is a form of ibadah — it's an act of worship. Go to sleep early on Sunday night. Get yourself ready on Sunday night. The suhoor that you wake up for — the Prophet ﷺ said the angels send their prayers upon the people as they're doing the suhoor. Start off your day with the suhoor on that day.

And subhanAllah, if you think about Hajj — because there is a parallel. Yawm at-Tarwiyah, the day before 'Arafah, the Prophet ﷺ would take the Sahabah to Mina, and what would they do? Nothing — rest. Rest. I'm going to rest. I'm going to nourish myself. That in and of itself is part of the worship of the day of 'Arafah.

Sign the Covenant — What's Your Contract?

I'm going to think about my du'as on that day. I'm going to prepare with Allah. You're renewing your covenant with Allah. So here's a challenge for you: one major change that you're going to make in life — on the best day of the year. It's worth it. What are you signing the contract with this Monday? What's the change you're making this Monday? And if you can't think of a change, we have a bigger problem.

What's the change you're making on Monday? What are you signing that contract with Allah — that covenant that you are renewing on Monday? It's a day of covenant, not just a day of supplication. A day that brings us back to: Ya Allah, I am going to live my life the way that You have commanded me to live my life, in hopes for what You have promised me in the next. What's the covenant? What's the contract that you're signing on Monday?

Starting the Day Right

Start off the day with Fajr in jama'a, in congregation. This masjid better be as full on Monday at Fajr as it is right now for Jumu'ah. And to make it easy for you, we'll have a halaqa after Fajr, talking about the virtues of:

So that when you repeat it throughout the day you'll remember it. And you stay till sunrise — you have Hajj written down for you on the day of 'Arafah. So make sure you're here on Monday morning insha'Allah, if you're in the community. Livestream is not allowed for you — find a way to be here. The mala'ikah, the Hajj, is here insha'Allah.

Start off your day with Fajr in congregation. Start off your day with the remembrance of Allah. Start off your day with the two rak'ahs of Duha at sunrise with Allah. And then spend the day in du'a — and be certain in Allah.

Call upon your Lord while you are certain in the answer. Don't say اللَّهُمَّ اغْفِرْ لِي إِنْ شِئْتَ — as the Prophet ﷺ said: "Oh Allah forgive me if You want to, or if You will." No. Call upon Allah with complete certainty in His answer on that day.

The Prophet ﷺ spent that whole day in du'a. If you can't think of what you're going to say for the hours of that day, start getting your list together. But let the top of that list be what? The dhikr that the Prophet ﷺ taught us — and then forgiveness from Allah, the greatest thing that you could ask from Him on that day. And then — what's your contract?

SubhanAllah. Think about all the du'as, all the ahadith about du'a being accepted from Allah, all the verses in the Qur'an:

"Your Lord said: Call upon Me and I will answer you."

"When My servant asks about Me, then I am close."

All of that — how much is it multiplied by on the best day of the year, when the du'a is more accepted on that day than any other time of the year? How close are you to Allah on that day when you make your du'a? And yes — certainty in Allah's mercy is not complacency with your own sinfulness. What are you signing the contract with? What's the change you're making on Monday?

The Narration of Ibn Mubarak and Sufyan al-Thawri

I want to end insha'Allah with this beautiful athar — this beautiful narration. I want you to put yourself in the scene, in the maqam of 'Arafah. May Allah take us back to the place of 'Arafah.

Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak rahimahullah — the great scholar, great ascetic, great sage — he saw Sufyan al-Thawri rahimahullah. He said: I came up to Sufyan al-Thawri on the day of 'Arafah —

وَهُوَ جَاثٍ عَلَى رُكْبَتَيْهِ — the scene, by the way: he was on his knees. And it was towards the end of the day of 'Arafah. And he was on his knees, crying in front of Allah. His eyes were flowing with tears, his hands were raised, his knees were on the ground. This is Sufyan al-Thawri rahimahullah — the school of sincerity, the teacher of how to be an ascetic.

And Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak rahimahullah sees him, and he walks up to him on the day of 'Arafah and says to him, as the sun was about to set on the day of 'Arafah:

مَنْ أَسْوَأُ هَذَا الجَمْعِ حَالًا؟ — "Who is the worst person, or who is in the worst state, amongst all of those that are amongst us today?" — the worst person in this gathering, on this day, as the mercy of Allah is descending.

And Sufyan al-Thawri responds:

الَّذِي يَظُنُّ أَنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَغْفِرُ لَهُ — "The person who thinks that Allah will not forgive him." That's the worst person on the day of 'Arafah — the person that thinks that Allah will not forgive them.

SubhanAllah. The mercy of Allah is such that, in the maqam of 'Arafah, if a person showed up right before the tenth day, they are still counted amongst those who observed 'Arafah. What then of the person who spends their entire day — the entire zaman, the entire time period of 'Arafah — making du'a?

Schedule it from now. Place your du'a there from now. Start the day right. End the day right. Because the best part of 'Arafah is the time between 'Asr and Maghrib — the last hour of 'Arafah. Just like if you were there in 'Arafah and the sun is setting and you're trying to catch those last du'as that you suddenly remembered as the sun is setting — the day of 'Arafah is special, especially in its last moments.

May Allah allow us to observe it and count us amongst the forgiven. May Allah allow us to be sincere in our du'a and our supplications and answer us in everything that we come to Him with. May Allah forgive us for our shortcomings on that day and always. Allahumma ameen.

Surah al-Fatihah.