“There is no better day in the Sight of Allah than the Day of Arafah.” – Ibn Hibban
Wherever you are in the world, the Day of Arafah is for you. Whether or not you’re one of the Hujjaj in Mecca, it’s a day of reward and salvation for all those who seek it.
Ibn Rajab said: “Whoever was unable to reach the House (the Ka’bah) because he was far from it; then let him aspire to The Lord of the House, for indeed He is closer to the one who supplicates to Him and has hope in Him than his jugular vein.”
On this ninth day of Dhul Hijjah, believers can have two years’ worth of sins forgiven; we can save ourselves from the Hellfire, and we can have the tiniest of deeds multiplied in reward.
“The Day of Arafah equals 10,000 days in virtue.” – Anas (RA)
On this day, in the time of the Prophet (SAW), Allah (SWT) revealed the verse: “This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favour upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion.” (5:3)
There are so many blessings we can take from the Day of Arafah. But just like we wouldn’t go into an exam unprepared, we shouldn’t reach this day without a plan to help us make the most of it.
If you weren’t able to perform Hajj this year, you can reap the reward of Arafah by following our five-step plan.
- Seek forgiveness
Seek Allah’s (SWT) forgiveness with the certainty that He will forgive you.
“There is no day on earth except that during it Allah liberates sinners from the Hellfire. And there is no day when more people are liberated from Hell than the Day of Arafah. So repeatedly say, ‘O Allah! Liberate me from Hell, and expand my lawful income, and ward off from me the perverse jinn and humans.’ This is the most comprehensive prayer uttered this day.” – Ali (RA)
Allah (SWT) is the Most Merciful of the merciful, and one of the greatest injustices to Him and yourself is to believe that He can’t or won’t forgive you.
It doesn’t matter how great your sins are, because Allah (SWT) is Greater.
“I came to Sufyan Ath-Thawri on the eve of Arafah and he was on his knees crying and weeping. When I asked him about the worst person in this gathering, he answered, ‘He who doubts that Allah the Exalted might not forgive his sins today.’” – Ibn Al-Mubarak (RA)
As you pray for redemption, pray that Allah (SWT) also forgives all Muslims past and present, that He protects us from the Hellfire and enters us into Jannah.
Your Lord has already promised you forgiveness. The question is: will you open yourself up to it?
“O people, Jibreel came a while ago, delivered the greetings of Allah to me and said, ‘Allah has forgiven the people of Arafah and the people of the Mash‘ar [a place in Muzdalifah]…“This is for you and all the people who come after you until the Day of Judgment.” – Prophet Muhammad (SAW) (Ibn Abdul-Barr)
- Fast (and prepare for your fast)
Even if you haven’t fasted any other days of Dhul Hijjah, it’s still worth fasting on the ninth.
Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said, “It expiates the sins of the past year and the coming year.” (Muslim)
That’s right! Fasting this one day could be the difference between eternity in Jannah and eternity in the Hellfire.
But getting your sins forgiven starts with you waking up for suhoor. Give your body food that’ll provide the stamina you need to complete your fast.
It doesn’t have to be a three-course meal. In fact, the Prophet (SAW) told us: “The best suhoor for the believer is dates.” (Abu Dawud)
If having two years of sins forgiven isn’t enough to motivate you to fast, how about this?:
Allah (SWT) said: “Every deed of the son of Adam is for him except fasting; it is for Me and I shall reward for it…” (Hadith Qudsi, Bukhari & Muslim)
Don’t waste this opportunity by being unprepared.
- Pray the voluntary prayers before Fajr
When you wake up for suhoor, leave some time to pray Qiyaam – even if you only pray two rakat. Allah (SWT) is waiting for you to call out to Him.
Prophet Muhammad (SAW) said, “The Lord descends every night to the lowest heaven when one-third of the night remains and says: ‘Who will call upon Me, that I may answer Him? Who will ask of Me, that I may give him? Who will seek My forgiveness, that I may forgive him?’” (Bukhari)
And before praying Fajr, pray the two rakat Sunnah salah in order to reap the rewards of this special day.
“The two rakat before dawn (Fajr) prayer are better than the world and all that it contains.” – Prophet Muhammad (SAW) (Muslim)
Now imagine the reward that the five obligatory salat hold!
- Give your Qurbani
Today is your last chance to give your Qurbani: a sunnah act that we perform in honour of Prophet Ibrahim (AS) and his obedience to Allah (SWT).
If you’ve been putting this off, now is the time to make your donation. (And if you have any questions that need answering, visit our FAQ page).
“The son of Adam does not perform any action on the Day of Sacrifice that is more endearing to Allah than the sacrifice of animals…”– Prophet Muhammad (SAW) (At-Tirmidhi)
At HHUGS, we perform the sacrifice on your behalf and then hand deliver the meat to our beneficiary families here in the UK.
Your sacrifice feeds the single mothers who live among us, and who are struggling to feed themselves and their children.
“My mother would get meat on Eid. These small acts become a rope for us to hold onto. If I could say anything about HHUGS, I would say that this charity reminds me of the kinds of sacrifices made by the Sahaba for each other.” – HHUGS Beneficiary
When choosing animals for sacrifice, we go for quality sheep that have been reared and slaughtered in the best conditions, and in accordance with the Quran and Sunnah.
Performing your sacrifice with excellence means you’re paying a little more for your Qurbani, but it also means you’re offering the best meat available to families in need.
“The finest Qurbani is that which is expensive in price and very fat.” – Prophet Muhammad (SAW) (Ahmad)
- Make extra dhikr and dua
Often, Muslims who are unable to perform Hajj fall into a deep sadness, especially when they see the Hujjaj on social media and TV. They wish they could be sat in front of the Ka’bah making dua to Allah (SWT) too.
It’s a noble desire, but the truth is: we can make dua from wherever we are in the world. Allah (SWT) will hear your call and respond in the best way possible.
Our beloved Messenger (SAW) said: “There is no better day in the Sight of Allah than the Day of Arafah. Allah The Almighty descends [on that day] to the lowest heaven, and boasts about the people of the earth to the dwellers of heaven, saying: ‘Just look at My slaves! They have come to Me with dishevelled hair and covered in dust, standing in the forenoon…’”
One form of worship that Allah (SWT) loves, and that we should increase on the Day of Arafah, is reciting dua and dhikr.
“The best of dua is dua on the Day of Arafah, and the best that I and the Prophets before me said is, ‘Laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wahdahu la shareeka lah, lahu’l-mulk wa lahu’l-hamd wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadeer [There is no God but Allah alone, with no partner or associate; His is the dominion, to Him be praise, and He has power over all things].’” Prophet Muhammad (SAW) (Al-Tirmidhi )
Make your tongue moist with the remembrance of Allah (SWT) by reciting takbeer (Allahu Akbar), tahmeed (Alhamdulillah), tahleel (Laa ilaaha ill-Allah), and tasbeeh (SubhanAllah) whenever and wherever you can.
Fill your day with good deeds and go the extra mile to say and do that which pleases your Lord.
Allah (SWT) says: “Therefore remember Me. I will remember you.” (2:152)
And who doesn’t want to be remembered by Allah (SWT)?
Hundreds of families who have been affected by UK counter-terror measures and detention are depending on your support.
On this blessed Day of Arafah, feed a single mother and her children by giving your Qurbani through HHUGS.