The Merits of the Day of Arafat

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In Sya Allah tomorrow (Thursday, 30/08/2017) is the day of Arafah in 1438 H. Day of Arafat is one of the days that have the privilege in religion. Among the advantages of the day of Arafat are;

1. God's Day perfects religion and favors for Muslims.
   In the history of the Prophet, where exactly on the day of the 10th year of Arafah hijrah Rasulullah revealed verses;

اليوم أكملت لكم دينكم وأتممت عليكم نعمتي ورضيت لكم الإسلام دينا

The decline of this verse as a sign of the spontaneous religion of Islam so that after the decline of this verse never again down verses about halal and haram.

1. Day Arafah is a feast for Muslims who work the pilgrimage in the holy land.
   In one hadith the Prophet SAW said;

يوم عرفة ويوم النحر وأيام التشريق عيدنا أهل الإسلام وهي أيام أكل وشرب
The Day of Arafat, the Day of Nahar (Eid al-Adha) and the Tashriq Day are our Muslim holiday, and the day of eating and drinking (H. R. Imam Turmuzi)

because the day of'Arafah is the beginning of the feast for Muslims who do the pilgrimage so the Prophet forbade them to fast.
Narrated from Sufyan bin Uyainah, he once asked about the prohibition of the Prophet to fast on the day of Arafat, he replied;

لأنهم زوار الله وأضيافه ولا ينبغي للكريم أن يجوع أضيافه
because they are visiting God and is a guest of God, and it is not fitting for the Gracious Substance to let his guests starve.

1. God swears by the day of'Arafah in the Qur'an.
   In the Qur'an, there are some God's oaths that some scholars say is the day of'Arafah.
   The oath is among others
   said الوتر (odd) in the Qur'an where Allah swears by him in the letter of al-Fajri verse 3;

والشفع والوتر
for the odd and the even.

It is narrated from Jabir Rasullah;

العشر الأضحى, والشفع يوم الأضحى, والوتر يوم عرفة
Ten days is 10 days adha (month Zulhijjah), the odd is the feast of idhul adha and and odd is the day of Arafah (H.R. Imam Ahmad)

Another oath which is also interpreted by some scholars with the day of Arafat is the word شاهد which Allah swears in al-quran on the letter of al-Buruj verse 3;

وشاهد ومشهود
narrated from Abu Hurairah;

الشاهد يوم عرفة والمشهود يوم الجمعة
asy-shahid is the day of Arafat and al-masyhud is the day of Friday (H.R. Imam Turmizi)

But in another history is the opposite;

الشاهد يوم الجمعة والمشهود يوم عرفة
asy-shahid is the day of Friday and al-masyhud is the day of Arafah (H.R. Imam Thabrani)

1. Day of Arafat is the best day.
   According to some scholars, the day of'Arafah is the world's best day. This is based on a hadith narrated by Ibn Hibban from Jabir from Rasulullah SAW;
   أفضل الأيام يوم عرفة
   The most afdhal day is the day of Arafat (H.R. Ibn Hibban)

2. The Day of Arafa is worth the usual 100,000 days.
   It is narrated from Anas bin Malik that he said;

كان يقال في أيام العشر بكل يوم ألف يوم و يوم عرفة عشرة آلاف
Some say about ten days of Zulhijjah that for every day is proportional to a thousand days and the day of'Arafah is proportional to ten thousand.

1. Day of Arafah is the day of Haj Akbar according to some scholars
   There is a difference of opinion of the scholars about the time of the great pilgrimage, whether on the day 10 Zulhijjah or 9 Zulhijjah, some salaf scholars argue that the great pilgrimage is the day of Arafah. But in the opinion of other great pilgrims is the day of nahar (10 Zulhijjah)

2. Fasting on the day of 'Arafah takes away the sin of two years.
   In one hadith the Messenger of Allah said;

صوم يوم عرفة يكفر سنتين ماضية ومستقبلة وصوم عاشوراء يكفر سنة ماضية
The fast of the day of Arafat atoned for sin a year ago and a year to come and the fast of Ashura (10 Muharram) atoned for a year passed. (HR Ahmad, Muslim and Abu Daud from Abi Qatadah)

A little about the surplus of fasting in the day of Arafah we have explained in our writing on

the Excess Fasting Arafah

1. Day of Arafat is a day of forgiveness of sins and freed from the fires of hell.
   In one hadith from Siti Aisyah from Rasulullah SAW he said;

ما من يوم أكثر من أن يعتق الله فيه عبدا من النار من يوم عرفة وإنه ليدنو ثم يباهي بهم الملائكة فيقول ما أراد هؤلاء
No day when God gives more freedom to the servant (from the fire of hell) than the day of'Arafah, surely God will draw near and boast of them with the angels and say (to the angels) "what they want". (H.R. Imam Muslim).

In another hadith from Ibn Umar;
إن الله يباهي ملائكته عشية عرفة بأهل عرفة فيقول: انظروا إلى عبادي أتوني شعثا غبرا
Allah boasted to the angels in the afternoon of Arafat with the Arafat and said "look to my servants, they come to the matters of dust and dust (H.R. Imam Ahmad)

In one hadith narrated by Imam Malik, Rasulullah SAW said;

ما رؤي الشيطان يوما قط أصغر ولا أذل من يوم عرفة وما ذاك إلا لما يرى من تنزل الرحمة, وتجاوز الله عن الذنوب العظام, إلا ما أري يوم بدر, فإنه قد رأى جبريل يزع الملائكة
Never syaithan looks smaller, more distant, more despicable, and more angry than the day of'Arafah. It is not such a thing except that he sees the decline of God's grace and forgiveness for great sins, except when seen in the battle of badar, for he sees the angel Gabriel arranging the angels (for war). (H.R. Imam Malik)

Reference;
Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, Lathaif Ma'arif, p. 487-488 Cet. from Ibn Kathir