Yawm 'Arafat — Rawzat

The Hadith of the Core

“Hajj is Arafat.” — Tirmidhi, Ibn Maja, Abu Dawud

This single hadith defines the structure of Hajj: the wuquf at Arafat is the pillar upon which all else rests. A pilgrim who misses Arafat has no valid Hajj; a pilgrim who reaches Arafat, even arriving just before Fajr of 10 Dhu al-Hijja, has performed the essential Hajj.

The day of forgiveness: The Prophet (SAW): “There is no day on which Allah frees more people from the Fire than the Day of Arafat. He comes close and then proudly speaks about them to the angels, saying: ‘What do these people want?’” — Muslim

The day the deen was perfected: The final Quranic revelation about the deen came on the Day of Arafat, during the Prophet’s final Hajj: “This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion.” (5:3) — narrated to have been revealed at ‘Arafat. When ‘Umar heard this verse, he wept. A Jewish scholar told him it was the greatest verse in the Torah; ‘Umar replied: “We know the day and the place when it was revealed.”

See also: Hajj Journey, Eid Al Adha

The Plain of Arafat

Arafat is a wide plain approximately 20 km east of Mecca, ringed by mountains. At its center rises Jabal al-Rahma (the Mountain of Mercy) — a granite hill where the Prophet delivered his Farewell Sermon (Khutbat al-Wada’) during his final Hajj.

The name’s origin: Scholars offer multiple explanations:

From ‘arafa (to know): the place where Adam and Hawwa recognized each other after descending from Paradise to earth
From i’tiraf (acknowledgment): the place where humanity acknowledges its sins before the divine
From ta’aruf (mutual recognition): the place where all Muslims meet without distinction of race, wealth, or status

The boundaries: Arafat has specific legal boundaries. A pilgrim must be within the boundary — the mountain of Jabal al-Rahma itself is within the boundary, but Masjid Namira (where the Friday prayer of Hajj is delivered) straddles the boundary. The sermon and prayer of Dhuhr/Asr (combined) at Masjid Namira is the Sunnah opening of the wuquf.

The Wuquf — The Standing

The time: From noon (Dhuhr time) on 9 Dhu al-Hijja until just before Fajr on 10 Dhu al-Hijja. The heart of the wuquf is from noon until sunset. The Prophet remained at Arafat until after sunset (contrary to the Quraysh practice of leaving before sunset — a deliberate reform).

The combined prayer: At Arafat, Dhuhr and ‘Asr are combined and shortened (qasr) and prayed at Dhuhr time. This is one of the hallmarks of the Hajj prayer schedule.

What to do during the wuquf:

Du’a’: This is the day of du’a’. The Prophet said the best du’a’ is the du’a’ of Arafat; the best thing said by the Prophet and prior prophets on Arafat is: “La ilaha illAllahu wahdahu la sharika lah, lahul-mulk wa lahul-hamd, wa huwa ‘ala kulli shay’in qadir.” (There is no god but Allah alone, with no partner; to Him belongs the dominion and to Him is all praise, and He is over all things capable.) — Tirmidhi
Remembrance and istighfar: The time at Arafat is a time for serious muhasaba — taking account of one’s life — and seeking forgiveness with intensity and sincerity.
Face the qibla: The pilgrim faces the Ka’ba (not Jabal al-Rahma) during the wuquf.
The Farewell Sermon location: The Prophet’s Farewell Sermon was delivered at Jabal al-Rahma. Millions of pilgrims now crowd onto and around this hill — a spiritual and communal act of connection to the Prophet’s last public teaching.

The Farewell Sermon at Arafat

During his final Hajj (10 AH / 632 CE), the Prophet delivered the most significant speech of his life from a camel on the plain of Arafat. Its contents:

“O People, lend me an attentive ear, for I know not whether, after this year, I shall ever be amongst you again. Therefore listen to what I am saying very carefully and take these words to those who could not be present here today…”

Key points:

The sanctity of life and property: “Your blood and your property are as sacred and inviolable as this day in this month in this city”
The abolition of pre-Islamic blood feuds and usury
The rights of women: “You have rights over your women and they have rights over you”
The brotherhood of all Muslims: “An Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab except by taqwa”
The final verse of completion: “This day I have perfected your religion” (5:3)
His final question: “O People, I have delivered this message. Have I done it?” The multitude replied: “Yes, you have.” He said: “O Allah, bear witness.”*

The Ismaili Ta’wil of Arafat

In the Ismaili tradition, the Day of Arafat carries profound esoteric significance:

Wuquf as misaq renewal: The standing at Arafat is the ta’wil of the misaq — the primordial covenant between the divine and humanity. At Arafat, the pilgrim re-enacts the original acknowledgment: “Am I not your Lord?” — “Yes, we testify.” (7:172). The wuquf is the zahir; the misaq is the batin.

The plain’s equality as cosmic truth: At Arafat, all status distinctions dissolve — king and servant stand together in ihram. This is not merely symbolic equality but a demonstration of the eschatological reality: before the divine, only taqwa and walayah distinguish souls.

The perfection of the deen at Arafat: The revelation of 5:3 (“I have perfected your religion”) at Arafat, followed shortly by the Prophet’s death, signals that the completion of the zahir (the shariah) was accompanied by the establishment of the batin (the imamate). The completion of the deen is inseparable from the establishment of the Imam’s succession.

Yawm 'Arafat — The Day of Arafat and the Standing (Wuquf)

The Hadith of the Core

The Plain of Arafat

The Wuquf — The Standing

The Farewell Sermon at Arafat

The Ismaili Ta’wil of Arafat

More in Hajj & Ziyarat