The 365 · Sunnah · Day 346 · Special Days
Fasting the Day of ʿArafah
The hadith
«صِيَامُ يَوْمِ عَرَفَةَ، أَحتَسِبُ عَلَى اللَّهِ أَنْ يُكَفِّرَ السَّنَةَ التي قَبَلَهُ وَالسَّنَةَ التي بَعدَهُ».
The Prophet ﷺ said: 'Fasting the day of ʿArafah, I hope from Allah, expiates the year before it and the year after it.' (Muslim 1162)
Svenska: Profeten ﷺ sade: 'Att fasta på ʿArafahs dag, jag hoppas från Allah, gottgör året innan och året efter.' (Muslim 1162)
Muslim 1162
The story
On ʿArafah, Allah descends to the lowest heaven (per the strong opinion) and boasts about the pilgrims to the angels. The day's duʿāʾ is uniquely answered.
Why it's here
The 9th of Dhul-Ḥijjah, the day when pilgrims stand at ʿArafah, is the greatest day of the year. For those not at ḥajj, the Sunnah is fasting; the reward is the expiation of two years of sins. No other single-day fast carries this weight.
Try it today
Mark the 9th of Dhul-Ḥijjah in your calendar yearly. Fast from fajr to maghrib. Spend the day in duʿāʾ, dhikr, and Qur'an. The Prophet ﷺ said the best duʿāʾ is the one of ʿArafah.
In your day
Two years of sins expiated for one day of fasting; no other deal compares. Make this annual. Build your year around it.
A reflection to carry
The greatest single fast of the year. Build your annual rhythm around it.
Read the longer reflection
Yawm ʿArafah is the year's spiritual peak for those not at ḥajj. The fast's expiation is named (Muslim 1162). The day's duʿāʾ is the most accepted. The day's atmosphere is special even from afar. May Allah grant us many ʿArafahs, fasted and supplicated, until the day He invites us to stand there ourselves.
Sources: Sahih Muslim. The Qur'an and its translation are verified; the scholarship is retold faithfully in our own words and credited to its sources, never reproduced verbatim.
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