The Day of Arafah, the 9th of Dhul-Hijjah, is the central day of the Hajj pilgrimage. Pilgrims gather at the plain of Arafat, just outside Makkah, from noon until sunset in the act of wuquf (standing) – the single rite without which Hajj is invalid.

The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Hajj is Arafah,” (Jami’ at-Tirmidhi 890), emphasizing that the standing at Arafah is the essential rite. It was at Arafah, during his Farewell Pilgrimage, that the Prophet (peace be upon him) delivered his famous Farewell Sermon, and there the final verse to be revealed in its completeness came down: “This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion.” (Surah al-Ma’idah 5:3).

For non-pilgrims, the Sunnah of the day is to fast. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Fasting the Day of Arafah, I hope from Allah, expiates the sins of the year before it and the year after it.” (Sahih Muslim 1162). This is one of the most rewarding voluntary fasts in the Islamic year – equivalent in merit to forgiveness for two full years of minor sins.

Pilgrims at Arafah do not fast – they need their physical strength for the rites – but they spend the day in intense supplication. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “The best of supplication is the supplication of the Day of `Arafah. And the best of what I and the Prophets before me have said is: None has the right to be worshipped but Allah, Alone, without partner, to Him belongs all that exists, and to Him belongs the Praise, and He is powerful over all things. (Lā ilāha illallāh, waḥdahu lā sharīka lahu, lahul-mulku wa lahul-ḥamdu, wa huwa `alā kulli shai’in qadīr).” (Jami’ at-Tirmidhi 3584).

For Muslims everywhere, the Day of Arafah is a day for fasting, du’a, seeking forgiveness, and contemplating the universality of the Hajj gathering. The day ends at sunset, when pilgrims depart Arafah for Muzdalifah and the rites of Eid al-Adha begin at dawn the next morning.