Satan has never been seen more enraged than on the Day of ^Arafah

والصَّلَاةُ والسَّلاَمُ عَلَى سَيّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ أَشْرَفِ اْلمُرْسَلِيْنَ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ الطَّيّبِيْنَ الطَّاهِرِيْن

The Day of ^Arafah is on the ninth of the month of Dhu l-Hijjah. The time for standing at ^Arafah is rom the zenith of the sun, i.e., when it begins to decline from its highest point in the sky (after the entry of the Dhuhr prayer) on the ninth day of Dhu l-Hijjah until the dawn of the Day of Sacrifice, i.e., the day of ^Id.

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ said: " الحج عرفة " ("Hajj is ^Arafah"). This signifies that whoever stands at ^Arafah during the designated time has fulfilled a crucial component of the Hajj requirements, and whoever misses it has missed the Hajj altogether.

Therefore, this hadith does not mean that all what the pilgrim is requested to do is to stand in ^Arafah only. However, it underscores that the standing at ^Arafah is part of the essence of Hajj. Thus, ensuring to perform this rite within the allocated time is of paramount importance for the validity of the pilgrimage.

In other words, the act of standing at ^Arafah is considered among the most essential rites of Hajj, such that if a pilgrim manages to stand at ^Arafah during the prescribed time, they are deemed to have successfully performed this integral of Hajj. Conversely, missing this specific time for standing at ^Arafah means missing the Hajj itself. Thus, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ encapsulated this by stating: "الحج عرفة" ("Hajj is ^Arafah").

In summary:

• Standing at ^Arafah (Wuquf at ^Arafah) is a pivotal and defining component of the pilgrimage.
• The prescribed time for standing at ^Arafah is from the decline of the sun (after Dhuhr) on the 9th of Dhu l-Hijjah until dawn of the 10th of Dhu l-Hijjah.
• Missing the standing at ^Arafah within this timeframe results in the pilgrim missing the Hajj entirely for that year.

What is meant by the ten nights, the even, and the odd?

Allah Almighty said: ﴾وَالْفَجْرِ * وَلَيَالٍ عَشْرٍ ﴿ ("By the dawn and the ten nights"), referring to the first ten days of Dhu l-Hijjah. This is the correct view held by the majority of the early and later scholars of interpretation, and this is the confirmed opinion of Ibnu ^Abbas. Al-Hakim narrated and Al-Bayhaqiyy reported in his work “Shu^abu l-‘Iman” from Jabir that the Prophet ﷺ  recited: ﴾ وَالْفَجْرِ * وَلَيَالٍ عَشْرٍ * وَالشَّفْعِ وَالْوَتْرِ﴿  ("By the dawn, and the ten nights, and the even and the odd"), and he said: "The ten are the ten of sacrifice, the odd is the Day of ^Arafah and the even is the Day of Sacrifice." (“إِنَّ العَشْرَ عَشْرُ الأَضْحَى وَالوتْرُ يَومُ عَرَفَةَ وَالشَفْعُ يَومُ النَحْرِ“)

It is also narrated from him that he said: The Messenger of Allah, ﷺ said: "The best days of this world are the first ten days [of Dhu l-Hijjah]." (“إِنَّ أَفْضَلَ أَيَّامِ الدُّنْيَا الْعَشْرُ”) They asked: "O Messenger of Allah, not even [the days spent combatting] in the way of Allah?" (وَلا مِثْلُهُنَّ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ؟ ) He replied: "Not even [the days spent combatting] in the way of Allah, except for the one who immerses his face in the dust." (“وَلا مِثْلُهُنَّ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ إِلا مَنْ عَفَّرَ وَجْهَهُ فِي التُّرَابِ”)

‘Abu ^Uthman an-Nahdiyy said: "They used to revere three sets of ten days: the first ten days of Dhu l-Hijjah, the last ten days of Ramadan, and the first ten days of Muharram."

The mash-hud day that Allah swore by in the Qur’an

Some scholars have said that it is the Day of ^Arafah, and Allah swore by it in the Noble Qur'an, where He says in Suratu l-Buruj: ﴾ وَشَاهِدٍ وَمَشْهُودٍ ﴿ ("By the shahid day and by the mash-hud day"). This is the day referred to, according to the opinion of Ibnu ^Abbas while others have said it refers to a different day.

The Day of ^Arafah is the best day upon which the sun rises, and it is the day with the most instances of people being freed from the Hellfire. ‘Anas ibnu Malik narrated: "It used to be said that each day of the ten days [of Dhu l-Hijjah] is equivalent to a thousand days, and the Day of ^Arafah is equivalent to ten thousand days. He then clarified: “That means in terms of virtue." This was reported by Al-Bayhaqiyy and Al-‘Asbahaniyy, and the chain of transmission in Al-Bayhaqiyy's narration is sound.

The best and most distinguished day of the year

It is the Day of ^Arafah, the most virtuous day of the entire year. It holds great significance among Muslims, for on this day, the pilgrims gather on the plains of ^Arafah, their tongues occupied with praising Allah, seeking forgiveness, multiplying supplications, and declaring: “No one deserves to be worshipped except Allah Alone, The One who has no partner”.

Standing on the plain of ^Arafah is the greatest integral of Hajj. Ibnu Hibban narrated in his Sahih the hadith of Jabir, in which the Prophet said:

“أَفْضَلُ الأَيَّامِ يَومُ عَرَفَةَ”

That means: "The best of days is the Day of ^Arafah." It is a day of feast for Muslims, as Muslim narrated from Lady ^A’ishah that she said: The Messenger of Allah said: "There is no day on which Allah frees more of His servants from the Fire than the Day of ^Arafah."

(مَا مِنْ يَوْمٍ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ أَنْ يُعْتِقَ اللهُ فِيهِ عَبْدًا مِنَ النَّارِ مِنْ يَوْمِ عَرَفَةَ)

The state of Satan on the Day of ^Arafah

Malik reported in Al-Muwatta’ that the Prophet ﷺ said:

“مَا رُؤِيَ الشَّيْطَانُ يَوْمًا هُوَ فِيْهِ أَصْغَرُ وَلَا أَدْحَرُ وَلَا أَحْقَرُ وَلَا أَغْيَظُ مِنْهُ فِي يَوْمِ عَرَفَةَ، وَمَا ذَاكَ إِلَّا لِمَا يَرَى مِنْ تَنَزُّلِ الرَّحْمَةِ، وَتَجَاوُزِ اللهِ عَنِ الذُّنُوبِ العِظَامِ، إِلَّا مَا أُرِيَ يَوْمَ بَدْرٍ، ‏قِيْلَ: وَمَا رَأَى ‏يَوْمَ ‏‏بَدْرٍ ‏يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ قَالَ: أَمَا إنَّهُ قَدْ رَأَى جِبْرِيْلَ يَزَعُ الْمَلَائِكَةَ”

That means: " Satan has never been seen on any day smaller, more defeated, more humiliated, or more enraged than he is on the Day of ^Arafah, due to the mercy descending and Allah forgiving great sins, except for what he saw on the Day of Badr. It was said: And what did he see on the Day of Badr, O Messenger of Allah? He said: He saw Gabriel arranging, aligning, and marshalling the ranks of the angels for battle."

The best supplication is the supplication on the Day of ^Arafah

It is recorded in Malik's Muwatta’ that the Messenger of Allah said: "The best supplication is the supplication on the Day of ^Arafah, and the best of what I and the prophets before me have said is: ‘No one deserves to be worshipped except Allah alone, The One who has no partner.'" In the Musnad of Imam ‘Ahmad, it is narrated from Ibnu ^Abbas that the Prophet ﷺ said regarding the Day of ^Arafah: " Indeed, this is a day on which whoever controls his hearing, sight, and tongue will be forgiven."

The Stance of Muslims on the Plains of Arafat

The stance of Muslims on the plains of ^Arafah, proclaiming:

(لبّيكَ اللهم لبّيكَ، لبّيكَ لَا شريكَ لكَ لبّيكَ، إنَّ الحمدَ والنعمةَ لكَ والملكَ، لَا شريكَ لكَ)

(labbayka l-Lahumma labbayk ; labbayka la sharika laka labbayk ; ‘inna l-hamda wan-ni^mata laka wal-mulk ; la sharika lak)

"Here I am, O Allah, here I am. Here I am, You have no partner, here I am. Verily, all praise, grace, belong to You. You possess all sovereignty, and You have no partner in divinity," is a sight that captivates the eyes, a stance that tugs at the hearts, and a moment that draws tears from the eyes in longing for those sacred lands, in yearning for Makkah – ‘Ummu l-qura (Mother of Cities), Mina, and Arafat.

They call out with the testimony of monotheism, the testimony of truth, loudly declaring the Oneness of Allah that all prophets brought forth. Allah completed the principles of Islam for His Prophet on such a day. On the final Day of ^Arafah, this verse was revealed to our Prophet:

﴿ اليَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الإِسْلَامَ دِينًا ﴾

That means" Today I have perfected the laws of your religion and completed My favour upon you and have approved Islam as your religion ", Thus, the foundations of the religion were completed.

The Day of ^Arafah is a day when mercy and blessings descend

Indeed, the Day of ^Arafah is a day of great significance that Allah has exalted and elevated above other days. Among its virtues is that Allah, the Exalted, shows His angels the virtue of the pilgrims and extends His forgiveness to them. Imam Muslim narrated in his Sahih from the Mother of the Believers, Lady ^A’ishah, that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:

“مَا مِنْ يَوْمٍ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ أَنْ يُعْتِقَ اللَّهُ فِيهِ عَبْدًا مِنْ النَّارِ مِنْ يَوْمِ عَرَفَةَ وَإِنَّهُ لَيَدْنُو (أي تدنو رحمةُ الله تعالى وكرامتُه) ثُمَّ يُبَاهِي بِهِمُ الْمَلَائِكَةَ (أي يُظهر اللهُ تعالى للملائكةِ فضلَ هؤلاء المعتَقين بأن يغفرَ لهم) فَيَقُولُ مَا أَرَادَ هَؤُلَاءِ”

That means: "There is no day on which Allah frees more of His servants from the fire of Hell than the Day of ^Arafah. Allah's mercy and honour draw near, then Allah shows the angels the virtue of those who are forgiven and says: 'What do these people desire?'"

However, beware, my Muslim brother, of interpreting the phrase “وَإِنَّهُ لَيَدْنُو” as implying physical closeness or spatial nearness. Exempted is Allah from being a body with shape or appearance, or from resembling the creation, or from being confined to a place.

Rather, what clarifies and explains this hadith is what Imam Malik narrated in the Muwatta' that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Satan has never been seen on any day smaller, more defeated, more humiliated, or more enraged than he is on the Day of ^Arafah. This is due to the mercy that descends and Allah’s forgiveness of great sins, except what he saw on the day of Badr." He was asked, "What did he see on the day of Badr, O Messenger of Allah?" He said, "Indeed, he saw Gabriel arranging, aligning, and marshalling the ranks of the angels for battle."

Thus, the meaning of descent and nearness is the descent and nearness of mercy, as clarified by this hadith. As Hafidh Al-^Iraqiyy said: " The best interpretation is that which is supported by another narration.” i.e, when one narration elucidates another.

The Messenger of Allah said: "There is no day on which Allah frees more servants from the Fire than the Day of ^Arafah."