The Significance of the Day of Arafah
The Significance of the Day of Arafah: This is an article which is basically a speech of the Respected Scholar Syed Jawad Naqvi which he gave in the previous year on the 9th of Zilhajjah which was “The Day of Arafah”, and with a little bit of add on from my side.
The Day of Arafah is one of the most blessed and sanctified days. In traditions, we can see that it is narrated, “People who weren’t able to achieve their purpose and goal in Laylatul Qadr or those who weren’t forgiven on that day, Arafah is the last opportunity for them”. This day in its blessedness, sacredness and holiness weighs the same as the Night of Qadr. In days there is no bigger day than Arafah and in Nights there is no superior night than Laylatul Qadr!”
Prophets have been especially blessed on this day. Prophet Musa received many consecrations on this day, like wise Hazrat Adam accomplished his purpose on this day too.
There are a few Am’als(Recommended rituals) for this day and the first of which is to be present on the Plains of Arafah. Pilgrims have to gather in a desert over there from Zohr to Maghrib and have to spend the same night at Muzdalifah (Mash’ar) after which the pilgrims go the Valley of Mina.
Someone asked Imam Ali, “Why does Hajj have such kind of a sequence?” what he meant to say was after becoming a Muhrim(after wearing the ihram) one needs to go out of Mecca, out of the Haram and then come back later on after a few obligations. In reply to the query Imam told him that a person who comes from his polluted tedious life into such a Holy place, he is not prepared for it and for this reason he is sent to such plains and valleys so that he can be trained and made capable of going to the K’aba. One’s condition is recognized when one visits the House of Allah, and the style of circumambulating shows how engrossed the person was in his daily mundane earlier. This is why he is sent to Arafah where he spends half a day then a whole night in Muzdalifah, following 3 days in Mina and then he returns back to the Haram of God. Imam says that Allah has kept His Wisdom behind this sequence. He wants a person to leave the old routine and be prepared to that extent that he can step into the next phase.
So the first land and “STOP” assigned for the training of Pilgrims is the Plains of Arafah. Those pilgrims present over there are blessed, but people far off who haven’t had the opportunity to be there they should know that, they have been blessed with the Day and Time of Arafah even if they are deprived of the Land of Arafah. Hence we can even be part of the hajis present over there. We can walk on the same footsteps they are supposed to walk on. We can achieve the purpose of Arafah sitting over here which the pilgrims will achieve sitting on the plains of Arafah.
Imam Ali says that perhaps it seems that there are different gates of the Haram of Allah if you look at it, one being Arafah, one Mina, and one Mash’ ar .The true aim behind this is that one who has been ignorant of Allah comes out of his/her ignorance and pays attention towards the Almighty and comes and knocks the door every now and then with the sincerity of the heart.
The person sitting inside the door knows that who is knocking, but He still doesn’t open the door just to see that who has come with Earnestness of the heart and who has come just for a formality and time pass.
Sometimes we knock some ones door just to tell the other person that I knocked your door but you dint open, but if you really want to meet the person inside, you don’t go away by just knocking for once, you keep knocking till the time the person inside opens the door and that is what Allah wishes for. Opening the door is the real purpose. A heartfelt person should go like “O Allah I will keep sitting at the door till the time you don’t open the doors of Sympathy for me!’
It is for this reason that one just needs to sit and do nothing on the plains of Arafah except knocking and knocking the doors which Allah has kept! Sometimes one knocks just by the hand, and sometimes one even uses his voice to tell the person inside that he is waiting desperately for you to open the door! The best illustration for this is when small children come from school and knock the door shouting “Mother please open the door!” and if still it doesn’t open, the child starts crying and the mother as soon as she hears the cry of her beloved, she leaves everything, all her chores and rushes towards the door, opens the door and takes the child in her arms.
That’s why Allah has called us on the gate first and commands us to open the door by some or the other way and cry if it doesn’t open so that as a result Allah takes us in the shadow of His Mercy and gives us a warm welcome! How much sinful one is, it doesn’t matter because this is the real opportunity for such people who are misguided totally.
When the door of Arafah opens, the door of Muzdalifah comes. Muzdalifah has been taken from the root word (Zulfa which means proximity, nearness). When this door opens the door of Mina comes which is the door of Hope and Wishes. When this door opens too one is sent back to the Haram of Allah and this is the stage of Liqa Allah (Meeting God).
Why is this Day named Arafah? Because when Hazrat Ibrahim was ordered to sacrifice his son Ismail, he took him and brought him on the land of Arafah. Then he stayed over there and
fulfilled the especial Ahkam (duties) assigned by Allah and then he was told to take his child for sacrifice to Mina and Ibrahim did want to run the sword over Ismail but it was by the order of Allah that Ibrahim was told that he has fulfilled his promise. And therefore Ibrahim sacrificed an animal which became a Sunnah for all the Muslims.
Hazrat Adam when he was told to ask for forgiveness, he put all of his efforts but he achieved his goal in Arafah. There he got the necessary guidance for forgiveness. The best of attendance on this Plain of Arafah was of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). His condition would totally change on this Day. And likewise the manifestation of Imam Hussain is also one of the rare ones!
Imam Hussains presence on two days is not compatible to any, one is the presence on the Day of Ashura and the second is the presence of Imam Hussain on the Plains of Arafah! Two prostrations of Hussain can never be elapsed because you can’t find a sample for it anywhere else. We are somewhat aware of his Sajdah on Ashura but we have never thought or pondered over the Sajdah of Hussain on Arafah!
Arafah is called “Arafah” because it is the land of “Ma’rifah”, it is the Day of knowing your Lord and recognizing Him. There are two important things for one to know.
1) Ones Lord
2) One’s own self.
It is the day to recognize yourself and your Creator. The famous saying which goes, “Whoever recognizes himself, recognizes his Creator” is narrated for this Day. Secondly the Day of Arafah is the “Day of Acceptance and Confession”. This confession is of many things which can lead us to our sublime goal, confession of us being servants of God, confession of Allah being the Supreme Lord, confession of our sins, defects, ignorance, immoralities, mistakes, failure, and confession of Allah’s Mercy, Benevolence, and Forgiveness.
This Day is for Allah’s special mercy, which is bestowed on the Momineen (Believers), whereas on the other hand every day we live and spend by is because of the general mercy of Allah which is bestowed on everybody be it Muslim, Hindu, a Disbeliever, Hypocrite, so on and so forth.
Arafah is the day for those travelling to seek Allah. (Salikeen), There are some who go behind and work for gaining the bounties of Allah but there are a few who struggle day and night just to seek the Giver of Bounties. Those behind the bounties of Allah, for them every day is blessed by Allah, but those willing to seek the Giver of bounties, there are a few days allotted for them to seek nearness.
People going towards Allah (salikeen), when they ask the Prophet about Allah, Allah doesn’t command the Prophet to tell them that He is very near, He Himself says that “I am even nearer than the jugular vein”. For eg: someone knocks at your door, at times you tell the person sitting next to you to open the door, but sometimes you say that leave it , I myself will open the door. This is the tone and type of language Allah is using that He Himself is to attend those who seek Him.
Allah says that because he has come for me, I am there myself to receive him, those who come for my bounties; I tell the angels that you cater them and give them whatever they demand. A servant of Allah’s bounties is attended by Allah Angels, but a servant of Allah is welcomed and honored by Allah himself. Those who approach Allah to fulfill their needs, Allah opens the required door for them, but those who approach Allah for Allah, He takes them as His own Guests.
Today is the Day of seeking and travelling towards Allah. Today is the day of Meraj! Call Allah so that Allah comes Himself. Imam Hussain in Dua e Arafah says, “O lord what has he lost who has acquired You, and what has he acquired who has lost You!” This is a day to know your Lord but this should not be limited to your mind that you have a picture about God in your mind, God is not something which can befit in our mind, it is the creation of our mind which fits in our mind, it is not the creator of our minds which can befit in our limited brains. We don’t have the band width to befit Allah in our minds!
Imam Baqir says, “After concentrating and contemplating so much, the picture of God which you bring in your mind, that picture is your own creation, that is not your creator!” Allah is Light of Reality which has to be absorbed, and acquired. Someone asked Imam Ali, “Have you ever seen God? Imam responded saying “ You think of me to be like you? I don’t worship a God whom I haven’t seen! But with this he mentioned, you can’t see God by your eyes; you require the light of Emaan (Faith) and the power of Understanding to see God! Allah is the biggest and most clear reality! There is a statement in Dua e Arafah “O lord When were You lost that I should find you?” we usually search for something which is lost. But when has it been that Allah is lost? The problem was in me, that I was in the veil and because of this I couldn’t see You! You were always crystal clear; it was the veil of ignorance, unfamiliarity, desires, debaucheries which blocked my vision! I have come out of the Hijab today and now I am in a position to see you!
Imam Hussain says “Oh lord, don’t leave me into the hands of the Creation otherwise they will leave me moving from door to door, O’ my lord, call me to the door of Your Mercy”
This is a day to know your Lord by your Existence and not by your mind. Today is a day to seek Allah and not just call Allah. Sense the existence of God with your own Existence! At this point one becomes capable enough to be called towards the valley of Allah’s Proximity.
By the looks of Arafah, it is a desert but in reality it is the ground towards seeking Allah. After crossing the valley of recognition, one steps into the valley of Proximity. The valley of Muzdalifah is the ground for nearness and the night spend over there is in close proximity to God.
When the imminence of Allah is achieved, Allah calls us to the Valley of Mina saying that “Oh my servant demand whatever you want and that’s the time to ask Allah from Allah! Ask the consent of Allah! And the one who seeks Allah, he has got everything! After presenting our demands in front of Allah, Allah opens the Door to His House and gives us a place in His Lap of Mercy and then commands us to circumambulate and that’s when the pilgrim reaches his real goal!
We aren’t blessed to be on the lands of Arafah but this has been the practice of the Prophets and Imams that whenever they would not be present on the land of Arafah, they would gather people somewhere and present their supplication (Munajaat) in front of God.
Nearly all Imams have a Supplication for this day but especially the Dua of Imam Hussain is highly recommended. This day is also associated to be the ‘Day of Imam e Zamana” that whoever goes towards seeking Allah, goes under the Imamat of Al Hujjah. Scholars narrate that it is the day of Arafah when people see the Imam but unfortunately they don’t recognize him! When the Imam will reappear, they will say that we had already seen him before.
These are really valuable moments especially from the afternoon of Arafah till the time of Sunset! Don’t take these moments for granted; value them to be an excellent opportunity. Don’t take this day lightly, reckon this day as much as you can, don’t let it go in obliviousness. Take every moment seriously because it has the power to change your Destiny! It can change us, our environment, and our country because today Allah Himself is there to listen to the call of his servant.
Come to Allah in a grief-stricken manner because you have transgressed all over your life and it is the Day of Arafah which can cover up for what all you have missed in the Night of Qadr! If you waste this opportunity too, we are left with none. You can undertake a journey of thousand years in just a few moments! Few clean and pure souls are required and especially of the youth because they haven’t been totally subjugated by Satan. They have the capacity to take this journey steadily; their hearts haven’t reached the stage where by they don’t accept anything. They are prepared. They should focus today and seek Allah without any
source! With the song of Monotheism coming out of their Emaan(Faith), they should approach God.
In these few moments, try and do what you weren’t able to do in the rest of your life! Soften your hearts so that you are able to feel the presence and essence of the Almighty! Make this Arafah a life changer and also the foundation for an Islamic Revolution.
May Allah give us the Divine Opportunity( Tawfeeq) to make the best use of this opportunity so that we don’t end up regretting, lamenting and crying over spilt milk! It is the requirement of the era to “Change” and not just succumb for “Intending to Change!”
Do remember!! “A person realizes the importance of something when he is deprived of it” so let us value everything before it gets too late!!