Virtues of the Day of Arafaah

What are the Virtues of the Day of Arafaah ?
Praise be to Allaah.
1. It is the dayon which the religion was
perfected and Allaah's Favour was completed.
In Al-Saheehayn it was reported from 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah
be pleased with him) that a Jewish man said to him, "O Ameer
al-Mu'mineen, there is an aayah in your Book which you recite; if it
had come to us Jews, wewould have taken that day as an 'Eid
(festival)." 'Umar said, "Which aayah?" He said: "This day I have
perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and
have chosen for you Islam as your religion." [al-Maa'idah 5:3 –
interpretation of the meaning]. 'Umar said, "We know on which day and
in which place that was revealed to the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him). It was when he was standing in 'Arafaah on a
Friday."
2. It is a day of Eid for the people who are in that place.
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "Yawm
'Arafaah (the day of 'Arafaah), Yawm al-Nahr (the Day of Sacrifice)
andAyyaam al-Tashreeq (the 3 days following Yawm al-Nahr) are Eid
(festival)for us, the people of Islam. These are days of eating and
drinking." This was narrated by theauthors of al-Sunan. It was
reported that 'Umar ibn al-Khattaab said: "It – i.e., the aayah 'This
dayI have perfected…' was revealed on a Friday, theDay of 'Arafaah,
both of which – praise be to Allaah – are Eids for us."
3. It is a day by which Allaah swore an oath.
The Almighty cannot swear by anything except that which is mighty.
Yawm 'Arafaah is the "witnessed day" mentioned in the aayah
(interpretation of the meaning):
"By the witnessing day [Friday] and by the witnessed day [the Day of
'Arafaah]." [al-Burooj 85:3].
It was reported from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him)
that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"The promised day is the Day of Resurrection, the witnessed day is the
Day of 'Arafaah, and the witnessing day is Friday." Narrated by
al-Tirmidhi and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani.
It is the "odd" [i.e., odd-numbered, Witr] by which Allaah swore in
the aayah (interpretation of the meaning):
"And by the even and the odd" [al-Fajr 89:3]. Ibn 'Abbaas said: "The
even is the Day of al-Adhaa [i.e., 10th Dhoo'l-Hijjah] and the odd is
the Day of 'Arafaah [i.e., 9th Dhoo'l-Hijjah] This is also the view of
'Ikrimah and al-Dahhaak.
4. Fasting on this day is an expiation for two years.
It was reported from Abu Qutaadah (may Allaah be pleased with him)
that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) was asked about fasting on the Dayof 'Arafaah. He said, "It
expiates for the sins of the previous year and of the coming year."
Narrated by Muslim.
This (fasting) is mustahabb for those who are not on Hajj. In the case
of the one who is on Hajj, it is not Sunnah for him to fast on the Day
of 'Arafaah, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) did not fast on this day in 'Arafaah. It was narratedthat he
forbade fasting on the Day of 'Arafaah in'Arafaah.
5. It is the dayon which Allaah took thecovenant
from the progeny of Adam.
It was reported that Ibn 'Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him)
said: the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) said: "Allaah took the covenant from the loins of Adam in
Na'maan, i.e.,'Arafaah. He brought forth from his loins all his
offspring and spread them before Him, then He addressed them, and
said: 'Am I not your Lord? They said, 'Yes, we testify,' let you
should say on the Day of Resurrection: 'Verily, we have been unaware
of this.' Or lest you should say: 'It was only our fathers aforetime
who took others as partners in worship along with Allaah, and we were
(merely their) descendents after them; will You then destroy us
because of the deeds of men who practised Al-Baatil (i.e.,
ploytheismand committing crimes and sins, invoking and worshipping
others besides Allaah)?' [al-A'raaf 7:172-173 – interpretation of the
meaning]." Narrated by Ahmad and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani. And
there is no greater day than this and no greater covenant than this.
6. It is the dayof forgiveness of sins, freedom
from the Fire and pride in the people who are there:
In Saheeh Muslim it was narrated from 'Aa'ishah (may Allaah be pleased
with her) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
said: "There isno day on which Allaah frees more people from the Fire
than the Day of 'Arafaah. He comes close and expresses His pride to
the angels, saying, 'What do these people want?'"
It was reported from Ibn 'Umar that the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) said: "Allaah expresses His pride to Hisangels
at the time of 'Ishaa' on the Day of 'Arafaah, about the people of
'Arafaah. He says, 'Look at My slaves who have come unkempt and
dusty.'" Narrated by Ahmad and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani.
And Allaah knows best.
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid