Hajj & Umrah, - Common Mistakes inthe First Ten Days of Thul-Hijjah - II

Secondly: Mistakes made on the Day of 'Arafah
1- Abandoning fasting:
It should be taken into consideration that the Day of 'Arafah is the
best day of the first ten days ofThul-Hijjah, and abandoning fasting
of that day is a mistake that many of those who are not granted
success to do righteous deeds commit. It was narrated on the authority
of Abu Qataadah Al-Ansaarithat the Messenger of Allaah,, was asked
about the reward of fasting the day of 'Arafah and he said:"It
expiates sins of the past year and the coming year."]Muslim[
This is prescribed for those who are not pilgrims ofHajj. As for
pilgrims ofHajj, they are forbidden to observe fasting during that
day.
2- Neglecting or abandoning supplication:
Most people make very little supplication and some do not supplicate
at all. This is a grave mistake, because one who neglects supplication
on that day deprives oneself from the advantage of supplication during
the Day of 'Arafah. In aHadeeth, the Messenger of Allaah,, said:"The
best supplication is that of the Day of 'Arafah, and the best thing
that I and other prophets before me said, is: 'Laa illaaha illallaahu
wahdahu la shareeka lahu lahul mulk wa lahul hamd wa huwa 'ala kuli
sha'in qadeer )There is no deity but Allaah, Alone and there Has not
partners, sovereignty and praise belong to him, and Over all things He
Is Omnipotent(."]Maalik[
Commenting on thisHadeeth, Ibn 'Abdul Barrsaid, "The Hadeeth indicates
that supplication on the Day of 'Arafah is better than supplication on
other days. This also indicates the excellence of that day over other
days. This stands as evidence that some days are better than others.
Nevertheless, this is not realized unless there is a relevant
Sharee'ah text, such as excellence of Friday, 'Aashooraa' )the tenth
day of Muharram(, the day of 'Arafah as well as Mondays and Thursdays.
None of this is realized by analogy or reasoning. The Hadeeth stands
as evidence that supplication on the day of 'Arafah is most hopeful to
be answered, and that the best Thikr is: "Laa illaaha illallaahu
)there is no God but Allaah(."]At-Tamheed[
Thirdly: Mistakes made on the Day ofNahr
1- Not to go to the place of 'Eedprayer:
Some Muslims do not go the place of'Eedprayer, particularly youths.
This is a mistake, because this day is one of the greatest days in the
Sight of Allaah The Almighty. On the authority of 'Abdullaah bin
Qurtthe Prophet,, said:"The greatest day to Allaah is the day of Nahr
and then the day of Qarr )the 11th day of Thul-Hijjah(."]Abu Daawood[
2- Putting on unclean or old clothes on the day of'Eed:
Some Muslims go out to the place of'Eedprayer with unclean clothes
under the pretext that they would shave their head, clip their
fingers, take a bath and apply perfume after slaughtering
theUdh-hiyah)the'Eedsacrificial animal(. This is a mistake, because a
Muslim should follow the example of the Messenger of Allaah,, and go
out in a good appearance and new, perfumed clothes. On the authority
of Ibn 'Umarthe Messenger of Allaah,, used to put on the best clothes
on the two'Eeds. According to some of the righteous predecessors, it
is authentically proven that the Prophet,, used to
performGhuslfor'Eed. ]Fat-hul-Baari and Al-Mughnee[
3- Eating before performing the'Eedprayer:
This is against theSunnahof the Prophet,, because it is an act
ofSunnahon'EedAl-Adh-hathat one should not eat unless he has
slaughtered his sacrifice. `Abdullah bin Buraydah narrated on the
authority of his fatherthat he said:"The Messenger of Allaahused not
to go out on the day of )'Eed( Al-Fitr until he ate, and he used not
to eat on the day of )'Eed( Al-Adh-ha until he performed prayer ."
Ibn Al-Qayyimsaid,"On the day of 'Eed Al-Adh-ha, the Prophetused not
to eat unless he had returned from prayer, then he would eat from his
Udh-hiyah."]Zaad Al-Ma'aad[
4- Not to perform the'Eedprayer in congregation:
Some Muslims do not perform the'Eedprayer in congregation under the
pretext that it is just an act ofSunnah, not an obligation. It is true
that this prayer is an act ofSunnah, not an obligation; nevertheless,
a Muslim should not abandon it if he is able to perform it.'Eedprayer
is one of the Islamic rituals that should be performed by all Muslims;
old and young, men and women. A person who abandons it without
aSharee'ah-approved justification has committed a grave mistake.
5- Abandoning the'Eed'sKhutbah)sermon(:
It is a mistake to neglect the'EedKhutbah. A Muslim should listen to
theKhutbahdue to its great excellence.
6- Abandoning theSunnahregarding going to prayer from one road and
returning from another road:
The Prophet,, used to go to the'Eedprayer through one road and return
from another road. Some Muslims do not give importance to this act
ofSunnahand this is a mistake.
7- Abandoning the'Eedgreeting:
It is a mistake to neglect greeting Muslims on the day of'Eed. It is
recommended underSharee'ahfor Muslims to exchange visits, gather and
greet each other on the occasion of'Eed. During'Eed, one could greet
other Muslims saying, for example,"May Allaah accept from us and from
you"or similar statements which include noSharee'ahviolations.
8- Visiting graves on the day of'Eed:
Some Muslims visit the graves on the day of'Eedin order to greet a
dead father or relative. This is a grave mistake, because visiting
graves on such a good day is an innovated practice that has no grounds
in theSharee'ahof Islam. The Companionsdid not do this, although they
were the forerunners to do righteous deeds. The Messenger of Allaah,,
said:"]A person[ who innovates in our matter )i.e. religion( anything
that does not belong to it, it will be rejected."]Muslim[
The Prophet,, said:"Do not make my grave ]a place for[ 'Eed"]Abu
Daawood[. Shaykhul-Islaam, Ibn Taymiyyahexplained the meaning of the
word "'Eed" in thisHadeeth, as referring to doing something on
certain occasions, or particular times of the year, month or weak, and
to repeat that act with the return of that occasion or particular day
or season. Shaykh-ul- Islam added saying that a person who has it as
habit to visit a grave on a certain time of the year, after'Eedprayer
every year, for example, has disobeyed the Prophetic commandment
expressed by theHadeeth. Shaykh-ul- Islam further explained that a
person who does this has introduced an innovated practice in our
religion, because the Messenger of Allaah,, neither did that nor
commanded us to do that; hence, doing that practice, thinking it to be
an act of obedience, contradicts the guidance of the ."