The Prophet ﷺ said, “Hajj is Arafah.” (Tirmidhi)
The day of Arafah, held on the 9th of Dhul Hijjah, is the most blessed day of the year and holds immense spiritual significance for Muslims around the world. Starting from a little before noon till sunset, all the hujjaj (pilgrims) gather in the plain of Arafah, steadfastly worshipping Allah ﷻ, making du’as and reciting istaghfar, hopeful of Allah’s forgiveness and mercy. On this day, Allah descends from the heavens to come closer to His believers, forgive their sins, save them from Hellfire and answer all their righteous du’as.
It was narrated from Aishah RA that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said,
“There is no day on which Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, frees more of his slaves, male and female, from the fire, than the day of Arafah. He comes close, then he boasts to the angels about them and say: ‘What do these people want?'” (Sunan An-Nasai)
Fourteen hundred and forty-five years ago, on this day, the Prophet ﷺ delivered his final sermon from the Mount of Arafat, providing guidelines to the believers on right and wrong that have been passed down to us. He ﷺ also instructed those present to follow the teachings of the Holy Qur’an and his Sunnah, and to pass on the message to future generations.
This is also the day when Allah sent down the verse,
“Today I have perfected your faith for you, completed My favour upon you, and chosen Islam as your way.” (Surah Al-Maidah 5:3)
Even if you are not performing Hajj, fasting on the first nine days of Dhul Hijjah, including the day of Arafah, is highly recommended and is considered an act of worship that carries special blessings.
Abu Qatadah Al-Ansari RA narrated, ‘The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was asked about fasting on the day of Arafah (the 9th of the month of Dhul Hijjah). He replied, “Fasting on the day of Arafah is an expiation for the preceding year and the following year.” (Muslim)
The Prophet ﷺ said, “The best of du’a is du’a on the day of ‘Arafah.” (Hasan)
Here are five du’as you can recite on the day of Arafah.
The word Arafah means “to know” and what better way to know our Lord than through the du’a taught by His beloved Rasul, Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللهُ ، وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ ، لَهُ الْمُلْكُ وَلَهُ الْحَمْدُ ، وهُوَ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ
Laa ilaaha ill-allaahu, waḥdahu laa shareeka lah, lahul-mulku wa lahul-ḥamdu, wa huwa ‛alaa kulli shay’in qadeer.
“None has the right to be worshipped except Allah, alone, without partner. To Him belongs sovereignty and all praise and He is over all things Omnipotent.”
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, “The best dua is dua on the day of Arafa, and the best thing that I or the Prophets before me have said is ‘There is no god but Allah, alone, without any partner’ (La ilaha illa’llah, wahdahu la sharika lah.)” (Muwatta Malik)
The Prophet ﷺ said, “There is no day in which Allah saves more people from the fire than the Day of `Arafah.” ( Ibn Majah)
We are not perfect but the Day of Arafah is the perfect time to make the du’a asking for Allah’s forgiveness, His help in providing us a solid foundation to stand firm upon the deen and granting us victory and success, inshaAllah. Our iman has highs as well as lows and it is important to be aware of our lows and seek forgiveness from Allah as He loves those who seek forgiveness and loves to forgive.
اللَّهُمَّ إِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي
Allahumma innaka ‘afuwwun tuhibbul-‘afwa, fa’fu ‘anni
“O Allah, You are Forgiving and love forgiveness, so forgive me.” (Ibn Majah)
رَبَّنَا وَلَا تُحَمِّلْنَا مَا لَا طَاقَةَ لَنَا بِهِۦۖ وَٱعْفُ عَنَّا وَٱغْفِرْ لَنَا وَٱرْحَمْنَآۚ أَنتَ مَوْلَىٰنَا فَٱنصُرْنَا عَلَى ٱلْقَوْمِ ٱلْكَٰفِرِينَ
Rabbana wa la tuḥammilna ma la ṭaqata lana bih, waʿfu ʿanna, waghfir lana, warḥamna. Anta mawlana, fa-nṣurna ʿala al-qawmi al-kafirin
Our Lord! Do not punish us if we forget or make a mistake. Our Lord! Do not place a burden on us like the one you placed on those before us. Our Lord! Do not burden us with what we cannot bear. Pardon us, forgive us, and have mercy on us. You are our ˹only˺ Guardian. So grant us victory over the disbelieving people.” (Surah Al-Baqarah 2:286)
رَبَّنَا ظَلَمْنَآ أَنفُسَنَا وَإِن لَّمْ تَغْفِرْ لَنَا وَتَرْحَمْنَا لَنَكُونَنَّ مِنَ ٱلْخَـٰسِرِينَ
Rabbana zalamna anfusana wa-in lam taghfir lana watarhamna lanakoonanna mina alkhasireen
“Our Lord! We have wronged ourselves. If You do not forgive us and have mercy on us, we will certainly be losers.” (Surah Al A’raf 7:23)
If the current circumstances have taught us anything, it is surely that there is no time to waste. We need to make every precious moment of our lives count and come closer to Allah by reading the Qur’an, learning the deen and helping our fellow Muslims in any way we can.
اللّهُـمَّ إِنِّي أَعْوذُ بِكَ مِنَ الهَـمِّ وَ الْحُـزْنِ، والعًجْـزِ والكَسَلِ والبُخْـلِ والجُـبْنِ، وضَلْـعِ الـدَّيْنِ وغَلَبَـةِ الرِّجال
Allaahumma ‘innee ‘a’oothu bika minal-hammi walhuzni, wal’ajzi walkasali, walbukhli waljubni, wa dhal’id-dayni wa ghalabatir-rijaal.
“O Allah! I seek refuge with You from worry and grief, from incapacity and laziness, from cowardice and miserliness, from being heavily in debt and from being overpowered by (other) men.” (Bukhari)
اللهم اغفر لي، وارحمني، واهدني، وعافني، وارزقني
Allahumm-aghfir li, warhamni, wa-hdini, wa ‘afini, warzuqni
“O Allah! Forgive me, have mercy on me, guide me, guard me against harm and provide me with sustenance and salvation.”
Tariq bin Ashyam (May Allah be pleased with him) reported,
A man came to the Prophet ﷺ and said to him, “O Messenger of Allah! What shall I say if I want to pray to my Rubb?” He ﷺ said, “Say: ‘Allahumma-ghfir li, warhamni, wa ‘afini, warzuqni (O Allah! Forgive me, have mercy on me, protect me and provide me with sustenance).’ Surely, this supplication is better for you in this life and in the Hereafter.” (Muslim)
It was narrated that Anas bin Malik said,
“The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, ‘Whoever asks Allah for Paradise three times, Paradise will say: ‘O Allah, admit him to Paradise.’ And whoever seeks protection from Hell three times, Hell will say: ‘O Allah, protect him from the Fire.'” (Sunan An-Nasai)
This is one of the most frequent du’a that the Prophet used to make and is one of the most comprehensive ones too.
اللَّهُمَّ آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً، وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ حَسَنَةً، وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ
Allahumma aatina fid duniya hasanataw wafil aakhirati hasanataw waqina azaban naar
“O Allah, give us good in this world and good in the Next World and protect us from the punishment of the Fire.” (Al-Albani)
The first du’a in the Qur’an asks Allah for guidance, which shows just how central it is to seek His help in staying on the path that leads to His forgiveness and Jannah. But it doesn’t stop there, it’s just as important to keep asking Allah to help us stay on that guidance, not fall back into old patterns, and to surround us with His mercy as we try to hold on to the straight path.
اِهۡدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الۡمُسۡتَقِيۡمَۙ
Ihdina s-sirata l-mustaqim
You ˹alone˺ we worship and You ˹alone˺ we ask for help. Guide us along the Straight Path (Surah Al-Fatihah 1:6)
رَبَّنَا لَا تُزِغۡ قُلُوۡبَنَا بَعۡدَ اِذۡ هَدَيۡتَنَا وَهَبۡ لَنَا مِنۡ لَّدُنۡكَ رَحۡمَةً ۚ اِنَّكَ اَنۡتَ الۡوَهَّابُ
Rabbana la tuzigh quloobana ba’da idh hadaytana wa hab lana min ladunka rahmah innaka anta al-Wahhab
“Our Lord! Do not let our hearts deviate after you have guided us. Grant us Your mercy. You are indeed the Giver ˹of all bounties.” (Surah Ali ‘Imran 3:8)
The day of Arafah is a time for repenting sins, fasting, and praying to Allah for blessings and mercy. Following the most blessed nights of Ramadan, these are the most blessed days of the year and we must take full advantage of them. We hope these du’as are beneficial for you.
May Allah forgive us all and bless us with His mercy and protection every day. Ameen.
This article was written by a member of the Amaliah team or a collective team effort. You can follow us on @amaliah_tweets for the latest or head over to our Instagram @amaliah_com. If you're reading this and are thinking about contributing an article then send us an email with a brief or a full article to contribute@amaliah.com
