We all love a bargain, an offer too good to refuse! Like Black Friday, these bargains happen once a year and people go crazy for them. However, what if we told you there was a day in which the return is far greater than any sale of the year? And it doesn’t require you to spend any money at all!
What is this day?
The Day of Arafah
The Day of Arafah is the 9th Day of Dhul-Hijjah, the last month in the Islamic calendar. On this day, the pilgrims performing Hajj gather on the mountain planes of Arafah asking Allah, the Most Merciful, to forgive them. That is why it is called The Day of Arafah.
Just like how Laylat-ul-Qadr is the greatest night of the year, the Day of Arafah is by far the greatest day of the year in the sight of Allah. What makes this day so special is that Allah forgives the sins of the Hajj pilgrims standing on Arafah.
‘A’isha (May Allah be pleased with her) reported that Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said:
❝There is no day when God sets free more servants from Hell than the Day of Arafah.
He draws near, then praises them to the angels, saying: What do these (people) want?❞
So that’s for the people of Hajj. But what about for the rest of us? Where’s our bargain and our forgiveness? Or put simply… What’s our deal?
Abu Qatadah Al-Ansari (May Allah be pleased with him) narrated,
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ was asked
About the 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… ❞
Wait, did I hear that right?
So, Allah has promised us that if we fast only a handful of hours on the Day of Arafah, we will have the sins of two years wiped away, that’s around 720 days worth of sins!
To put it in perspective, if we average out the fasting day to be 12 hours or half a day, your return will be 1,440 times more than what you put in!
What trade or investment can give you that kind of return? This is only from Allah ﷻ, The Bestower, The Ever-Forgiving.
Can anyone say that they have never sinned in the past year or guarantee that they won’t sin in the future? If we just fast that day then all the countless sins we have or will commit will be wiped out. What a bargain!
So make a sincere intention to fast the Day of Arafah and follow it through, and grab yourself a bargain!