SACRED DUTY: Pilgrims from around the world on Arafat today

(Patria) - Arafat is a plateau about fifteen kilometres from the holy city of Mecca and the site of the central rite of the Muslim pilgrimage (wuquf or standing at Arafat), where pilgrims spend the entire day in worship.

The stay at Arafat is the central Hajj rite and the main component of the Hajj rituals, and today pilgrims will spend the day on Mount Arafat.

According to some, on this hill, the Hill of Knowledge, Adam and Eve met after leaving Paradise.

Arafat is the place that on the 9th of Dhul-Hijjah presents an image – the closest and most similar to the image of the Day of Judgement. Namely, several million pilgrims in the same clothing as on the Day of Judgement, in white ihrams, are turned towards the Hill of Allah's Mercy – Jabal al-Rahmah, and spend the entire day mentioning, glorifying, magnifying and sending supplications to the Almighty Allah, glory be to Him, the Most High. Arafat is the place where the most takbirs, talbiyahs and supplications are recited in a single day.

The fast of the Day of Arafat expiates the sins committed in the previous and the coming year. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: "There is no day on which Allah frees more people from the Fire than the Day of Arafat. He draws near and boasts to His angels: 'What do these people want?'".

From the Fajr prayer on the Day of Arafat, the recitation of the Takbir al-Tashriq begins. This takbir continues to be recited after every obligatory prayer, until the Asr prayer of the fourth day of Eid al-Adha. Reciting this Takbir al-Tashriq is wajib in our school of thought.

This means we should recite: "Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, la ilaha illallahu wallahu akbar, Allahu akbaru wa lillahil-hamd", after every obligatory prayer – from the Day of Arafat, after the Fajr prayer, until the fourth day of Eid al-Adha, concluding with the Asr prayer.

Allah's Messenger delivered his famous sermon during the Farewell Pilgrimage when he arrived at Arafat before noon. This farewell sermon is for Muslims a kind of charter on universal obligations and human rights.

The standing at Arafat is an unparalleled congress gathering representatives of Muslims from all over the world. At this congress, souls meet and hearts unite. Although their languages, skin colour, origin, culture and geographical areas from which they come are different, at Arafat their beliefs, feelings, desires and supplications are unified.

On no other day does Allah distance His servants further from Hellfire than He does on the Day of Arafat. Allah's Messenger said: "Satan has never been more humiliated and dejected, angry and despised than he is on the Day of Arafat".