Friday Sermon] How To Be Blessed In The Great Days Of Arafah And Eid

By Imam Murtadha Gusau

In The Name of Allah, The Most Merciful, The Bestower of Mercy

All praise is for Allah, we praise Him, we seek His help, we ask for His forgiveness, and we seek refuge with Allah from the evils of our own souls and the wickedness of our actions, whoever Allah guides, there is none that can lead him astray, and whoever Allah allows to go astray, there is none that can lead him to the right path.

I testify and bare witness that there is no deity worthy of worship in truth but Allah, alone, without any partners. And I testify and bare witness that Muhammad (Peace be upon him) is His Servant and Messenger. As for what’s after:

Dear brothers and sisters! Today Friday (Arafah day) and tomorrow Saturday (the day of Eid-ul-Adha) are great days in Islam. In these great days, the observant gather to remember Allah, thank him, and worship him in the best manner. And they honour His sacred ordinances and rituals. His Prophet (Peace be upon him) sacrificed and ordained it for his Ummah (nation). For it is among his most confirmed Sunnahs. So whoever is able to do so should not deny themselves.

So be conscious of Allah and obey Him. And magnify Him in His greatest days. For these days are the best days of this worldly life. Amass in them from righteousness and piety. And avoid sin and following desires. Allah Almighty said:

“That [has been commanded], and whoever honours the sacred ordinances of Allah – it is best for him in the sight of his Lord.” [Qur’an, 22:30]

There are many virtues of these great days. And some of them have characteristics that others do not have, like the day of Arafah and the day of Sacrifice. And this sermon is about the day of Arafah and what it contains of virtue. So that we know its value and honour its sanctity. And so that we do not waste a moment of it.

And when Arafah is mentioned, the eyes well with tears at the sight of the pilgrims, while they are in Arafah, invoking and supplicating Allah. Rejoicing over them, being happy for them and longing for the sacred sites.

Indeed the day of Arafah is from the days of the sacred months. And it is from the ten favoured days. And it is from the known days indicated in the Qur’anic verse as follows:

“That they may witness [i.e., attend] benefits for themselves and mention the name of Allah on known [i.e., specific] days over what He has provided for them of [sacrificial] animals.” [Qur’an, 22:28]

And Allah Almighty took an oath by it in His Noble Book that indicates its virtue and significance.

“And [by] the witness and what is witnessed.”[Qur’an, 85:3]

And it is the day of perfecting the religion and completing the favour. As is in the Hadith of Umar Bin Al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) that Tariq Bin Shihab narrated:

“A Jewish man came to Umar Bin Al-Khattab and said: ‘O Commander of the Believers! There is a Verse in your Book which you recite; if it had been revealed to us Jews we would have taken that day as a holiday.’ He said: ‘Which Verse is that?’ 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-Ma’idah (5) 3)’ Umar said: ‘I know the place where it was revealed and the day on which it was revealed. It was revealed to the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) at Arafah, on a Friday.’” [Bukhari, 45]

And it is also an Eid for the Muslims. As in the Hadith narrated by Uqbah Bin Amir (may Allah be pleased with him) who said that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

“The day of Arafah and the day of sacrifice and the days of At-Tashriq are our Eid, people of Islam, and they are days of eating and drinking.” [Sahih Al Jami of Sheikh Albani]

And it is the day of boasting about the people who are at Arafah as was indicated in the Hadith of Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) who said that the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said:

Indeed Allah boasts to the occupants of the heavens about the people of Arafah. He says to them: “Look at my servants who have come to me disheveled and dusty.” [Sahih Al Jami of Sheikh Albani]

And it is the day of ransoming from the fire as indicated in the Hadith narrated by Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her)  that the Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said:

“There is no day on which Allah ransoms more servants from the Fire than the Day of Arafah. He draws closer and closer, then He boasts about them before the angels and says: ‘What do these people want?” [Muslim]

And it is the day of supplicating. And the day of moistening the tongues and hearts with the phrase of Tawhid as indicated in the Hadith related by Talhah Bin Ubaidullah Bin Kariz that Messenger of Allah (Peace be upon him) said:

“The best supplication is that of the Day of Arafah, and the best that anyone can say is what I and the Prophets before me have said: La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu wa huwa ala kulli shai’in qadir. None has the right to be worshipped but Allah Alone, Who has no partner. His is the dominion and His is the praise, and He is Able to do all things.” [At-Tirmidhi]

Respected servants of Allah! The apparent is that the merit of supplication is not restricted to those staying in Arafah only. Acceptance is more hopeful for them than others due to them wearing Ihram and being in the purest of places. At the same time, supplicating with the phrase of Tawhid in the Hadith is not specific to the people of Arafah. Rather, people throughout the world should say it a lot on that great day.

And it is as if supplicating plentifully through the phrase of Tawhid on the Day of Arafah is to confirm the fulfillment of the covenant that Allah Almighty took from mankind before their existence on earth. And it is mentioned in the Hadith of Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) that the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

“Allah took the covenant from Adam’s back in Na‘man, that is Arafah, and brought forth from his loins all his offspring whom He created and scattered between His Hands like atoms. He then turned to them saying, “Am I not your Lord?” They said, “Yes, we have testified.” [This] – lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection, “Indeed, we were of this unaware.” Or [lest] you say, “It was only that our fathers associated [others in worship] with Allah before, and we were but descendants after them. Then would You destroy us for what the falsifiers have done? (Qur’an, 7: 172-173).” [Imam Ahmad]

So it is appropriate for the tongues of believers to recite the phrase of Tawhid on that great day. Also, on Arafah, Muslims wherever they are should make plenty of remembrance (Zikr) and supplication (Du’a).

So – dear servants of Allah – strive in remembrance and supplication. Perhaps the Mercy of Allah will touch you on the Day of Arafah. So a person should not deny themselves Allah’s favour and goodness on that great day.

And for those performing Hajj, is the triumph of staying in Arafah –  the greatest pillar of Hajj. Nonetheless, for those not performing Hajj is fasting on that great day. And fasting it expiates the sins of two years as the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said:

“Fasting the day of Arafah, I anticipate, will expiate for the sins of the previous year and the year after it.” [Muslim]

Dear servants of Allah! Also know that the Eid-ul-Adha is the biggest and best Eid of the Muslims. Because it is within the best and most noble days (the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah). And it contains the most and greatest devotional rites. And sacrifice is ordained in it and it is among the best and most honourable of deeds. And it is from the Sunnah of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) as was related in the Hadith of Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) who said:

“The Prophet (Peace be upon him) sacrificed two black-and-white rams and I saw him putting his foot on their sides and pronouncing the Name of Allah and proclaiming His greatness. He slaughtered them with his own hand.” [Bukhari and Muslim]

And let us avoid the sacrificial animals that have defects. For it is an offering for the sake of Allah. And let us choose the best and fattest animal as Abu Umamah Bin Sahl said:

“We use to fatten the sacrificial animals in Madinah, and the Muslims would gain weight.”

And whoever decides on the Day of Sacrifice or afterwards to sacrifice can do so. Likewise, someone who initially could not afford to sacrifice but then found enough money to do so can also sacrifice. And one sacrificial animal is sufficient for one household. And it is a worship and a means of getting closer to Allah. And boasting and bragging about it are not permissible.

And it is not permitted to fast on the days of tashriq, which are the three days after Eid (the 11th, 12th and 13th of Dhul-Hijjah) for what the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said about them:

“The days of tashriq are days of eating and drinking and remembrance of Allah.” [Muslim]

Dear brothers and sisters! The great and blessed season has come upon you. So be cautious of neglecting it. The merciful season has come upon you, so be among the forerunners and not among the laggards. So perhaps Allah will glance at you with mercy. And rectify your wife, children and your country. And perhaps Allah will glance at you with mercy and open for you through one righteous deed doors of righteous deeds that you were not able to perform previously. And perhaps Allah will glance at you with mercy and accept your supplication and rectify your religious affairs, your worldly affairs and your hereafter.

We ask Allah Almighty to accept from all the Muslims and us. And to record for us mercy, forgiveness and freedom from the fire. Indeed He is All Hearing, Answering.

Dear brothers and sisters! Our Mosque and Islamic center, Nagazi-Uvete Islamic Center is soliciting for your help and assistance. We sincerely seek your financial support, help, assistance, donation and contribution on the buying of cows in this coming blessed Eid-ul-Adha Celebration for our orphans, widows and the students under our care. Your support is highly needed for Allah’s sake (FISABILILLAH)!

As usual, we sincerely solicit for your kind and sincere contribution towards the Eid-ul-Adha Udhiyyah/Layyah (sacrifice) for our orphans, widows and students; and the development of our schools and Islamic Center financially, materially and morally.

Our aim and objective always is to have a standard Islamic center and Arabic/Islamic schools for orphans and less privileged Muslims children.

And if you want to pay your Zakah, our great Islamic center is waiting for your kind and merciful gesture. Sincerely, your donation will help distribute sacrifice meat, etc for our orphans.

Remember, Eid-ul-Adha Celebration will not be the same without our families, but unfortunately this is not a privilege enjoyed by everyone. This is the reason we’re steadfast in planning to provide meat for the orphans, widows and students under our care!

We planned to distribute meat package that worth amount up to 4000 widows and 2000 orphans In Shaa Allah, this year.