9 Zul Hijjah Yaum-ul Arafah and 10 Zul Hijjah Eid-ul Adha
 
The Days of Arafah and Eid-ul Adha are upon us.  Both days are considered as very special in the Islamic calendar and both allow us the opportunity to come closer to Allah.
 
9 Zul Hijjah
The day of Arafah is one of the most sacred days in the Islamic calendar, on the 9^th Zul Hijjah, a day before the Eid. On this day, Allah invites us to His worship and obedience and showers his blessings, forgiveness, mercy and bounties. Imam Ali ibn Hussain al-Zainul Abideen (a.s) said, ‘O Allah, this is the Day of Arafah, which you have made noble, given honour, and magnified within it. You have spread Your mercy, shown kindness through Your pardon, made plentiful your giving, and through it You have been gracious towards Your servants’ (Sahifah al-Sajjadiyyah, Dua 47).
 
There are various acts of worship recommended for this day, to be found at http://www.duas.org/zilhajj/arafa.htm#. To summarise these here for your benefit, they are:
1)      Fast on this day as long as it does not interfere with your performance of the prayers and rituals below.
2)      Perform ritual bath (ghusl)
3)       It is recommended to visit the holy tomb of Imam Husain (a.s), for its reward is equal to the reward of one thousand times of hajj, one thousand times of Umrah, and one thousand times of jihad (struggling in Allah’s path), and even more.
4)      It is recommended to offer a two unit prayer immediately after the obligatory Asr Prayer before saying the supplicatory prayers of Arafah. This prayer should be offered outdoors and it should include confessions of sins. One who offers this prayer will be granted the reward of attending on Mount Arafah and having all their sins forgiven.
5)      After this prayer, it is recommended to begin with the acts and supplications of the Arafah Day that are reported from the Holy Infallibles (a.s) (see the link above).
6)      Recite Dua 47 of Sahifah al-Sajjadiyyah.
 
10 Zul Hijjah
The 10^th Zul Hijjah is the Day of Eid-ul Adha. It is a day to thank Allah for His numerous bounties. Those of our brethren on Hajj will still be busy with the rites and rituals therein, following the Sunnah of the Prophet Ibrahim (a.s) as shown to us by the Prophet Muhammad (saaww).
On the day, we may:
1)      recite the Eid prayer in congregation in the open, or at home individually, between sunrise and descent of the sun. It is a two unit prayer, followed by Tasbih al-Zahrah (a.s). Details may be found at http://duas.org/iddzuha.htm
2)      Recite Imam Zainul Abideen (as)’s dua for Eid-ul Adha
3)      Recite Ziyarat of Imam Husain (a.s)
4)      Recite Dua Nudba in anticipation of Imam Mahdi (atfs)
5)      For those offering a sacrifice, there are very clear rules of what kind of animal may be sacrificed and how it ought to be reared and treated. Islam is a religion of peace and love, therefore even the animals we sacrifice for Allah’s pleasure must be honoured, as the Quran instructs us.
 
World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League (WABIL) wishes Imam Mahdi (atfs), all righteous scholars, and all believers a very peaceful and worshipful Day of Arafah and Eid. May Allah remove the turmoil that has gripped the Muslim world, may He shower His mercy on us and give us the strength to be united. May we hold on to the Quran and the Ahlul Bayt (as), the Infallible Imams, for our guidance.
 
Sayed Mohammad Al-Musawi
World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League (WABIL)
London, UK
 
 
 
 
 

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