Question:
What are the Virtues of the Day of Arafaah ?

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

1.It is the day on which the religion was perfected and Allaah’s Favour was
completed.

In Al-Saheehayn it was reported from ‘Umar ibn al-Khattaab (may Allaah be
pleased with him) that a Jewish man said to him, “O Ameer al-Mu’mineen,
there is an aayah in your Book which you recite; if it had come to us Jews,
we would have taken that day as an ‘Eid (festival).” ‘Umar said, “Which
aayah?” 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-Maa’idah 5:3 – interpretation of the meaning]. ‘Umar said, “We know on
which day and in which place that was revealed to the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him). It was when he was standing in ‘Arafaah on
a Friday.”

2.It is a day of Eid for the people who are in that place.

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Yawm ‘Arafaah
(the day of ‘Arafaah), Yawm al-Nahr (the Day of Sacrifice) and Ayyaam
al-Tashreeq (the 3 days following Yawm al-Nahr) are Eid (festival) for us,
the people of Islam. These are days of eating and drinking.” This was
narrated by the authors of al-Sunan. It was reported that ‘Umar ibn
al-Khattaab said: “It – i.e., the aayah ‘This day I have perfected…’ was
revealed on a Friday, the Day of ‘Arafaah, both of which – praise be to
Allaah – are Eids for us.”

3.It is a day by which Allaah swore an oath.

The Almighty cannot swear by anything except that which is mighty. Yawm
‘Arafaah is the “witnessed day” mentioned in the aayah (interpretation of
the meaning):

“By the witnessing day [Friday] and by the witnessed day [the Day of
‘Arafaah].” [al-Burooj 85:3].

It was reported from Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The promised day
is the Day of Resurrection, the witnessed day is the Day of ‘Arafaah, and
the witnessing day is Friday.” Narrated by al-Tirmidhi and classed as saheeh
by al-Albaani.

It is the “odd” [i.e., odd-numbered, Witr] by which Allaah swore in the
aayah (interpretation of the meaning):

“And by the even and the odd” [al-Fajr 89:3]. Ibn ‘Abbaas said: “The even is
the Day of al-Adhaa [i.e., 10th Dhoo’l-Hijjah] and the odd is the Day of
‘Arafaah [i.e., 9th Dhoo’l-Hijjah] This is also the view of ‘Ikrimah and
al-Dahhaak.

4.Fasting on this day is an expiation for two years.

It was reported from Abu Qutaadah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was asked
about fasting on the Day of ‘Arafaah. He said, “It expiates for the sins of
the previous year and of the coming year.” Narrated by Muslim.

This (fasting) is mustahabb for those who are not on Hajj. In the case of
the one who is on Hajj, it is not Sunnah for him to fast on the Day of
‘Arafaah, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)
did not fast on this day in ‘Arafaah. It was narrated that he forbade
fasting on the Day of ‘Arafaah in ‘Arafaah.

5.It is the day on which Allaah took the covenant from the progeny of Adam.

It was reported that Ibn ‘Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“Allaah took the covenant from the loins of Adam in Na’maan, i.e., ‘Arafaah.
He brought forth from his loins all his offspring and spread them before
Him, then He addressed them, and said: ‘Am I not your Lord? They said, ‘Yes,
we testify,’ let you should say on the Day of Resurrection: ‘Verily, we have
been unaware of this.’ Or lest you should say: ‘It was only our fathers
aforetime who took others as partners in worship along with Allaah, and we
were (merely their) descendents after them; will You then destroy us because
of the deeds of men who practised Al-Baatil (i.e., ploytheism and committing
crimes and sins, invoking and worshipping others besides Allaah)?’
[al-A’raaf 7:172-173 – interpretation of the meaning].” Narrated by Ahmad
and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani. And there is no greater day than this
and no greater covenant than this.

6..It is the day of forgiveness of sins, freedom from the Fire and pride in
the people who are there:

In Saheeh Muslim it was narrated from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with
her) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“There is no day on which Allaah frees more people from the Fire than the
Day of ‘Arafaah. He comes close and expresses His pride to the angels,
saying, ‘What do these people want?’”

It was reported from Ibn ‘Umar that the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah expresses His pride to His angels at the
time of ‘Ishaa’ on the Day of ‘Arafaah, about the people of ‘Arafaah. He
says, ‘Look at My slaves who have come unkempt and dusty.’” Narrated by
Ahmad and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani.

And Allaah knows best.

Question:
Are there any special features of the tenth day of Dhu’l-Hijjah?.

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came to
Madeenah, he found that they had two days on which they used to play. He
said, “Allaah has given you two days better than these, the day of al-Fitr
and the day of al-Adha.” Narrated by Abu Dawood, 1134; classed as saheeh by
al-Albaani in al-Silsilah al-Saheehah, 2021.

Allaah has given this ummah two days for playing and leisure, two days for
remembering Allaah and thanking Him, and asking Him for forgiveness.

In this world the believers have three festivals or Eids:

One Eid which is repeated each week, and two Eids which come once a year.

The Eid which is repeated every week is Friday (Jumu’ah).

The Eids which are not repeated, which come only once each year, are:

1 – Eid al-Fitr, the breaking of the Ramadaan fast. This comes upon the
completion of the month of Ramadaan, which is the third pillar of Islam.
When the Muslims have finished fasting the month that is enjoined upon them,
Allaah has prescribed that they should follow the completion of their fast
with a festival on which they gather to thank Allaah, remember Him and
glorify Him for His guidance. On that Eid it is prescribed for them to pray
and give charity.

2 – The second Eid is Eid al-Adha (the Feast of Sacrifice), which is the
tenth day of the month of Dhu’l-Hijjah. This is the greater and better of
the two feasts, which comes after the completion of the Hajj, for when the
Muslims complete their Hajj they are forgiven.

Rather Hajj is completed on the Day of ‘Arafah [the 9th of Dhu’l-Hijjah]
with the standing in ‘Arafah, which is the major pillar of Hajj, as the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Hajj is ‘Arafah.”
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi (889) and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Irwa’
al-Ghaleel (1064).

The day of ‘Arafah is the day of ransom from the Fire, when Allaah ransoms
from Hellfire those who stood at ‘Arafah and Muslims who did not stand at
‘Arafah. Hence the day that follows it is a festival for all Muslims in all
regions, those who attended Hajj and those who did not.

It is prescribed for all of them to draw closer to Allaah by means of the
ritual of shedding the sacrificial blood.

The virtues of this day may be summed up as follows:

1-It is the best of days before Allaah.

Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allaah have mercy on him) said in Zaad al-Ma’aad (1/54):
The best of days before Allaah is the Day of Sacrifice, which is the
greatest day of Hajj as it says in Sunan Abi Dawood (1765), where it is
narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
“The greatest of days before Allaah is the Day of Sacrifice.” Classed as
saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh Abi Dawood.

2-It is the greatest day of Hajj.

It was narrated that Ibn ‘Umar (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) stood between the
Jamaraat on the Day of Sacrifice during his Hajj and said, “This is the
greatest day of Hajj.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari, 1742.

That is because the greatest actions of Hajj take place on this day, when
the pilgrims do the following:

(i)Stoning Jamrat al-‘Aqabah

(ii)Offering the sacrifice

(iii)Shaving the head or cutting the hair

(iv)Tawaaf (circumambulation of the Ka’bah)

(v) Saa’i (running between al-Safa and al-Marwah)

3- It is the Eid day of the Muslims

The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “The day of
‘Arafah, the day of Sacrifice, and the days of al-Tashreeq are our festival,
us Muslims, and they are days of eating and drinking.” Narrated by
al-Tirmidhi, 773; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi.

And Allaah knows best.

Question:

What should we do with the udhiyah(sacrifice)? Should we divide it into
thirds or quarters?.

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

It is prescribed for the person who offers the sacrifice to eat some of the
meat, to give some as gifts and to give some in charity, because Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):

“Then eat thereof and feed therewith the poor having a hard time”

[al-Hajj 22:28]

“eat thereof, and feed the poor who does not ask (men), and the beggar who
asks (men). Thus have We made them subject to you that you may be grateful”
[al-Hajj 22:36]

It was narrated from Salamah ibn al-Akwa’ (may Allaah be pleased with him)
that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Eat
some, give some to others and store some.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari. Giving
some to others includes both giving gifts to the rich and giving charity to
the poor.

It was narrated from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) that the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Eat some, store
some and give some in charity.” Narrated by Muslim.

The scholars (may Allaah have mercy on them) differed concerning the amounts
that should be eaten and given as gifts and in charity. The matter is broad
in scope but the best way is to eat one-third, give one-third as gifts and
give one-third in charity. What one is permitted to eat may also be stored,
even for a long time, so long as that will not result in any harm being
caused by eating it, except in times of famine, when it is not permitted to
store it for more than three days, because of the hadeeth of Salamah ibn
al-Akwa’ (may Allaah be pleased with him) who said: The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Whoever among you offers
a sacrifice should not have anything of it left in his house after three
days.” The following year, they said, “O Messenger of Allaah, should we do
what we did last year?” He (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said,
“Eat some, give some to others and store some, for last year the people were
having a hard time and I wanted you to help (the needy).” Agreed upon.

With regard to the permission to eat and give away the meat of the udhiyah
it makes no difference whether the sacrifice is voluntary or obligatory, or
whether it is offered on behalf of a living person or a deceased one, or in
fulfillment of a will, because the executor of the will takes the place of
the person who made it, and the person who made the will would eat, give
away and give in charity. And because this is the custom among people, and
that which is done customarily is like that which is spoken.

In the case of one who has been delegated to offer the sacrifice, if the
person who appointed him has given him permission to eat of it and give some
as gifts and in charity, or if that is indicated by analogy or by custom,
then he may do that, otherwise he should give it to the person who appointed
him, who is then in charge of the distribution of the meat.

It is haraam to sell any part of the udhiyah, whether that is the meat or
any other part, including the skin. And the butcher should not be given any
part of it in return for his work or part of it, because that is like
selling.

But if a person gives the butcher some of it as a gift or as an act of
charity, then he may dispose of it however he wishes, by selling it or
otherwise, but he should not sell it to the one who gave it to him.

Question:


Can I offer udhiyah (sacrifice) on behalf of my deceased parents?.

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

The basic principle concerning the udhiyah is that it is prescribed for the
living, as the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him) and his companions used to offer the sacrifice on behalf of themselves
and their families. With regard to what some of the common folk think, that
the sacrifice may be offered on behalf of the dead, there is no basis for
that.

Udhiyah on behalf of the dead may be of three types:

1 – When it is offered on their behalf as well as on behalf of the living,
such as when a man offers a sacrifice on behalf of himself and the members
of his  family, and intends thereby both those who are alive and those who
are dead. This is permissible, and the basis of that is the fact that the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) offered the sacrifice on
behalf of himself and the members of his family, some of whom had previously
died.

2 – Offering the sacrifice on behalf of the dead in fulfillment of their
last wishes (wasaaya). This is obligatory except in the case of one who is
unable to do it. The basis for this is the verse in which Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):

“Then whoever changes the bequest after hearing it, the sin shall be on
those who make the change. Truly, Allaah is All-Hearer, All-Knower”

[al-Baqarah 2:181]

3 – Offering the sacrifice on behalf of the dead voluntarily and
independently of the living – such as offering a separate sacrifice on
behalf of one's father or mother. This is permissible. The Hanbali fuqaha’
have stated that the reward for that will reach the deceased and benefit
him, by analogy with giving charity on behalf of the dead.

But we do not think that singling out the dead for offering a sacrifice on
their behalf is part of the Sunnah, because the Prophet (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) did not offer a sacrifice specifically on behalf of
any of his deceased loved ones. He did not offer a sacrifice on behalf of
his paternal uncle Hamzah even though he was one of his dearest relatives,
or on behalf of his children who died during his lifetime, who were three
married daughters and three sons who died in infancy, or on behalf of his
wife Khadeejah who was one of his most beloved wives. And it is not narrated
that any of his companions offered a sacrifice on behalf of any of their
deceased loved ones.

We also think that what some people do, offering a sacrifice on behalf of a
deceased loved one in the first year after his or her death, which they call
Udhiyat al-Hufrah (the sacrifice of the grave), and they think that no one
else can share the reward of it, is wrong – as is offering a voluntary
sacrifice on behalf of their deceased loved ones or in accordance with the
will, and not offering a sacrifice on behalf of oneself and one’s family,
which some people do. If they knew that when a man offers a sacrifice paid
for with his own money on behalf of himself and his family, that includes
all the members of his family, both living and dead, then they would not do
this.

Risaalat Ahkaam al-Udhiyah wa’l-Dhakaah.

Question:


We are eight people – myself, my wife and my children. Is one udhiyah
(sacrificial animal) sufficient for us, or should there be one animal for
each person?
If one is sufficient for us, then is it permissible for my neighbour and I
to share in one udhiyah?.

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

One sheep is sufficient as udhiyah for one man and his family and whoever he
wants among the Muslims, because of the hadeeth of ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be
pleased with her) who said that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) ordered that a ram with black legs, black belly and black
(circles) round the eyes should be brought to him, so that he could
sacrifice it. He said to ‘Aa’ishah: “Give me the knife,” and she did that.
He took it, then he took the ram, placed it on the ground and then
slaughtered it (i.e., prepared to slaughter it), saying: “In the name of
Allaah, O Allaah, accept (this sacrifice) on behalf of Muhammad and the
family of Muhammad and the ummah of Muhammad.” Then he sacrificed it.

Narrated by Muslim.

It was narrated that Abu Ayyoob al-Ansaari (may Allaah be pleased with him)
said: “At the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him), a man would sacrifice a sheep on behalf of himself and his household,
and they would eat some and give some to others.” Narrated by Ibn Maajah and
by al-Tirmidhi, who classed it as saheeh. Also classed as saheeh by
al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Tirmidhi, 1216.

If a man sacrifices a single sheep or goat on behalf of himself and his
family, that will suffice for everyone he intended of his family, whether
living or deceased. If he did not intend anything specific then it includes
all those who are included in this word (family or household) either
customarily or linguistically. Customarily it refers to all those whom he
supports of wives, children and relatives; linguistically it includes all
those who are related to him of his own children and the descendents of his
father, grandfather and great-grandfather.

One-seventh of a camel or cow is equivalent to one sheep; if a man
sacrifices one-seventh of a camel or cow on behalf of himself and his
family, that is sufficient, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said that one-seventh of a camel or cow takes the place
of a sheep in the case of the hadiy (sacrifice offered during Hajj), so that
applies also to the udhiyah because there is no difference between the
udhiyah and the hadiy in this regard.

Secondly:

If two or more people buy a sheep and sacrifice it, that is not sufficient,
because no such thing has been narrated in the Qur’aan and Sunnah. Similarly
if eight or more people share one camel or one cow, that is not sufficient
(but it is permissible for seven people to share a camel or cow), because
acts of worship are as prescribed in the Qur’aan and Sunnah and are not
subject to personal opinion; it is not permissible to go beyond the set
limits with regard to how much is to be done or the way in which it is to be
done. This does not have to do with including others in the reward, because
it was narrated that there is no limit to the number of people on whose
behalf the sacrifice may be offered.


Question:


My father died a long time ago, and I know that he did not pray. I came to
Saudi and I have done the obligation of Hajj three times. The last time I
intended that it should be on behalf of my deceased father, but I heard of a
ruling that a person who does not pray is regarded in sharee’ah as a kaafir,
and I was very upset when I thought about my father’s situation. My question
is: is this Hajj permissible, and will it expiate for his shortcoming with
regard to prayer?.

Answer:

Praise be to Allaah.

This question was put to Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have
mercy on him) who said:

This questioner mentions in her question that she had done the obligation of
Hajj three times. The correct view is that Hajj is obligatory only once in a
lifetime, because it was proven that the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) said: “Hajj is once in a lifetime, and any more than
that is voluntary.” So your saying that you have done this obligation three
times is a mistake.

With regard to your having done Hajj on behalf of your father who did not
pray, the kuffaar do not benefit from righteous deeds, and it is not
permissible to seek forgiveness for them, because Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning):

“It is not (proper) for the Prophet and those who believe to ask Allaah’s
forgiveness for the Mushrikoon, even though they be of kin, after it has
become clear to them that they are the dwellers of the Fire (because they
died in a state of disbelief)”

[al-Tawbah 9:113]

But since your father did pray sometimes, or there is some doubt as to
whether he can be regarded as a kaafir, there is nothing wrong with your
doing Hajj on his behalf and saying, “O Allaah, give the reward for this to
my father if he was a believer.” Connect that to the condition of your
father being a believer. There is nothing wrong with that, because making
conditions is permissible with regard to matters of worship and du’aa’.

With regard to acts of worship, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah
be upon him) said to Dabaa’ah bint al-Zubayr (may Allaah be pleased with
her), when she wanted to do Hajj but she was sick, “Do Hajj and make a
condition, because your condition is valid with your Lord.” Narrated by
al-Bukhaari, 5089; Muslim, 1207.

With regard to du’aa’: Allaah says in the verse on li’aan (interpretation of
the meaning):

“And the fifth (testimony should be) the invoking of the Curse of Allaah on
him if he be of those who tell a lie (against her)”

[al-Noor 24:7]

From Daleel al-Akhta’ allati yaqa’ fiha al-Haaj wa’l-Mu’tamir (Mistakes made
by pilgrims performing Hajj and ‘Umrah).

With the very best of good wishes,
Musa Amadu Pembo
Glasgow,
Scotland
UK.
[log in to unmask]
Da’wah is to convey the message with wisdom and with good words. We should
give the noble and positive message of Islam. We should try to emphasize
more commonalities and explain the difference without getting into
theological arguments and without claiming the superiority of one position
over the other. There is a great interest among the people to know about
Islam and we should do our best to give the right message.
May Allah,Subhana Wa Ta'Ala,guide us all to His Sirat Al-Mustaqim (Righteous
Path).May He protect us from the evils of this life and the hereafter.May
Allah,Subhana Wa Ta'Ala,grant us entrance to paradise .
We ask Allaah the Most High, the All-Powerful, to teach us that which will
benefit us, and to benefit us by that which we learn. May Allaah Subhanahu
Wa Ta'ala grant blessings and peace to our Prophet Muhammad and his family
and
companions..Amen.




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