Answer
Wa `alaykum as-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
At Arafah, one must maintain a complete state of purity, face the direction of the Kabah, and seek forgiveness from Allah as much as possible.
In this regard, we would like to quote Sheikh Sayyed Sabiq stating in his well-known book Fiqh As-Sunnah,
Etiquette of Standing at Arafah
One must maintain a complete state of purity, face the direction of the Kabah, and seek forgiveness from Allah as much as possible.
A pilgrim should glorify Allah and supplicate for one’s well-being and welfare in this worldly life and in the Hereafter, and for others as well, with fervor and attention, and with hands raised in supplication.
Usamah Ibn Zayd reported, “I was riding behind the Prophet (peace be upon him) in Arafah, when he raised his hands in supplication to Allah.” (An-Nasa’i)
What is the best supplication for the Day of Arafah?
Amr Ibn Shuayb reported from his father from his grandfather that on the Day of Arafah the Prophet (peace be upon him) mostly supplicated with these words, “La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahul mulk wa lahul hamd, biyadihil khair wa huwa `ala kulli sha’yin qadeer (There is no god worthy of worship but Allah Alone. He has no partners. To Him alone belongs Kingdom and to Him along belongs all praise. In His hand is all that is good, and He has power over all things”.
Ahmad and At-Tirmidhi (and these are the words reported by At-Tirmidhi) reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said; “The best supplication is that of the Day of Arafah and the best word that I and all other Prophets before me said is; La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lahu lahul mulk wa lahul hamd wa huwa ‘ala kuli shay’in qadeer.“
Al-Husayn Ibn Al-Hasan Al-Marwazi reported, “I asked Sufyan Ibn Uyaynah, ‘What is the best supplication for the Day of Arafah?’ He replied; ‘La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lahu.’ I said, ‘But this is glorification of Allah and praising of Him, not a supplication.’
Thereupon Sufyan responded, ‘Don’t you know the hadith of Malik Ibn Al-Harith which explains it.’ I asked him, ‘Tell me about it.’ He said, ‘Mansur narrated from Malik Ibn Al-Harith that he said, “Allah, the Almighty, and the Exalted One, says, ‘If a servant of Mine occupies himself with extolling and praising Me instead of asking Me for his needs, I shall give him better than what I give to those who ask for their needs.”‘ Then he added, ‘This explains the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him.’
At-Tirmidhi also reported from Ali that the most frequently used supplication by the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) during his stay in Arafah was, “Allahumma lakal hamdu kalladhi naqulu wa khairan mimma naqulu, Allahumma laka salati wa nusuki wa mahyaya wa mamati wa ilayka ma’abi wa laka rabbi turathi allahumma inni a`uzhu bika min `azhabil qabri wa waswasatis sadri wa shatatil amri allahumma inni a`uzhu bika min sharri ma tahubbu bihi riyh (All praise belongs to You, O Allah, as we say and better than what we can say. O Allah! My prayers, my worship, my life and my death are all for You. O Allah! To You is my return! To You belong all that I own. O Allah! I seek refuge with You from the torment of the grave, evil whispers, confusion, and from whatever the wind may bring.”
Allah Almighty knows best.
Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.