{"id":166233,"date":"2022-06-14T08:22:42","date_gmt":"2022-06-14T08:22:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/?p=166233"},"modified":"2022-06-14T08:22:44","modified_gmt":"2022-06-14T08:22:44","slug":"the-spirituality-of-hajj-arafah","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/?p=166233","title":{"rendered":"The Spirituality of Hajj: \u02dcArafah"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Spahic Omer<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the sunrise of the 9th<\/sup> of Dhul Hijjah pilgrims depart for \u02dcArafah where they remain until sunset. \u02dcArafah is a large plain to the south-east of Makkah with its legal boundaries clearly defined, and of the three: \u02dcArafah, Muzdalifah and Mina, \u02dcArafah is the farthest point from Makkah. There, pilgrims pray the Zuhr (noon) and \u02dcAsr (afternoon) prayers in congregation, shortening and combining them during the time of the former. After the prayers, imam gives khutbah (sermon), which is supposed be listened to by pilgrims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

            That\nis basically all a pilgrim is expected to do while at \u02dcArafah. His main job is\njust to be there, and to stand (remain) until the end. Hence, this part of Hajj\nis called \u0153al-wuquf bi \u02dcArafah\u009d (standing at \u02dcArafah). Sometimes it is referred\nto as the day of \u02dcArafah (yawm \u02dcarafah), reminding of the time and place that\noutline and distinguish the rite. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It seems to be little and simple,\nbut \u02dcArafah is the most important aspect of Hajj. It is its focal point and its\nnucleus. It is its microcosm. So much so that the validity of the rest of Hajj\nrites depends on the validity of what goes on at \u02dcArafah. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Prophet (pbuh) said: \u0153Hajj is\n\u02dcArafah, Hajj is \u02dcArafah, Hajj is \u02dcArafah.\u009d[1]<\/sup><\/a> He\nalso said that all of \u02dcArafah is the place of standing (mawqif, that is, the place of\nwuquf).[2]<\/sup><\/a>\nThis means that a person who does not come to and stand at \u02dcArafah even for a\nlittle while, misses Hajj, irrespective of what he does afterwards and\nelsewhere. Missing \u02dcArafah cannot be expiated, nor its boons compensated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The night after standing at \u02dcArafah – called the night of Muzdalifah, because people move to Muzdalifah at the time \u201c is additionally offered as part of a concession. The Prophet (pbuh) said: \u0153Hajj is \u02dcArafah. Whoever catches up with the night of \u02dcArafah before dawn comes on the night of Muzdalifah his Hajj is complete.\u009d[3]<\/sup><\/a> If a person does not accomplish even that, he misses Hajj.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u02dcArafah (also \u02dcArafat) as a geographical location and \u02dcArafah as a Hajj\nrite are derived from the root word \u0153\u02dcarafa\u009d which means \u0153to come to know\u009d, \u0153to\nlearn\u009d, \u0153to acquaint oneself with\u009d, \u0153to become aware of by information or from\nobservation\u009d and \u0153to familiarize oneself with\u009d. Thus, \u02dcArafah is a place,\nprocess and experience of learning, being acquainted and aware, on the basis of\nwhich a person develops new practices and new behavioural norms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scholars differ as to the reasons \u02dcArafah is so called. By and large, it\nis held that \u02dcArafah got its name because at it, droves of people get to know\neach other and from each other; because Ibrahim was on a tour of the holy\nplaces with the angel Gabriel (Jibril), who taught him the manasik (rituals) of\nHajj, and was asked by the latter on a regular basis: Do you know (now), do you\nknow (aarafta, aarafta?), to which Ibrahim would reply: I know, I know\n(\u02dcaraftu, \u02dcaraftu); and because Prophet Adam and his wife Hawwa, after they\nhad been sent from Paradise to different earthly locations, met at \u02dcArafah, so\nit was there that he found and knew her (\u02dcarafaha) and she found and knew him\n(\u02dcarafathu). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some say that when Ibrahim reached \u02dcArafah, as part of his learning tour\nwith the angel Gabriel (Jibril), he said: \u02dcaraftu (I know this place) – because\nhe had come to that area before. And so, the place was called \u02dcArafah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the authenticity of the accounts involving Prophets Adam and\nIbrahim, which are perhaps most prevalent possibilities, are seriously\nquestioned. Neither the Quran nor the trustworthy Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad\n(pbuh) says anything about the matter. There are several hadiths of the Prophet\n(pbuh) that touch on the issue at hand, but they are very weak hadiths, either\nin relation to their contents or the chains of narrators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u0153The only\nsaheeh reports about this matter are the words of some of the salaf, most of\nwhich are taken from the knowledge of the people of the Book which were\ntransmitted during their time. Such reports cannot be relied upon or trusted,\nand it is not permissible to believe in what they mention of things concerning which\nour religion is silent. Rather they may be narrated for the purpose of\nstory-telling only.\u009d[4]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At any rate,\nall indications are that the main ontological rationale for \u02dcArafah is\nconnected with the field of learning, scholarship and quality culture (marifah)\n\u201c besides its spiritual abundance. It is noteworthy that \u02dcArafah is not about\nknowledge per se (\u02dcilm) and wisdom (hikmah); these are different domains which\nnevertheless stem from the former. Knowledge and wisdom may be beyond the reach\nof many people, and may yet be the items of exclusive clubs, but learning,\nawareness and familiarity are inclusive fields and their membership and\ninvolvement are open to each and every individual. In consequence, a person may not be\nknowledgeable (in the scholarly or academic sense of the word) and wise, but\nshould be sufficiently learned, educated, informed, skilled and cultured. The\nformer is the collective duty in Islam, but the latter is the duty of each\nmember of the Muslim ummah (community).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u02dcArafah is a symbol of entirety and all-inclusiveness. Everybody must be\nthere at the same time and at the same place, looking the same, doing the same\nthings and seeking to obtain the same goals. \u02dcArafah, it follows, is an image\nof existence at large and its providential make-up. It is a miniature copy of\nhumanity and its kismet. Yet it is the small-scale version of the Muslim ummah\nand its venerable place in the universe, which nevertheless exists in a\nregulated moment of time and a controlled chunk of space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Therefore, \u02dcArafah is about that which concerns everybody and which is within everybodys grasp. Everybody can experience \u02dcArafah \u201c and by extension the whole Hajj. Although peoples experiences and appreciations will definitely vary, they are all sound and applicable nonetheless. What is required is to be sincere, faithful and dedicated; which is to say, to be there physically, spiritually and emotionally. Not being there with the total being and in the total life form is the problem. If a persons physical absence from \u02dcArafah invalidates his Hajj, his emotional and spiritual states also affect the outcome. They may not nullify his plain physical exertions easily, but, certainly, can have a big say in the final assessments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is why the period of \u02dcArafah is strongly recommended to be filled\nwith the relentless remembrance of God, supplications, reciting talbiyah,\nreading the Quran and meditation (the Quranic concepts of tafakkur and\ntadabbur). Pilgrims can carry out these activities while in any postures. They\ncan be awake, asleep, sitting, standing, lying down, walking, riding, etc. They\nare further recommended to face the qiblah (the direction of the Kabah as the\nMuslim spiritual axis) and to be in the state of purity as much as possible,\neven though these are not prerequisites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Abu Hamid al-Ghazzali said that the best thing to use as supplications and dhikr are the prescriptions transmitted from the Prophet (pbuh) and his immediate successors. After that, a pilgrim should supplicate for whatever occurs to him, and asks forgiveness for himself, his parents and all believers, male and female. \u0153Let him then importune in supplications and enlarge his request, for God does not consider anything as too great.” Mutarrif bin Abdullah said once while at \u02dcArafah: \u0153O God, do not refuse the whole gathering because of me\u009d; and Bakr al-Muzami said: \u0153A man said, When I looked on the people of \u02dcArafah, I thought that they might all have been forgiven were it not for my being among them?\u009d[5]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pilgrims are advised against engaging in some rigid and unfamiliar chanting formulas, against performing supererogatory prayers, and against fasting on the day of \u02dcArafah \u201c despite the fact that fasting on that day is the best form of voluntary fasting for those who do not perform Hajj. These stipulations underline the true importance of \u02dcArafah as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lesson entailed therein is that the sheer physical activities are to be kept at a minimum, lest they get in the way of the performances of the mind and soul. If a maxim goes that a healthy mind resides in a healthy body, then, in like manner, it can be said that a weakened mind and soul reside in an exhausted and worn-out body. As for example, an overly tired pilgrim is bound to be susceptible to lethargy, sleep and falling ill, inhibiting thereby the states and functions of his spirituality and intelligence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u02dcArafah pertains both to the religious fulfilment and learning uplifting, but in a very gradual order starting at the bottom and progressively ascending upwards. Every pilgrim has his own capacities as determined by his forethoughts and horizons. He rises and grows as high as his abilities can propel him. Sameness is anything but the matter of course.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The religious and learning developments \u201c which often amount to personal\nreforms, and revolutions as well, and which are set in motion at \u02dcArafah (Hajj)\nand continue to flourish ever afterwards \u201c begin with the mere religious\nceremonies, but eventually morph into religious comprehensive excellence, and\nwith empirical knowledge (obtained through experience or perception of the real world\neither through experimentation or observation) and experiential, together with\npractical, intelligence, but eventually develop into enlightenment and wisdom.\nAlternatively stated, the religious and learning developments move from particulars\nto universals, from phenomena to noumena, and from mundanity to transcendence. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is to say, in the religious context, islam (submission) acquires iman (faith, certainty), and then together they acquire ihsan or itqan (excellence). Similarly, in the epistemological context, the processes of learning and studying, which are associated with education, lead to marifah \u201c which the meanings of \u02dcArafah are redolent of. Marifah then leads to knowledge (\u02dcilm), and the final phase in the evolution, resulting from a fusion of marifah and \u02dcilm, is wisdom (hikmah).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Irrespective of whether the mentioned accounts about Prophets Adam and\nIbrahim – with regard to the linguistic origins of \u02dcArafah – are correct or\nnot, \u02dcArafah is still about learning, discovery and awareness. The linguistic\nsignifications stand for one proof only. The other proofs can be found in the\nauthentic Islamic wisdom and the trustworthy chapters of human and Islamic\nhistory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To begin with, it has been reported that a Jew said to \u02dcUmar bin\nal-Khattab: \u0153O Chief of the Believers, if this Quranic verse: \u02dcThis day I have\nperfected your religion for you, completed My favours upon you, and have chosen\nfor you, Islam as your religion (al-Maidah, 3), had been revealed upon us, we\nwould have taken that day as an `Id (festival) day.\u009d `Umar said: \u0153I know\ndefinitely on what day this verse was revealed; it was revealed on the day of\n\u02dcArafah, on a Friday.\u009d[6]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, Abdullah Ibn \u02dcAbbas reported that God made the covenant from\nAdams back in Na\u02dcman, i.e. \u02dcArafah, and brought forth from his loins all his\noffspring whom He created and scattered before Him. He then spoke to them face\nto face saying: \u0153Am I not your Lord?\u009d They replied: \u0153Yes, we testify this.\u009d (It\nwas) lest you should say on the day of resurrection: \u0153We were neglectful of\nthis,\u009d or should say, \u0153Our fathers were polytheists before us and we were an\noffspring after them. Wilt You destroy us for what the workers of vanity did?\u009d[7]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, during his farewell Hajj and at \u02dcArafah, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)\ndelivered the most powerful and most important sermon in the history of man.\nThe sermon contained a blueprint for personal, family and social relations as\nwell as developments. Similarly, it encompassed not only a conceptual, but also\npractical framework for society-, culture- and civilization-building. In short,\nthe sermon was a world-shattering document from the point of view of ingenuity\nand educational excellence, and was presented to the world as a road map for\nachieving success and actual happiness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, concerning the biggest lessons of \u02dcArafah which people\nconstantly learn and try to internalize, the Prophet (pbuh) said: \u0153There is no\nday on which Allah ransoms more slaves from the Fire than the day of \u02dcArafah.\nHe draws closer and closer, then He boasts about them before the angels and\nsays: \u02dcWhat do these people want?\u009d[8]<\/sup><\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In another hadith the Prophet (pbuh) said: \u0153Verily Allah boasts of the people of \u02dcArafah before the people of heaven (the angels), saying: ‘Look at my servants who have come to Me dishevelled and dusty.’\u009d[9]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even Satan learns his own lesson.\nThe Prophet (pbuh) said: \u0153Satan is not considered more abased or more cast out or more contemptible or\nangrier on any day than on the day of \u02dcArafah. That is only because he sees the\ndescent of the mercy and Allah’s disregard for great wrong actions.\u009d[10]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

What can be garnered from the above traditions is that learning in\nrelation to \u02dcArafah, and to everything that goes on there during Hajj, is so\ncomprehensive and so universal that lessons transcend the boundaries of time,\nspace and history. The same goes to those who are affected by those lessons and\nwho are from humans, the jinn and angels. Like so, the notion and spectacle of\n\u02dcArafah function as an institution of educational awareness and an\ninexhaustible source of learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In control of the marvel are Almighty Allah and His Prophet Muhammad\n(pbuh). The revelation with its characteristic of infallibility is the\nfoundation and centroid. At \u02dcArafah the angels learn more about the purpose of\ncreation in general and about the purpose of appointing man as the vicegerent\n(khalifah) on earth in particular, notwithstanding the fact that it is man who\ncauses corruption on earth and sheds blood, and it is the angels, conversely,\nwho declare Gods praise and sanctify Him ceaselessly. When God informed the\nangels about His divine plan and that He knows that which they do not,\nconcerning the subject of mans appointment (al-Baqarah, 30), such was what\ncould be described as mere information and a form of conceptual knowledge for\nthe angels. The other dimension was forthcoming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u02dcArafah is of those occasions when Almighty God establishes the applied\nside of that a priori<\/em> knowledge of the angels \u201c and God knows best. As\nif the knowledge and conviction of the angels become complete thereby, albeit\nstill within the context of the metaphysical world. Thus, that is one of the\nreasons why at \u02dcArafah God boasts about pilgrims before the angels and asks\nthem to observe them. Gods words: \u0153What do these people want?\u009d and \u0153Look at my servants who have come to Me dishevelled and dusty\u009d,\nindicate His directing of the angels to the methods by which their knowledge\ncan be enriched and their convictions validated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It should be mentioned – as a small\ndigression – that apart from \u02dcArafah God uses some other circumstances for the\nsame purpose of boasting about His servants before the angels. It was narrated that ‘Abdullah bin ‘Amr said: \u0153We performed the Maghrib\n(prayer) with the Messenger of Allah, then those who went back went back, and\nthose who stayed, stayed. Then the Messenger of Allah came back in a hurry, out\nof breath, with his garment pulled up to his knees, and said: \u0153Be of good cheer,\nfor your Lord has opened one of the gates of heaven and is boasting of you\nbefore the angels, saying: \u0153Look at My slaves; they have fulfilled one\nobligatory duty and are awaiting another.\u009d[11]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the day of \u02dcArafah Satan also learns much about\nGod, Gods servants and himself. However, he does it the hard way inasmuch as\nhe is a slow learner, just as he is a bad loser. Since time immemorial Satan\nknew \u201c had been duly informed and he could make his own deductions – that God\nis All-Merciful towards His servants and that believers will always enjoy the\nprotection, love, compassion and forgiveness of their Creator and Master.\nDespite his endless pretences, Satan will not be able to thwart Gods plans,\nand his efforts to extinguish divine light will always fail. And perhaps most\nimportantly, Satan knows that he possesses but few strengths and many\nweaknesses, and when pitted against the true soldiers of the truth, there is\nonly one outcome: he displays trepidation and cowardice, and normally runs\naway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These verities are summed up in the words of the\nQuran: \u0153Satan has\novercome them and made them forget the remembrance of Allah. Those are the\nparty of Satan. Unquestionably, the party of Satan – they will be the losers\u009d\n(al-Mujadilah, 19). And: \u0153Allah is pleased with them (true believers), and they\nare pleased with Him – those are the party of Allah. Unquestionably, the party\nof Allah – they are the successful\u009d (al-Mujadilah, 22).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the milieu of the eruption of devoutness and piety – which engulf the\nplains of \u02dcArafah and the holy city of Makkah directly, and the entire world\n(earth) indirectly – the day of \u02dcArafah turns the spotlight on the truth\nregarding Satan. Since he is prone to unlearning, he is compelled to re-learn\nthe obvious. He learns yet again that he is nobody when juxtaposed with the\nlight of the truth and the virtue of its\npeople, and that he is powerless to do anything about it. He furthermore learns\nthat he is a loser and his adversaries, the people of faith, winners. Come what\nmay, to Satans bitter disappointment, there will be no exchange of titles and\ngrades, nor will there be any alterations in the way of Allah.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what Satan finds out is in vain.\nAs usual, it avails him nothing. That is why on the day of \u02dcArafah Satan feels\nhumiliated, rejected and defeated the most. Exposed and trapped, he cannot\nescape, nor ignore, the power of what dawns upon and blows him away. Maybe he\ncan run and hide on other occasions (days), but not on this day, which is the\nspiritual feast both on earth and in heaven. Satan therefore feels angrier and\nmore miserable than ever, but his condition further blinds him. He knows all\ntoo well that \u02dcArafah is not a one-off occurrence, but an annual one that will\ncome back to haunt him until the Day of Judgment. Eventually \u201c when the\nultimate decree of God is issued and the matter decided (Ibrahim, 22) \u201c Satan\nwill acknowledge the truth and will come to regret who he was, for \u0153indeed, for the wrongdoers is a painful\npunishment\u009d (Ibrahim, 22). One of Satans regrets – it stands to reason \u201c\nshould be in a manner of why he never learned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One can imagine the extent of Satans plight. At \u02dcArafah he witnesses\nthe descent of the mercy of Allah, Allahs disregard for great wrong actions,\nand Allahs freeing of multitudes from the hellfire. At the same time, Prophet\nMuhammad (pbuh) utilizes the opportunity of \u02dcArafah for educating people about\nSatan and his deceptive strategies, and for teaching them how to confront them,\nhighlighting in his farewell sermon: \u0153O people, indeed Satan despairs of ever being\nworshipped in this land of yours. He will be pleased, however, if he is obeyed\nin a thing other than that, in matters you minimize. So beware of him in your\nreligion.\u009d[12]<\/sup><\/a>\nAs per another version: \u0153Beware of Satan for the safety of your religion. He has lost\nall hope that he will ever be able to lead you astray in big things, so beware\nof following him in small things.\u009d This way, surely, Satan was dealt a\ndouble blow and the prospects of his endeavours were rendered dim. As far as the\ntrue believers are concerned, his chances (fate) were sealed, so to speak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the recurring experience of Satan at \u02dcArafah, he felt\napproximately the same during the historic battle of Badr. On that day he felt\nas disgraced and fallen \u201c that is, he learned his lesson in a painful way – so\nhe had no choice but to take flight and dissociate himself from his followers.\nEquating Badr with \u02dcArafah, the Prophet (pbuh) said that Satan felt terrified\nand fled the battlefield of Badr because he was shown the angel Gabriel\n(Jibril) arranging the ranks of the angels (for the battle). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Quran attests to this: \u0153And (remember) when Satan made their deeds\npleasing to them and said: \u0153No one can overcome you today from among the\npeople, and indeed, I am your protector.\u009d But when the two armies sighted each\nother, he turned on his heels and said: \u0153Indeed, I am disassociated from you.\nIndeed, I see what you do not see; indeed I fear Allah. And Allah is severe in\npenalty\u009d (al-Anfal, 48).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And finally for pilgrims too,\n\u02dcArafah centres on learning and knowing, as the twins of faith. To live up to\nthe essence of \u02dcArafah, a pilgrim should appraise himself, asking how much,\nwhat and why he knows. He should examine if he knows enough to become a better\nMuslim and to be a more useful member of society and of the Muslim ummah taken\nas a whole. He should ask how much he knows about himself, fellow Muslims,\nIslam, the Prophet (pbuh), the Creator, and about life as the arena of his life\nmission. Encouraging answers should stimulate him further, and discouraging\nones should worry him, generating a call to action. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless of the answers, though, a\npilgrim should lay out strategies for improvements, right at \u02dcArafah (during\nHajj) or when he returns home with the honourable title of \u0153al-hajj\u009d. \u02dcArafah\nshould teach him that there is no appropriate faith without appropriate\nknowledge, and no appropriate knowledge without appropriate faith. Quality,\ncoupled with quantity, is needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The effects of \u02dcArafah ought to lead\na pilgrim to the improvement of his personal learning culture and knowledge\nappreciation, and of the learning culture of his surroundings, starting from\nhome and leading up to the higher feasible levels. These efforts moreover\nshould be institutionalized. Hajj as a global Muslim conference should often\nadopt the notions of Islamic education and knowledge as its central theme. The\nmatter should be discussed repeatedly as a pressing agenda of the ummah,\nproducing and executing comprehensive action plans. Just as the spiritual\nwellbeing of a person depends on proper knowledge, so does the cultural and\ncivilizational wellbeing of the ummah \u201c as the outcome of living Islam as a way\nof life – depend on it. The spirit of \u02dcArafah must live on, and must not stop\ndelivering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is not a coincidence that God\ntook the covenant from the progeny of Adam at \u02dcArafah. What \u02dcArafah means and\nis associated with, many individual and collective covenants: agreements, pacts\nand promises, should issue from. Man cannot forget himself and his covenant\nwith the Creator. Battling his weaknesses, he must work towards remembering who\nhe is and what he was meant to be. His consciousness must be in agreement with\nthe terms of the covenant. He has to live it. And this is where \u02dcArafah, in its\ncapacity as the home of the covenant and the place of learning and refining the\nconsciousness, comes in and proves its worth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additionally corroborating the\nmatter, the root word of Hajj is also the root word of \u0153hujjah\u009d, which means\n\u0153clear proof\u009d, \u0153undeniable evidence\u009d and \u0153confirmation\u009d. That in turn signifies\nthat Hajj \u201c and \u02dcArafah specifically \u201c can serve as the provider of a clear\nproof and an eye-opening evidence as to the heavenly covenant (i.e. mans\nexistential purpose and destiny). Hence, Abu Hamid al-Ghazzali warned that Hajj\nand how people perform and experience it can be a hujjah (proof) either for\nthem or against them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nor was it a coincidence that the\nQuranic verse on Allahs perfecting of Islam, His completing of His favours upon Muslims, and\nHis choosing for them Islam as their religion \u201c was revealed at \u02dcArafah.\n\u02dcArafah, again, was selected as the scene of one of the most spectacular\nchapters in history, which is the act of perfecting the final revelation. The\nachievement represented the creation of a foundation based on which a great\nmany spiritual, socio-cultural, epistemological and civilizational transformations subsequently came to pass. So much so that a Jew suggested to \u02dcUmar bin al-Khattab that\nthe day when the verse in question was revealed deserved to be an `Id\n(festival) day. When `Umar answered that the day was the day of \u02dcArafah and on\na Friday, he implied that the event is doubly and so, suitably, commemorated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thus, if in certain ways \u02dcArafah was associated with the first man and prophet, Adam, and with the father of prophets, Ibrahim, and was later associated with the final prophet, Muhammad (pbuh), and with the perfection of his final revelation and of Islam as the only religion before Allah, the above Quranic verse signalled the fulfilling culmination of a process and also the endorsement of its origins as well as evolution. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The stage was set from the dawn of creation and was authenticated\nseveral times at the critical junctures of history. A pilgrim should be\nfascinated by this. He should be enthused to recognize and acknowledge things\nas they are and to use them as the springboard for recognizing and\nacknowledging his personal status and calling. Once actualized, this is then\nexpected to lead to recognizing and acknowledging the truth and his own\nrelations thereto. The process is very dynamic and multi-tiered, and is so\nnoble and knowledge-centric. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Prophet (pbuh) stated: \u0153Recognize and acknowledge Allah (taarraf\nila Allah) in times of ease and prosperity, and He will remember and know you\n(yarifuka) in times of adversity.\u009d[13]<\/sup><\/a> The\nkey words used in this hadith pertain to the root word of \u02dcArafah, i.e. \u02dcarafa\n(to know). Which denotes that the universe of knowledge and consciousness is\nthe key. It is the way forward. Faith and religious ceremonies are fundamental,\nhowever it is their results and impact on life that matter. Indeed, knowledge\n(learning) should be spiritual, and faith, in equal measure, should be\nintellectual. With this relationship on-board, a person can get closer to God\neither in the name of knowledge or spirituality. These are two sides of the\nsame coin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here the importance and role of \u02dcArafah are readily apparent too.\n\u02dcArafah as much spiritualizes pilgrims as it enlightens (educates) them. It\ngenerates a kind of \u02dcurf in them. The word \u02dcurf, which is from the same root\nword as \u02dcArafah, means \u0153elevation\u009d and \u0153height\u009d, hence the Quranic chapter or\nsurah al-Araf (the Heights). In view of that, \u02dcurf is a new vantage point,\nperspective and outlook from which a pilgrim observes, experiences and studies\nthings. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After \u02dcArafah \u201c and his entire Hajj experience \u201c the life of a pilgrim\nis not the same again. He resides at a higher level of consciousness and\nreality, and sees things differently. He creates a new custom for himself, and\nlives accordingly, which is called \u02dcurf (custom or habit) and is not by\naccident in terms of language related to \u02dcArafah as well. In spite of \u02dcArafah\nbeing a large mostly flat plain, pilgrims build in their hearts personal\nelevations (vantages). By means of them, they keep rising, and thus keep\nworshiping and learning. The sky is the limit. If \u02dcArafah has its physical\nboundaries, its heavenward expanse and potentials are infinite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is only one small mountain at\n\u02dcArafah. It is called Jabal \u02dcArafah (hill or mountain of \u02dcArafah). Colloquially\n\u201c and mistakenly \u201c many people call it Jabal al-Rahmah (mountain of mercy).\nHowever, the Prophet (pbuh) did not climb this mountain during his stay (wuquf)\nat \u02dcArafah, nor did he say anything about its virtues or the virtues of\nclimbing it. What he said about \u02dcArafah in general applies to Jabal \u02dcArafah\ntoo. As part of his wuquf, the Prophet (pbuh) stood at the foot of the mountain\nonly, where there were some large rocks. Insisting that the mountain is special\nand that climbing it is a special virtue is uncalled-for. It is a step towards\nforging a religious innovation (bidah).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In any case, this is an extra evidence that raising and climbing spiritual elevations (higher vantage points and better attitudes) is the goal of \u02dcArafah, in which case physical altitudes come to light as irrelevant. Those who do not get to the bottom of the topic get obsessed with climbing and conquering material heights, which, in spite of their potential loftiness, still hinder. For all their tallness and vastness, physical altitudes can only close in on and constrain a person whose muddled soul has already confined him. \u02dcArafah is expected to cure this condition, not exacerbate it.***<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Assoc. Prof. Dr. Spahic Omer is an academic in Department of History and Civilisation, AbdulHamid AbuSulayman Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences. The views expressed here are those of the author\/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of IIUMToday.<\/em>)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Spahic Omer After the sunrise of the 9th of Dhul Hijjah pilgrims depart for \u02dcArafah where they remain until sunset. \u02dcArafah is a large… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,8,21],"tags":[],"nelio_content":{"isAutoShareEnabled":true,"autoShareEndMode":"never","automationSources":{"useCustomSentences":false,"customSentences":[]},"followers":[11247,156,5],"suggestedReferences":[],"efiUrl":"","efiAlt":"","highlights":[],"permalinkQueryArgs":[]},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166233"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=166233"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166233\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":166264,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/166233\/revisions\/166264"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=166233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=166233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.iium.edu.my\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=166233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}