Adeel Malik
Once upon a time, long before the existence of Man, when dinosaurs roamed freely, jinns inhabited the Earth. The jinn would fight each other in wars that would last centuries.
It was around this time when one of the most remarkable conversations in history took place.
Allāh (God) notified the angels of His intention to place Adam (the first man) on the Earth as a successor. The angels were shocked. They said to Allāh:
Will You place upon it one who causes corruption therein and sheds blood, while we declare Your praise and sanctify You?
After all, they had witnessed how jinns had abandoned Allāh and despoiled the Earth for generations. Would humans really worship Allāh on Earth, they argued, to which Allāh replied:
I know that which you do not know.
The angels did indeed see that humans worship Allāh, praise Him and sanctify Him.
Allāh presented Adam to the angels and ordered them to prostrate to him. All the angels obeyed, but Satan, a jinn, refused out of pride and arrogance.
So time passed and Adam was placed on the Earth. His offspring multiplied until, after thousands of years, they became billions. Allāh sent down prophets (peace be upon them all) to guide and teach them. Many of the humans listened to Allāh’s prophets and followed His revelations.
Meanwhile, Satan worked to fulfill the vow that he made to Allāh, to “show” Allāh that humans would never worship Him.
On the Day of Arafah, the day when millions of Muslim pilgrims will gather on the plain of Arafah just outside Makkah as the Hajj pilgrimage reaches its climax.
Arafah is the place where Adam and Eve met each other after having been separated when they were sent down to Earth.
Men, women… white, black, brown… from every race, country and nationality… from every corner of the Earth… dusty and disheveled… tired and hungry and hot… they will gather in one place to praise and sanctify Allāh.
“Labbaik Allahumma labbaik!” [“Here we are at Your service, O Allāh!”] they will say.
And He will respond to them. He will descend to the lowest heaven above the Earth and look down at the millions of pilgrims gathered on the plain of Arafah along with the angels.
He will remind the angels of their conversation with Him when they doubted whether humans would ever worship Him like the angels did.
Allāh will be so pleased with these pilgrims and proud of them that He will boast to the angels about them.
Jabir bin Abdullah reported that Muhammad, the Messenger of Allāh (pbuh) said about this day:
And no other day is better to Allāh than the Day of Arafah, when Allāh descends to the lowest heaven and boasts of the people on earth to the inhabitants of heaven [angels] and says:
Look at My slaves who have come to Me, dusty and disheveled. They have come from all the far flung corners of the Earth hoping for My mercy even though they have not seen My punishment.
Therefore there is no one day where more people are set free from the shackles of the hellfire than the Day of Arafah.
[Abu Ya’la, Ibn Hibban and Ibn Khuzaymah]
In fact, so great is this day that even those who are not pilgrims making the Hajj can have two years of sins forgiven by simply fasting on this one day. About fasting on the Day of Arafah, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said:
It expiates the sins of the preceding year and the coming year.
[Muslim]
This day, the Day of Arafah is indeed an utmostly special day for the believers in Allāh. Let’s make sure we fast, make Dua, give in charity and repent for our wrongs hoping in the mercy of Allāh.
Source: Babar Ahmad Blog
