WHEN SHOULD ONE OBSERVE THE DAY OF ARAFAH
The day of Arafah is the 9th of Dhul Hijjah, as identified and established in the sacred shariah. As such, when the month of Dhul Hijjah begins either with the sighting of the crescent (for Dhul Hijjah) or upon the completion of the month of Dhul Qadah (with 30 days), Muslims will officially begin the month of Dhul Hijjah, and when it is the 9th day, they will regard it as the day of Arafah on which they can fast.
In declaring the start of the month of Dhul Hijjah, Muslims of each land/country/ region will give consideration to, and begin the 1st of Dhul Hijjah based on their own sighting or their completion of 30 days of Dhul Qadah.
In this way, when they reach the 9th day of Dhul Hijjah, they will observe that day as the day of Arafah
It is not a requirement for Muslims of all countries to have Arafah on the same day, nor is it a requirement for Muslims of different lands to observe the day of Arafah when the Hajj pilgrims go to the plain of Arafah in Makkah.
The great, reliable and trustworthy scholars from the early centuries until today, have not ruled that Muslims through the world, must observe the day of Arafah based on the day the (Hajj) pilgrims stay at Arafah in Makkah.
Those who are in the pilgrimage of Hajj, will do all their rituals on the 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th & 13th of Dhul Hijjah, based upon the sighting in Makkah (Saudi Arabia). Therefore, when the crescent is sighted over there, the 1st of Dhul Hijjah will begin and the Hujaj (pilgrims) would do all their Manasik (Hajj rituals) based on the days identified by the authorities of that country.
However, those who live outside the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and follow the sighting of their country/territory/ region, the dates of Dhul Hijjah will be based entirely on their commencement of the month, and not on the dates given in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Therefore, whichever day the 9th Dhul Hijjah falls on in their region, that will be the day of Arafah for them.
This is what our great scholars through the years have agreed on, and no one from among them has officially declared that the day of Arafah must be observed by Muslims based on the day the Hajj pilgrims go to Arafah.
It is regarding this, the Saudi scholar, Shaikh Muhammad Saalih Al Munajjid has published the following fatwa on his site, Islamqa. He writes, ‘The day of Arafah and the fast thereon is the ninth day of the month of Dhul Hijjah, which is defined for each country according to their sighting of the new moon of Dhul Hijjah. So it may be on Tuesday for the people of Makkah, and for others, it may be on Wednesday or Saturday. It is not essential to follow the people of Makkah when there are differences in the sighting of the new moon. This is the most correct of the scholarly views, that each country has its own sighting where there is a difference concerning it (Islamqa Question 140011).
It is also narrated that Shaikh Ibn Uthaymeen was asked, ‘What if the day of Arafah is different because of the moon being sighted at different times in different countries? Should we fast according to the moon sighting in the country where we are, or according to the moon sighting in Al Haramain (the two Holy sanctuaries)?
He (Shaikh Ibn Uthaymeen) replied, ‘This is based on a difference of opinion among the scholars. Is there only one moon sighting for the whole world, or does it vary according to when the moon rises in different places?
The correct view is that it varies according to when the moon rises in different places. For example, if the moon is sighted in Makkah, and today is the ninth, and it is sighted elsewhere one day before Makkah, and the day of Arafah in Makkah is the tenth for them, it is not permissible for them to fast on this day because it is Eid. Similarly, if it so happens that they sight the moon after Makkah, and the 9th in Makkah is the 8th for them, then they should fast the day that is the 9th for them, which is the 10th in Makkah. This is the correct view because the Prophet (S.A.S) said, ‘When you see it (the new moon), fast, and when you see it, break your fast’. Those who did not see the moon in their own location have not seen it. Just as people unanimously agreed that the times of dawn and sunset vary according to their own location, so too are the months also worked out by location, just like the daily timings’. (Majmoo’ Al Fataawa) (Islamqa Question 40720).
From the above explanation, it is clearly understood that the day of Arafah is observed on the 9th of Dhul Hijjah based upon the commencement of the month in one’s country/ territory/region, and it is not determined based on when the pilgrims go to Arafah in Makkah.
And Allah Knows best
Mufti Waseem Khan
12/06/2024