Day of Arafat

Day of Arafat

Infobox Holiday
holiday_name=Day of Arafat
official_name=Arabic: ى
nickname=The Day of Repentance
ends=9 Dhu al-Hijjah
observances=Prayer, Fasting, Repentance
type=Islamic
significance=Commemoration of Muhammad's final sermon and completion of the message of Islam. Marks the final day of the Pilgrimage or Hajj for the millions of Muslims who make the trip to Mecca each year. A day where many Muslims fast to repent for their sins.

relatedto=Eid ul-Adha, the major Islamic festival, which occurs the day after the Day of Arafat
date2006=December 29
date2007=December 19
date2008=December 7
date2009=November 26
date2010=November 15

The Day of Arafat is an Islamic Holy Day, in which it is said that the religion had been perfected. The original day was on a Friday, but now the Day falls on the 9th day of Dhul Hijja (ذو الحجة) of the lunar Islamic Calendar. This happens to be approximately 70 days after the end of the month of Ramadan. It is the final day of the Hajj pilgrimmage and the day after it is the major Islamic Holiday of Eid ul-Adha. At dawn of this day, Muslim pilgrims will make their way from Mecca to a nearby hillside and plain called Mount Arafat and the Plain of Arafat. It was from this site that Muhammad gave his famous Farewell Sermon in his final year of life.

It is said that a believer who fasts on this day expiates for the past year's sins and the sins for the year coming. It is thus a day of forgiveness from sins, similar to the Jewish day of Yom Kippur.

Day of Arafat in the Gregorian calendar

While the Day of Arafat is always on the same day of the Islamic calendar, the date on the Gregorian calendar varies from year to year since the Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar and the Gregorian calendar is a solar calendar. Each year, the Day of Arafat (like other Islamic holidays) falls on one of two different Gregorian dates in different parts of the world because the boundary of crescent visibility is different from the International date line. Furthermore, some countries follow the date in Saudi Arabia rather than the astronomically determined local calendar.

* 2006: December 29
* 2007: December 19
* 2008: December 7
* 2009: November 26
* 2010: November 15
* 2011: November 5

See also

* Hajj
* Eid ul-Fitr
* List of Islamic terms in Arabic
* Muslim Holidays

External links

* [http://www.jannah.org/articles/dayofarafat.html The Virtues of the Day of Arafat]
* [http://islam.about.com/cs/hajj/f/dayofarafat.htm About.com explanation]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Arafat — is a surname or given name, and may refer to:* Yasser Arafat (1929 ndash;2004) * Arafat Waheed Khan (born 1981), 2006 transatlantic aircraft terrorist plot suspect * Fathi Arafat (1933 ndash;2004), Palestinian physician * Moussa Arafat (circa… …   Wikipedia

  • Arafat Salahuddin — (born March 1, 1984 in Mymensingh) is a first class cricketer who has played 30 first class and 22 list A one day matches for Barisal Division up to the end of the 2006/7 season. He made his debut as a teenager during the 2003/4 season. A right… …   Wikipedia

  • {ʽ}Arafāt, Yāsir — orig. Muḥammad ʽAbd al Raʾūf al Qudwah al Ḥusaynī born August 1929 died Nov. 11, 2004, Paris, France Palestinian leader. The date and place of his birth are disputed. A birth certificate registered in Cairo, Egypt, gives Aug. 24, 1929, but some… …   Universalium

  • Yasser Arafat — Yasir Arafat redirects here. For the cricketer, see Yasir Arafat (cricketer). ياسر عرفات‎ Yasser Arafat (Yāsir Arafāt) Kunya …   Wikipedia

  • Mount Arafat — Plain of Arafat during the Hajj …   Wikipedia

  • Moussa Arafat — Major General Moussa Arafat al Qudwa (born Jaffa January 23, 1940/41 killed in Gaza City September 7, 2005) was a cousin of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. In July 2004, Arafat was appointed head of the Preventive Security Service in the… …   Wikipedia

  • Six-Day War — Part of the Arab–Israeli conflict …   Wikipedia

  • Stockwell Day — Infobox CanadianMP honorific prefix = The Honourable name = Stockwell Burt Day, Jr. honorific suffix = PC, MP riding = Okanagan Coquihalla parliament = Canadian term start = September 11, 2000 term end = predecessor = Jim Hart successor = office2 …   Wikipedia

  • Controversies relating to the Six-Day War — The Six Day War was fought between June 5 and June 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt [known then as the United Arab Republic (UAR)], Jordan, and Syria. The war began with a large scale surprise air strike by Israel on Egypt… …   Wikipedia

  • Origins of the Six-Day War — The Origins of the Six Day War, which was fought between June 5 and June 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt [known then as the United Arab Republic (UAR)], Jordan, and Syria, lay in both longer term and immediate issues. The… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”