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]