Question:
Dear scholars, as-salamu `alaykum. Is it Sunnah for pilgrims to fast on the day of `Arafah? Jazakum Allah khayran!

Answer:
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Dear questioner, we would like to thank you for the great confidence you place in us, and we implore Allah, the Almighty to help us serve His cause and render our work for His Sake alone.

It is not Sunnah for pilgrims to fast on the Day of `Arafah so that they will be strong enough to devote themselves to worship and supplicating. However, it is Sunnah for non-pilgrims to fast on that day.

In this regard, we will cite what Sheikh Sayyed Sabiq, states in his well-known book, Fiqh As-Sunnah:
�It is confirmed that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not fast on the Day of `Arafah. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Verily the Day of `Arafah, the Day of Sacrifice (Yawm An-Nahr), and the days of Tashriq (the 10th, 11th and 12th of Dhul-Hijjah) are our days of festivities. These are the days of eating and drinking." It is also established that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade fasting on the Day of `Arafah for those who are at `Arafah (for pilgrimage).

Abu Hurayrah, (may Allah be pleased with him), narrates that the Prophet, (peace and blessings be upon him), �Forbade fasting on the day of `Arafah for one who is actually at `Arafah." (Reported by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, An-Nasa'i, and Ibn Majah.)

This has led most scholars to conclude that it is desirable not to fast on the Day of `Arafah, so that the pilgrim will be strong enough to devote himself wholeheartedly to worship and supplicating.

Some of the hadiths that encourage fasting on the Day of `Arafah are concerned with the people who are not staying at `Arafah as pilgrims performing Hajj�.

Responded by: A Group of Islamic Researchers