Arafah Dayيوم عرفة

بَرْنَامَجُ يَوْمِ عَرَفَةَ

The Arafah day plan

A plan that works wherever you are in the world, because it follows the prayer times rather than the clock. Use it as it is or adapt it to your day.

In short

  • Night before: intention and du'a list
  • Fajr: takbir begins
  • Morning: Qur'an, charity, dhikr
  • ʿAsr to sunset: du'a, with the eight-step plan
  • Maghrib: break the fast; Eid night begins

From the night before to Maghrib

  1. Maghrib on the 8thArafah begins. Make the intention to fast. Keep saying the takbir. Write your du'a list after ʿIsha.
  2. After ʿIshaSleep early. A rested body makes the afternoon of du'a possible. Set alarms for suhoor.
  3. Last third of the nightPray a few rakʿahs and make du'a. Allah descends to the lowest heaven at this time every night and asks who is calling on Him (Sahih al-Bukhari 1145).
  4. Before FajrSuhoor. Dates, water, slow-release food. Then seek forgiveness until the adhan.
  5. FajrPray, then start the takbir after the prayer. It continues after every obligatory prayer until ʿAsr on the 13th.
  6. Until sunriseMorning adhkar and Qur'an, sitting in your place of prayer if you can.
  7. MorningWork, study or care for your family with the best dhikr on your tongue. Give your charity early so you do not forget.
  8. DhuhrPray, then the takbir. At this time the pilgrims hear the sermon at Namirah and pray Dhuhr and ʿAsr together. Their standing begins.
  9. After DhuhrRest for twenty minutes if you can. Read a page of the meaning of the Qur'an.
  10. ʿAsrPray, then the takbir. Finish anything that cannot wait. From here the day is for du'a.
  11. The last hourDu'a until sunset. Face the qiblah, raise your hands, and follow the plan below.
  12. MaghribBreak the fast with dates or water and the iftar du'a. The night of Eid begins: keep up the takbir.

The last hour before sunset

Many people reach the afternoon tired and unsure what to say. This plan gives the hour a shape. The times are suggestions; spend longer where your heart is.

  1. 5 minutesPraise Allah. Say the best dhikr of the day, then praise Allah with His names: al-Ghafur, ar-Rahim, al-ʿAfuww, al-Karim.
  2. 5 minutesSend blessings on the Prophet ﷺ, with the blessing on Ibrahim that we say in prayer.
  3. 10 minutesAsk for forgiveness. Say the master of seeking forgiveness, then name your sins to Allah privately and resolve to leave them.
  4. 10 minutesAsk for the Hereafter. Ask to be freed from the Fire today, for Paradise, for a good end, for an easy grave and an easy reckoning.
  5. 10 minutesAsk for your faith. A firm heart, sincere worship, beneficial knowledge, and guidance for your children.
  6. 10 minutesAsk for this world. Health, provision, a righteous spouse, children, work, debts paid, worries lifted. Nothing is too small or too big to ask.
  7. 5 minutesAsk for others. Your parents, family, everyone on your list, the sick, the oppressed, the dead, and the whole ummah.
  8. Until the adhanRepeat the du'a that matters most to you, three times and more, and end with praise of Allah and blessings on the Prophet ﷺ.

Open the du'a collection on your phone and follow along, or print your saved du'as and list the night before.

If you only have a few minutes

Some people work long shifts, care for others, or are unwell. If you only have a little time, do these three things:

  1. Say lā ilāha illallāhu waḥdahu lā sharīka lah, lahul-mulku wa lahul-ḥamd, wa huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr as often as you can.
  2. Say the takbir after each obligatory prayer.
  3. In the minutes before Maghrib, stop, raise your hands, and ask Allah for forgiveness and for what you need most.

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