Fasting on the Day of Arafah

The reward

Scholars explain that this wipes out minor sins; major sins need sincere repentance. Some also explain “the year after” as Allah protecting the person from sin in the coming year, or forgiving what they do in it.

Is it obligatory?

No. It is a sunnah, and one of the most strongly recommended voluntary fasts, for everyone who is not on Hajj. If you miss it you have no sin and nothing to make up, but you miss a great reward that comes once a year.

Should pilgrims fast at Arafat?

No. The Sunnah for the pilgrim is not to fast, so they have the strength for du'a and dhikr. The Prophet ﷺ made this clear in public:

Most scholars say fasting at Arafat is disliked for pilgrims. A narration that forbids it outright (Sunan Abi Dawud 2440) is graded weak by al-Albani, which is why scholars speak of dislike rather than prohibition.

Which date: my country's or Saudi Arabia's?

This is the question asked most each year. When your country starts Dhul Hijjah on a different day from Saudi Arabia, the 9th in your country may not be the day the pilgrims stand at Arafat. Scholars hold two views:

View 1: fast on the 9th by your local calendar

The fast belongs to the date, the 9th of Dhul Hijjah, just as ʿAshura is the 10th of Muharram. Each region follows its own moon sighting, as it does for Ramadan and Eid. Shaykh Ibn ʿUthaymin and others held this view.

View 2: fast on the day the pilgrims stand at Arafat

The fast is named after the standing, “the Day of Arafah”, so it is the day the pilgrims are on the plain. Many Muslims, especially in the West, follow this view.

Both are held by qualified scholars, so follow the view of your local mosque or the scholar you trust, and do not argue with people who follow the other one. One thing to watch: if your local calendar makes the Saudi Day of Arafah your Eid day, do not fast on it, because fasting on Eid is forbidden (Sahih al-Bukhari 1990).

Some people fast both days when the dates differ. That is fine as long as neither day is their Eid, since the first nine days of Dhul Hijjah are all good days to fast.

Arafah 2027 falls on a Saturday. Can I fast?

Yes. The Day of Arafah 1448 is expected on Saturday, 15 May 2027. A hadith in Sunan Abi Dawud (Sunan Abi Dawud 2421) says not to fast on Saturdays except for obligatory fasts. Scholars differ on whether it is authentic, and those who accept it explain that it is about singling out Saturday for no reason. A fast with its own reason, like Arafah, is not affected. The Prophet ﷺ gave the same exception for Friday: do not single it out “unless it falls within a fast one of you keeps” (Sahih Muslim 1144).

The intention

The intention is in your heart: you decide that you are fasting tomorrow for Arafah. You do not need to say it aloud, and there is no special wording to recite.

Make the intention the night before. For general voluntary fasts, the Prophet ﷺ sometimes decided to fast during the morning when he had not eaten (Sahih Muslim 1154). But many scholars say that a fast tied to a particular day, like Arafah, needs the intention before dawn to earn that day's particular reward.

Can I combine it with a missed Ramadan fast?

Scholars differ. Some say that if you make up a missed Ramadan fast on the Day of Arafah, you get the make-up and, by Allah's grace, the reward of fasting on Arafah. Others say each needs its own intention and you cannot get both with one fast. The safer course, if you can, is to make up your Ramadan fasts on other days and keep Arafah as its own fast. If you cannot, fasting a make-up day on Arafah is valid by agreement.

Who does not need to fast

• Women on their period or after childbirth do not fast, and do not make it up because it is voluntary. They can still do almost everything else that makes the day great: du'a, dhikr, takbir, charity and listening to the Qur'an. See the notes for women.
• The sick, the elderly, pregnant and breastfeeding women should not strain themselves with a voluntary fast. Your intention and your du'a still count for a lot.
• Travellers may fast or not. If the journey is hard, not fasting is better.
• Pilgrims at Arafat, as explained above.

During the fast

• Eat suhoor. “Eat suhoor, for there is blessing in it” (Sahih al-Bukhari 1923). Drink plenty of water and avoid salty food if the day will be hot or long.
• If you eat or drink by mistake, carry on fasting. Your fast is still valid (Sahih al-Bukhari 1933).
• If you break it on purpose, there is no sin and no make-up for a voluntary fast, but you lose the reward. Try to finish it.
• Guard your tongue. Fasting is more than staying hungry: avoid backbiting, arguing and wasting the day.

Breaking the fast

The Prophet ﷺ broke his fast with fresh dates, or dry dates if there were none, or a few sips of water (Sunan Abi Dawud 2356). When he broke his fast he said (Sunan Abi Dawud 2357, graded hasan by al-Albani):

The minutes before Maghrib are the end of the best du'a time of the year. Do not spend them in the kitchen: prepare iftar early and make du'a until the adhan.

Fasting the other days of Dhul Hijjah

Fasting any of the first nine days is a good deed, because they are the best days for good deeds. One of the Prophet's ﷺ wives said that he used to fast the first nine days (Sunan Abi Dawud 2437, graded sahih by al-Albani), although ʿAʾishah said she never saw him fasting in them (Sahih Muslim 1176). Scholars reconcile the two: he fasted in some years and not in others, and each wife described what she saw. Fasting on the 10th, Eid day, and on the three days after it is not allowed.

The 8th, the Day of Tarwiyah, has no special fasting virtue of its own. The narration that fasting it wipes out a year of sins is fabricated. See weak narrations about Arafah.

Last reviewed Wednesday, 4 November 2026. How we check sources.