
Plain of Arafat during the Hajj
'Mount Arafat' or 'Mount Arafah' (
Arabic: جبل عرفات;
transliterated ''Jabal 'Arafat'') is a
granite hill east of
Mecca. It is also known as the Mountain of Mercy (''Jabal ar-Rahmah''). The hill is the place
Muhammad delivered
the Farewell Sermon to the Muslims who had accompanied him for the
Hajj towards the end of his life. It reaches about 70 m in height.
The level area surrounding the hill is called the 'Plain of Arafat'. The term Mount Arafat is sometimes applied to this entire area. It is an important place in Islam because during the Hajj, pilgrims spend the afternoon there on the ninth day of
Dhu al-Hijjah (ذو الحجة). Failure to be present in the plain of Arafat on the required day invalidates the pilgrimage. Many pilgrims stay here all night in vigil.
[ Islam: A Short History, Karen Armstrong, , , , , ]
Muslims believe
Adam and his wife
Eve were reunited on the hill and forgiven by
God (اﷲ) after 200 years of separation on account of their disobedience in deference to the suggestion of Satan.
Today, this is the place from where a
khutba (sermon) addressed to the entire
Muslim world is delivered.
[ Hajj to Umrah: From A to Z, , Mamdouh N., Mohamed, Amana Publications, 1996, ISBN 0-915957-54-x ]
The former
Palestine Liberation Organization leader
Yasser Arafat was named after this hill.
After Arafat, pilgrims of the
Hajj head to
Muzdalifa.
References