his Hajj is complete." Narrated by Abu Dawud and Ibn Majah (11). Muhammad ibn Yahya said: I do not narrate a more noble hadith for al-Thawri than this one.

636 - Issue: He said: (Then he recites Takbir and Tahlil, and strives in supplication until sunset).

It is recommended to frequently engage in the remembrance of Allah the Exalted and in supplication on the day of Arafah, for it is a day in which one hopes for an answer. For this reason, we prefer for him to break his fast on that day to gain strength for supplication, even though fasting on days other than Arafah is equivalent to two years. Ibn Majah narrated in his Sunan (1), saying: Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "There is no day on which Allah frees more servants from the Fire than the day of Arafah. He draws near, Mighty and Majestic is He, then He boasts of you to the angels, saying: 'What do these people want?'" [Narrated by Muslim] (3). It is recommended to supplicate with the prescribed invocations, such as what was reported from Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "The most frequent supplication of the prophets before me, and my own supplication on the eve of Arafah, is: 'There is no god but Allah alone, He has no partner; to Him belongs the dominion and to Him belongs all praise; He gives life and causes death, and He is over all things omnipotent'" (4). Ibn Umar used to say: "Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, and to Allah belongs all praise; Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, and to Allah belongs all praise;

Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, and to Allah belongs all praise. There is no god but Allah alone, He has no partner; to Him belongs the dominion and to Him belongs all praise. O Allah, guide me with guidance, protect me with piety, and forgive me in the Hereafter and the first life." He then lowers his hands and remains silent for the duration (5) of time it takes for a person to recite the Opening Chapter (al-Fatihah), then he returns to raising his hands and says the like of that. He continued to do so until he departed. Sufyan ibn Uyaynah was asked about the best supplication on the day of Arafah, and he said: "There is no god but Allah alone, He has no partner; to Him belongs the dominion and to Him belongs all praise, and He is over all things omnipotent." It was said to him, "This is praise, not a supplication." He replied: "Have you not heard the saying of the poet (6):

Shall I mention my need, or has your modesty sufficed me? Indeed, your nature is modesty.

If a person praises you one day, that praise suffices him from having to ask."

It is reported that (7) among the supplications of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) at Arafah was: "O Allah, You see my place, hear my speech, and know (8) my secret and my openness, and nothing of my affair is hidden from You. I am the miserable, the poor, the one who seeks aid and sanctuary, the fearful, the apprehensive, the one who admits and confesses his sin. I ask You as the destitute asks, and I implore You as the lowly sinner implores, and I call upon You as the fearful, distressed one calls, whose neck has bowed to You, whose body has humbled itself to You, whose eye has shed tears for You, and whose nose has been rubbed in the dust (9) for You" (10). We have also narrated from Sufyan al-Thawri that he said: I heard a Bedouin, while lying down at Arafah, saying: "My God, who is more entitled to error and shortcoming (11) than I, for You created me weak? And who is more entitled to forgive me than You, when Your knowledge regarding me is antecedent, and Your command over me is encompassing? I obeyed You by Your permission and the favor belongs to You, and I disobeyed You by Your knowledge and the argument belongs to You. So I ask You by the necessity of Your argument and the breaking of...