The blessings of Haj do not end when the days of Haj are over! For everybody who had the privilege to perform Haj, it is an event that sharpens your mind on how to continue with our lives when we are back at home! Islam is a religion of brotherhood and unity. All our rituals are group events. We pray in congregation five times a day, we meet once every week for Friday prayer. Arafat is Haj! Standing on Arafat, asking Allah for forgiveness, is one of the key elements of Haj! The morning of Arafat is buzzing with activity, with millions of pilgrims joining the convoy to reach the place of assembly and you are ready to join the ritual, just to find out, after performing a combined Dhuhr/Asr prayer, that there is none! There is no ritual for the afternoon of Arafat! I was wondering why on the most important afternoon in the life of a Muslim, we are left to ourselves! Why it is that Allah confines us to solitude on such an important day and does not offer the comfort of a group for his servants? Arafat is a rehearsal! It is one of the greatest mercies of Allah that He gives every pilgrim the chance to rehearse the Day of Judgment, the day of the great gathering! Arafat is the small gathering, but the great rehearsal! The Ihram dress removes all differences of wealth, importance or social status and then everybody is just by himself, just the way we will be buried one day! “And everyone of them will come to Him alone (without any helper, or protector or defender)”. (19:95) Pilgrims stream to the place of gathering as all humans will do on the day of resurrection! “Then unto their Lord they all shall be gathered”. (6:38) Here we face our Lord in silent prayer and we ask Him for forgiveness for all our sins! It is a situation where people present their lives, their good deeds and their bad deeds to their Lord (s.t.). Many realize that they showed up unprepared, empty handed. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: “Nothing will be placed in the balance on the day of Resurrection which will weigh more heavily than good manner and attitude” “I created not the jinn and mankind except to worship Me alone.” (Al-Dhaariyaat 56) On Arafat Day, Allah gives us the chance to experience how it will be like on the Day of Judgment, when we have to give account for our lives! “And warn them O' Muhammad of the day of grief and regrets, when the case has been decided, while now they are in a state of carelessness, and they believe not!” (19:39) Arafat shows us the reality of life. This worldly life is just temporary and it is not proper for any human being to be forgetful about Paradise and Hellfire! In order to save us from the hellfire we need to accept the teachings of the Glorious Qur'an and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)! But accepting them is not enough, we need to put them into practice. Islam is not theoretical, but a practical code of life! Islam does not only bring the message of the Hereafter; it is intended to guide us in this life! At the end of the Day of Arafat all pilgrims leave in one direction, going towards Muzdallifa! On the day of Judgment this will be different! Some will go to Paradise, but the fast majority will go to hellfire! Arafat is the reminder to choose our destination, before it is too late! “And we created not the heaven and the earth and all that is between them without purpose! That is the consideration of those who disbelieve! Then woe to those who disbelieve from the fire! Shall We treat those who believe and do righteous good deeds as those who associate partners in worship with Allah and commit crimes on earth? Or shall we treat the pious as the disbelievers?” (38:27
