The Day of Arafah: Date, Meaning and Fasting

The Day of Arafah is the 9th of Dhu al-Hijjah, the last month of the Hijri year. On that day, pilgrims performing Hajj gather on the plain of Arafat outside Makkah. Muslims who are not on Hajj are encouraged to fast it: in Sahih Muslim, the Prophet ﷺ was asked about fasting the Day of Arafah and said it expiates the sins of the preceding year and the coming year. By the calculated Umm al-Qura calendar, the next Day of Arafah (9 Dhu al-Hijjah 1448) falls on Saturday 15 May 2027. Local announcements may differ by a day.

Key Takeaways

• The Day of Arafah is 9 Dhu al-Hijjah, the day before Eid al-Adha.
• Fasting it is recommended for people not on Hajj, based on Sahih Muslim 1162.
• The Prophet ﷺ did not fast at Arafat during his pilgrimage. Sahih al-Bukhari 1988 and 1989 record that he drank milk there while people watched.
• Calculated date for 1448 AH: Saturday 15 May 2027. Confirm it with the authority you follow.
• When your local calendar and Makkah differ, scholars differ on which day to fast. Ask your local mosque or a scholar you trust.

What happens on the Day of Arafah

Arafat is the central stop of Hajj. Encyclopaedia Britannica's entry on the hajj places the rites outside Makkah, including Jabal al-Rahmah (the hill at Arafat), Muzdalifah and Mina, between the 8th and 12th days of Dhu al-Hijjah.

The day carries enough weight that one narration names the whole pilgrimage after it. In Jami' at-Tirmidhi 889, graded sahih by Darussalam on sunnah.com, the Prophet ﷺ had a caller announce at Arafat: "The Hajj is Arafah."

The model for the day comes from the Prophet's own Hajj. The long narration of his Farewell Pilgrimage in Sahih Muslim 1218a describes him addressing the people in the valley at Arafah, then leading the noon and afternoon prayers together. He then rode to the place of standing and stayed there, facing the qibla, until the sun had set. After sunset the pilgrims leave. The Quran mentions this departure in 2:198, in the Saheeh International translation of the meaning: "But when you depart from ʿArafāt, remember Allāh at al-Mashʿar al-Ḥarām."

Why the day is significant

Two authentic reports explain why Muslims everywhere pay attention to this date, not only pilgrims.

The first concerns forgiveness. In Sahih Muslim 1348, A'isha reports the Prophet ﷺ saying that there is no day on which God sets free more servants from the Fire than the Day of Arafah.

The second concerns revelation. In Sahih al-Bukhari 45, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab says the verse "This day I have perfected for you your religion" (5:3) was revealed on a Friday while the Prophet ﷺ was standing at Arafat.

Du'a on the Day of Arafah

Alongside fasting, supplication (du'a) is closely associated with the day. The hadith in Sahih Muslim 1348 ends with God drawing near and asking the angels about the people at Arafat: "What do they want?" A widely quoted narration, Jami' at-Tirmidhi 3585, says "The best of supplication is the supplication of the Day of Arafah" and names the words Lā ilāha illallāh, waḥdahu lā sharīka lah, lahul-mulku wa lahul-ḥamd, wa huwa ʿalā kulli shai'in qadīr. Tirmidhi called it hasan gharib, and sunnah.com shows it graded da'if (weak) by Darussalam, so it is better treated as an encouragement than as firm evidence. Many people not on Hajj set aside time for du'a and dhikr that day. The wider season is covered in the first ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah.

The hadith on fasting the Day of Arafah

The main text on fasting is Sahih Muslim 1162b, narrated by Abu Qatada al-Ansari. The Prophet ﷺ was asked about several voluntary fasts. Asked about the Day of Arafah, he said: "It expiates the sins of the preceding year and the coming year." In the same narration he says fasting Ashura expiates the sins of the preceding year.

In the chapter headings later added to Sahih Muslim (commonly attributed to al-Nawawi), this hadith sits under a chapter calling it recommended to fast three days each month, the Day of Arafah, Ashura, and Mondays and Thursdays. It is a voluntary fast, not an obligation.

The fast follows the ordinary rules of any fast: from dawn (Fajr) until sunset (Maghrib) on 9 Dhu al-Hijjah. Because the Islamic day begins at sunset, the evening before belongs to the 9th as well, but the fast itself is the daylight portion. If that ordering is unfamiliar, see why the Islamic day begins at sunset.

Why pilgrims at Arafat do not fast

The Prophet ﷺ did not fast the Day of Arafah while he was on Hajj. In Sahih al-Bukhari 1988, Umm al-Fadl bint al-Harith says people with her at Arafat disagreed about whether he was fasting. She sent him a bowl of milk while he was on his camel, and he drank it. The next report, Sahih al-Bukhari 1989, from Maymuna, describes the same scene and adds that he drank "and the people were looking at him." Imam al-Bukhari placed both under the chapter heading "fasting on the day of Arafah."

Drinking where people could see settled the question for those present: he was not fasting that day while on Hajj.

There is also a narration that explicitly forbids fasting at Arafat: Sunan Abi Dawud 2440, from Abu Hurayrah. Sunnah.com shows it graded da'if (weak) by al-Albani, so it should not be relied on as evidence by itself. The practice of the Prophet ﷺ in Bukhari 1988 and 1989 is the stronger basis.

For people who are not on Hajj, the recommendation in Sahih Muslim 1162 still applies.

When is the Day of Arafah?

The day is fixed in the Hijri calendar and moves about 11 days earlier each year in the Gregorian calendar. The table shows dates from the calculated Umm al-Qura calendar, the same one the site's converter uses. The 1447 row is the date that was officially announced; the others are calculated and can shift by a day once the month is confirmed.

For 1447, Jordan's state news agency Petra reported the Saudi Supreme Court's announcement that 1 Dhu al-Hijjah was Monday 18 May 2026, the Day of Arafah Tuesday 26 May, and Eid al-Adha Wednesday 27 May. The calculated Umm al-Qura dates matched that year.

Worked example: 1448 AH

The calculated calendar puts 1 Dhu al-Hijjah 1448 on Friday 7 May 2027, so the 9th falls on Saturday 15 May 2027. The Islamic day of the 9th begins at sunset on Friday 14 May. A fast that day runs from Fajr to Maghrib on Saturday 15 May, and Eid al-Adha follows on Sunday 16 May. Treat all of this as provisional until the start of Dhu al-Hijjah is announced after the crescent search at the end of Dhu al-Qa'dah.

When your local calendar and Makkah differ

Most years, the Day of Arafah in Makkah and the 9th of Dhu al-Hijjah in your own country fall on the same date. Sometimes they do not, because countries begin the month in different ways. R.H. van Gent of Utrecht University notes in his introduction to the Umm al-Qura calendar that the dates different communities observe for the major festivals can differ by one, two or even three days.

A recent example: in 1445 AH, Saudi Arabia marked the Day of Arafah on Saturday 15 June 2024 and Eid al-Adha on Sunday 16 June. Pakistan's Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee started Dhu al-Hijjah a day later, and Dawn reported that Pakistan would observe Eid al-Adha on 17 June. By Pakistan's own calendar, 9 Dhu al-Hijjah was Sunday 16 June, which was Eid day in Makkah.

Scholars hold two main views on which day people outside Hajj should fast:

• Fast with the pilgrims. The fast is tied to the Day of Arafah, the day pilgrims stand at Arafat, so follow the Makkah date. Some bodies also tie their Eid al-Adha to it. The Fiqh Council of North America's Ramadan-Shawwal 1447 announcement, which also covers Eid al-Adha 1447, says it determines Eid al-Adha "based on the announcement by the Hajj authorities in Makkah," with Eid on the day after the Day of Arafah.
• Fast on your local 9th. The fast is tied to 9 Dhu al-Hijjah, so follow the calendar your community uses for the month. On this view, people in a country that starts the month a day later fast a day later, and their Eid follows their own calendar.

This is a question of religious practice, not something a calendar can settle. Follow the position of your local mosque or a scholar you trust, and keep your Arafah fast consistent with the calendar you use for Eid. The wider debate behind these differences is covered in global vs local moon sighting.

Common questions

Is fasting the Day of Arafah obligatory?

No. The hadith in Sahih Muslim describes its merit, and the chapter heading in printed editions lists it among recommended fasts. It is a voluntary (sunnah) fast for people not on Hajj.

Is the Day of Arafah the same as Eid al-Adha?

No. Arafah is the 9th of Dhu al-Hijjah. Eid al-Adha is the 10th, the day after. The days around it are explained in Eid al-Adha and the Hajj calendar.

Plan your Arafah fast

1. Check the calculated date on the Day of Arafah page, or view the full month in the Dhu al-Hijjah 1448 calendar.
2. Mark the day as provisional, and watch for the Dhu al-Hijjah announcement from the authority you follow.
3. Note that the Islamic date begins at the previous sunset, and plan suhoor before Fajr on the 9th.
4. If you are converting a specific date, use the Hijri date converter.