BEWARE! HERE IS ARAFAT
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BEWARE! HERE IS ARAFAT
Here is the plain of Arafat, resembling the Day of Judgment. What a tumult! Millions of pilgrims from different nations have converged on this plain. Wearing shrouds and bareheaded, all the pilgrims have raised their hands in supplication in this hot plain. What incentive has brought them to this wasteland from their homes? Have they come here under any force or allure of anything? They have come here to give positive response to God's call. They have come here to enjoy the divine banquet to win God's pleasure. It is the day of benefaction. O Lord, this edifice is the same place where Adam confessed his sin and was forgiven. It is the place where Ibrahim supplicated to God and won His favor. All messengers of God prostrated themselves in this place. The Holy Prophet (saw), too, expressed his servitude to God here. Accompanied by his friends, Imam Hussein (a.s), too, raised his hands in supplication to God in this place. The sun on the day of Arafat set amidst the moaning and weeping of Imam Hussein (a.s) and his companions. Can a person not be moved to tears in this place where God does not withhold His generosity and forgiveness? It is said that the biggest sin belongs to one who returns from Arafat thinking that he has not been forgiven; that is, he is disappointed with God's mercy.
Addressing Jesus (a.s), God says:
يا عِيسى، كَم أُطِيلُ النَّظَرَ وأُحسِنُ الطَّلَب َوالقومُ لا يَرجِعونَ!
O Jesus, how long should I wait and show well wish for the people to turn to Me?2
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1 See al-Kafi; Vol. 2 p.466 hadith 3
2 See al-Muraqabaat; the introduction p.6
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A Hadith Qudsi says:
لو عَلِمَ المُدْبِرونَ عَنِّي كيفَ انتِظارِي بِهِم وشَوقِي إلى تَوبَتِهِم لمَاتوا شَوقاً إِليّ ولَتَفَرَّقَت أوصالُهُم
If they who turn their backs to Me know how eager I am for their turning to Me, they will certainly die out of eagerness to Me and their body joints will fall apart.1
فَيا مَنْ هوَ عَلى المُقبِلينَ عليهَ مُقبِلٌ وبالعَطفِ عليهِم عائِدٌ مُفْضِلٌ وبالغافِلينَ عَن ذِكْرِهِ رَحيمٌ رَؤوفٌ ويجذِبُهُم إلى بابهِ وَدودٌ عَطوفٌ
O, He who comes toward those who come towards Him and grants gifts and bestows bounty upon them through tenderness! He is Compassionate and Clement toward those heedless of His remembrance and loving and tender in drawing them to His door!2
وَهُوَ الّذِي يَقْبَلُ التَّوْبَةَ عَنْ عِبادِهِ وَيَعْفُو عَنِ السَّيِّئاتِ
And He it is Who accepts repentance from His servants and pardons the evil deeds. (The Holy Quran; 42:25)
Calling upon God and saying, 'O Lord' from the bottom of heart is sufficient to be answered.
وإِنَّ الرَّاحِلَ إلَيكَ قَريبُ المَسافَةِ
I know well that for the travelers who set out onto Thee, the destination is very near.3
Not only is God Forgiving but also, ?Allah changes the evil deeds to good ones. (The Holy Quran; 25:70)? Imam Sajjad (a.s) words:
يا مُبدِّلَ السَّيِّئاتِ بأضْعافِها مِن الحَسَناتِ
O' He Who changes the evil deeds into manifold good deeds.4
Since repentance is good deed, it has a tenfold reward:
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1 See al-Muraqabaat; the introduction p.6
2 See as-Sahifat al-Kamilat al-Sajjadiyya
3 Du'aa of Abu-Hamza Thamali
4 See as-Sahifat al-Kamilat al-Sajjadiyya; 2nd Duaa
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مَنْ جَاءَ بِالحَسَنَةِ فَلَهُ عَشْرُ أَمْثالِها
Whoever brings a good deed, he shall have ten like it. (The Holy Quran; 6:160)
As long as we are in Arafat, we can do nothing except requesting from Him.
A mystic was asked, 'What have you brought to this door?' He answered: ?A beggar who comes to the House of the King is not asked, what have you brought, rather he is asked: What do you need, beggar?
It is said that a Dervish1 set out for a king's palace. They said to him: Take off your tattered clothes and put on new ones, for they do not fit the occasion. The Dervish said: What shall I do, for I have no other clothes? There is no blame in going to the royal palace in tatters, but there is blame if one comes out of the palace in tatters.
Likewise, if a man with sins goes to God's House, he is in no way to be blamed, but if he returns from His House with the same sins and ashamed of his sins, it is contrary to God's dignity and expectation.
GOOD TIDINGS: IMAM MAHDI (a.s) IS PRESENT IN ARAFAT
A great source of happiness and hope for forgiveness of those staying in Arafat is the presence of Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his reappearance) in the plain of Arafat every Hajj season; hence, Arafat becomes dignified and descending place for the angels and a source of blessings for those staying there.
Ubaid ibn Zurara quotes Imam Sadiq (a.s) as saying:
يَفقِدُ الناسُ إمامَهُم فَيَشهَدُ المَوسِمَ فَيَراهُم ولا يَرَونَهُ
People will miss their Imam, but he will witness every season of Hajj. Yet, he can see them but they cannot.2
واللهِ إنَّ صاحِبَ هذا الأمرِ يحضُرُ المَوسِمَ كُلَّ سَنةٍ فَيَرى الناسَ وَيعرِفُهُم ويَرَونَهُ ولا يَعرِفونهُ.
By Allah I swear, Imam Mahdi witnesses the season of Hajj every year. He can see and know people and they can see him but cannot know him.3
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1 Dervish is any member of an Islamic mystic fraternity.
2 See Kemal ud-Din; p. 346 hadith 33
3 See Mahdi Mau'ood; p. 750
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O God, we, pilgrims, turn to You and raise our hands in begging through the grace of Imam Mahdi (a.s) who has blessed this plain and has raised his hands in duaa in front of our gathering. We are sure the Imam's honor is so great that whoever turns to You under his shelter and raises his hand in supplication under the shelter of his hands will not be deprived of God's mercy.
The Holy Prophet (saw) is quoted by Selman the Persian as saying:
إنّ اللهَ عزّ وجَلّ يقولُ: يا عِبادِي، أَوَلَيسَ مَن لهُ إلَيكُمْ حَوَائِجُ كِبارٌ ولا تجُودُونَ بِها إِلاّ أنْ يَحْتَمِلَ عَليكُم بِأحَبِّ الخَلقِ إليكُم تَقضُونَها كَرامَةً لِشَفيعِهِم؟ أَلا فَاعلَموا أنَّ اَكرَمَ الخَلقِ عَلَيَّ وأفْضَلَهُم لَدَيَّ محَمّدٌ وأَخوهُ عَلِيٌّ ومِن بَعدِهِمُ الأئِمَّةُ عَليهِم السلامُ الذِينَ همُ الوسائِلُ إِلَيَّ. ألا فَلْيَدْعُني مَن أَهَمَّتْهُ حاجَةٌ يُريدُ نَفعَها أوْ دَهَتْهُ داهِيَةٌ يُريدُ كَفَّ ضَرَرِها بمُحَمَّدٍ وآلِهِ الطّيّبينَ الطّاهِرينَ أَقْضِيها لهُ أَحسَنَ ما يَقضيها مَن تَستَشفِعونَ إليهِ بِأعَزِّ الخَلقِ عَليهِ.
Allah says: O My servant, has it not happened that someone requests something great from you but you will not fulfill his desire unless he brings an intercessor who is dear to you? Let it be known to you that the most honorable and respectable men to Me are Mohammad (saw), his brother Ali (a.s), and the Imams (a.s) who are the media of nearness to Me. Therefore, if you have a desire for a profit or removing of a loss, call Me through Mohammad (saw) and his pure household. Then I will fulfill the desire in the best manner.1
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1 See Collection of Waram; vol. 2 p. 100 and Oddatol Daee; p. 122
