On the Day of Arafah, the pilgrims stand turned towards Allah in supplication and hope.
Books on softening the heart report about al-Fudayl ibn Iyad (may Allah have mercy on him), a worshipper known for how strictly he held himself to account.
It is said that he stood at Arafah, with the people around him calling upon Allah, and weeping overcame him until it kept him from making supplication.
When the sun was about to set, he raised his head with words that expressed how deeply ashamed he felt before Allah, even as he hoped for His pardon.
The scene the report describes did not take place at the Multazam, but at the standing of Arafah.
A moment to reflect
Perhaps the greatest thing a person can bring to Allah is a sincere admission of his shortcomings, together with certainty that Allah’s mercy is wider than his sins.
Humility is not measured by the number of tears alone; the heart may weep before the eye, and sincere repentance can run deeper than anything outward.
Servitude to Allah joins fear and hope, so the believer never shuts the door of Allah’s mercy on himself.
What do we know, and what do we not know?
- We know: Ibn Rajab mentioned the report of al-Fudayl weeping at Arafah in Lata’if al-Ma‘arif.
- We do not claim: every literary detail added to the story in versions that circulate. Nor do we attribute to him a private prayer at the Multazam whose source we have not verified.
Sources
- Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, Lata’if al-Ma‘arif, on the states of the early Muslims on the Day of Arafah.
- The chain of this report is to be reviewed before it is relied on as an established report from al-Fudayl.
When did you last stand before Allah asking nothing of this world, only His pardon and His pleasure?