# Important Du’as and Dhikr for the Day of ʿArafah **Author:** Yaqeen Institute **Topics:** Acts of Worship, Allah, Faith, Sharia **Tags:** Arafah, Blog, Dhul Hijjah, Dua **Published:** June 14, 2024 **Updated:** September 6, 2026 The Day of ʿArafah is the most significant day of the Hajj pilgrimage and one of the most important days in the Islamic calendar. The Prophet ﷺ said, “There is no day on which Allah frees more people from the fire than the Day of ʿArafah.”[^1] Even for those not performing Hajj, this is a day to turn to Allah with sincere *duʿa*, *dhikr*, and repentance. So what did the Prophet ﷺ and his companions recite on this blessed day? --- ## The Prophet’s duʿa on ʿArafah The Prophet ﷺ taught us the most powerful words to say on ʿArafah: “The best supplication is the supplication on the Day of ʿArafah, and the best of what I and the prophets before me have said is: ‘There is no deity except Allah, alone, without partner. To Him belongs all dominion and praise, and He is over all things competent.’”[^2] Supplication on the Day of ʿArafah  لا إله إلا الله وحدهُ لا شريك لهُ، لهُ الملكُ ولهُ الحمدُ، وهو على كل شيءٍ قدير  *La ilaha illallahu wahdahu la sharika lahu, lahul-mulku wa lahul-hamdu wa huwa* ***ʿ****ala kulli shayʾin qadeer.* There is no deity except Allah, alone, without partner. To Him belongs all dominion and praise, and He is over all things competent. *Sunan al-Tirmidhi,* no. 3585, graded *hasan* (good) by al-Albani. This profound supplication was described by the Prophet ﷺ as the best thing ever said by any prophet. It is a gift to this *ummah*, and repeating it throughout the Day of ʿArafah is a source of immense reward. --- ## ʿAli’s duʿa on ʿArafah The noble companion ʿAli ibn Abi Talib (rA) made the following supplication: “O Allah, free my neck from the Fire, expand my provision, grant me permissible sustenance, and keep away from me the wicked ones among the jinn and humankind.”[^3] **ʿAli’s *duʿa* on ʿArafah**  اللَّهُمَّ أَعْتِقْ رَقَبَتِي مِنَ النَّارِ، وَأَوْسِعْ لِي مِنَ الرِّزْقِ الْحَلَالِ، وَاصْرِفْ عَنِّي فَسَقَةَ الْجِنِّ وَالْإِنسِ *Allahumma a****ʿ****tiq raqabatee min an-nar, wa awsi****ʿ*** *lee min ar-rizq-il-halal, wasrif ʿannee fasaqat al-jinni wal-ins.* O Allah, free my neck from the Fire, expand my provision, grant me permissible sustenance, and keep away from me the wicked ones among the jinn and humankind. Al-Suyuti, *al-Dur al-manthūr*, ed. ʿAbd Allāh ibnʿAbd al-Muḥsin al-Turkī (Markaz Hajar, 2003), 1st ed., 15:430. This *duʿa* is beautiful in its balance—seeking both spiritual salvation and worldly ease. --- ## ʿAbdullah ibn ʿUmar’s duʿa and dhikr ʿAbdullah ibn ʿUmar (rA), a close companion of the Prophet ﷺ, spent much of ʿArafah engaging in *takbirat* and praise of Allah, saying, “Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, and to Allah belongs all praise (*Allahu akbar, Allahu akbar, wa lillahil-hamd*).” In addition to this *dhikr*, he would repeatedly say, “O Allah, guide me with Your guidance, protect me with Your piety, and forgive me in this life and the next.” **ʿAbdullah ibn ʿUmar’s *duʿa***  اللَّهُمَّ اهْدِنِي بِالْهُدَى، وَقِنِي بِالتَّقْوَى، وَاغْفِرْ لِي فِي الْآخِرَةِ وَالْأُولَى *Allahumma ihdini bil-huda, wa qini bi-t-taqwa, waghfir lee fil-akhirati wal-oola.* **O Allah, guide me with Your guidance, protect me with Your piety, and forgive me in this life and the next.** Ibn Taymiyya, *Sharḥ ʿumdat al-fiqh* (Maktabat al-ʿAbyakān, n.d.), 3:509. After saying this, he would sit in quiet personal supplication for about as long as it would take to recite Surah al-Fatiha.[^4] --- ## More duʿas to explore While there are innumerable *duʿa*s that we can say on the Day of ʿArafah, we’ve compiled a [full list of some powerful](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/trailer-a-dua-away-a-2024-dhul-hijjah-series) *[duʿa](https://www.google.com/url?q=https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/trailer-a-dua-away-a-2024-dhul-hijjah-series&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1748381290258962&usg=AOvVaw1zrT_dE5w4Omsc7hR3Fhfh)*[s](https://www.google.com/url?q=https://yaqeeninstitute.org/watch/series/trailer-a-dua-away-a-2024-dhul-hijjah-series&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1748381290258962&usg=AOvVaw1zrT_dE5w4Omsc7hR3Fhfh) from one of our Dhul Hijjah series that might especially inspire you. You can also explore the *duʿa*s of the Prophet ﷺ and the pious predecessors on ʿArafah in more depth in [“The](https://www.google.com/url?q=https://yaqeeninstitute.org/omar-suleiman/the-duas-of-the-salaf-on-arafah-khutbah&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1748381290259272&usg=AOvVaw1hSfpSwkWT_NfGPlCsy16_) *[Duʿa](https://www.google.com/url?q=https://yaqeeninstitute.org/omar-suleiman/the-duas-of-the-salaf-on-arafah-khutbah&sa=D&source=editors&ust=1748381290259353&usg=AOvVaw0dR0vSbPyKnqjExEE5Yb_h)*[s of the *Salaf* on Arafah”](https://yaqeeninstitute.org/omar-suleiman/the-duas-of-the-salaf-on-arafah-khutbah) by Dr. Omar Suleiman. The Day of ʿArafah is a day to fill your heart and tongue with *duʿa*. While we should strive to replicate the words of the Prophet ﷺ, we are also free to let our hearts pour out. From glorifying Allah to seeking forgiveness, from praying for loved ones to begging for Jannah—this is the day to ask. On this day, you are unrestricted. So whether you’re on the plain of ʿArafah or at home, use your voice, your heart, and your conviction in Allah. Make *duʿa* as if Allah is listening—because He is. May Allah accept your *duʿa*s and write you among those freed from the fire. *Ameen*. --- ## Notes [^1]: *Sahih Muslim,* no. 1348. [^2]: *Sunan al-Tirmidhi,* no. 3585, graded *hasan* (good) by al-Albani. [^3]: Al-Suyuti, *al-Dur al-manthūr*, ed. ʿAbd Allāh ibnʿAbd al-Muḥsin al-Turkī (Markaz Hajar, 2003), 1st ed., 15:430. [^4]: Ibn Taymiyya, *Sharḥ ʿumdat al-fiqh* (Maktabat al-ʿAbyakān, n.d.), 3:509. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is the most important duʿāʾ to recite on the Day of 'Arafah? The Prophet ﷺ said the best *duʿāʾ* on the Day of 'Arafah is: *Lā ilāha illā Allāh waḥdahu lā sharīka lah, lahu al-mulk wa lahu al-ḥamd, wa huwa ʿalā kulli shayʾin qadīr* — 'There is no deity except Allah alone, without partner; to Him belongs all dominion and praise, and He is over all things capable' (*Sunan al-Tirmidhī*, no. 3585, graded *ḥasan* by al-Albānī). ### What duʿāʾ did 'Ali ibn Abī Ṭālib (ra) recite on 'Arafah? 'Ali (ra) is reported to have recited: *Allāhumma aʿtiq raqabatī mina al-nār, wa awsiʿ lī mina al-rizq al-ḥalāl, waṣrif ʿannī fasaqat al-jinni wa al-ins* — 'O Allah, free my neck from the Fire, expand for me lawful provision, and turn away from me the wicked among the jinn and humankind' (al-Suyūṭī, *al-Durr al-manthūr*, 15:430). ### What dhikr did Ibn 'Umar (ra) repeat throughout the Day of 'Arafah? ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar (ra) spent much of 'Arafah engaged in *takbīr* and praise: *Allāhu akbar, Allāhu akbar, wa lillāhi al-ḥamd* — 'Allah is the Greatest, Allah is the Greatest, and to Allah belongs all praise.' He would intersperse this dhikr with personal supplication throughout the day. ### What duʿāʾ did Ibn 'Umar (ra) follow his takbīr with? He would recite: *Allāhumma ihdinī bi-al-hudā, wa qinī bi-al-taqwā, waghfir lī fī al-ākhirati wa al-ūlā* — 'O Allah, guide me with Your guidance, protect me with Your *taqwā*, and forgive me in this life and the next' (Ibn Taymiyyah, *Sharḥ ʿumdat al-fiqh*, 3:509). He would then make quiet personal supplication for roughly the length of Sūrat al-Fātiḥah. ### When during the Day of 'Arafah are duʿāʾ most accepted? Scholars identify the most virtuous portion of the day as the period from after 'Aṣr until sunset, when pilgrims at 'Arafah make their final standing. Non-pilgrims are encouraged to set aside this window for concentrated *duʿāʾ*, although the entire day is a time of acceptance — the Prophet ﷺ called the supplication of 'Arafah 'the best of supplications.' ### Can I make personal duʿāʾ on the Day of 'Arafah, or must I use prophetic words? Both are encouraged. The article emphasizes that while the Prophet's ﷺ words and the supplications of the Companions carry the greatest authority and barakah, believers are also invited to 'let their hearts pour out' with personal *duʿāʾ* in their own language — for spiritual salvation, the people they love, worldly needs, and Paradise.