Mount Arafat

{{Short description|Mountain and holy site in Saudi Arabia}}

{{About|the mountain|the Islamic day of fasting prior to Eid-al-Adha|Day of Arafah}}

{{Distinguish|Mount Ararat|Mount Arayat}}

{{More citations needed|date=April 2019}}

{{Infobox mountain

| name = Mount Arafat

| native_name = {{native name list |tag1=ar |name1=جَبَل عَرَفَات |tag2=ar |name2=جَبَل ٱلرَّحْمَة |paren1=no}}

| alternate_name =

| photo = Pilgrims cover Arafat's roads, plains and mountain - Flickr - Al Jazeera English.jpg

| photo_caption = Pilgrims atop the mountain during the Hajj

| elevation_m =

| elevation_ref =

| listing = Mountains of Saudi Arabia

| location = Near Mecca City, Makkah Province, the Hejaz, Saudi Arabia

| map = Saudi Arabia#Middle East#Asia

| map_caption = Location of Mount Arafat within Saudi Arabia

| map_size = 234

| coordinates = {{coord|21|21|17|N|39|59|02|E|type:landmark|display=it}}

| coordinates_ref =

| range = Hijaz Mountains

| type = Grandiorite hill

| age = 9.13 ± 1.05 Mya

|fetchwikidata=ALL

}}

Mount Arafat ({{langx|ar|جَبَل عَرَفَات|translit=Jabal ʿArafāt}}, or {{langx|ar|جَبَل ٱلرَّحْمَة|Jabal ar-Raḥmah|Mountain of Mercy|label=none}}){{Cite news|title=Saudi Arabia Hajj: Millions at Mount Arafat for ceremonies|work=BBC News |date=11 September 2016 |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-37331826|access-date=2019-04-14}} is a granodiorite hill{{Cite journal|last1=Qureshi|first1=A. A.|last2=Sultan|first2=A.|last3=Rashid|first3=A.|last4=Ali|first4=M.|last5=Waheed|first5=A.|last6=Manzoor|first6=S.|last7=Baloch|first7=M. A.|last8=Matiullah|last9=Batool|first9=S.|last10=Khan|first10=H. A.|date=September 2012|title=Geological and radiological studies of the Mount Arafat, Mekkah, Saudi Arabia|journal=Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry|language=en|volume=293|issue=3|pages=955–963|doi=10.1007/s10967-012-1776-0|bibcode=2012JRNC..293..955Q |s2cid=95942060|issn=0236-5731}} about {{cvt|20|km|mi}} southeast of Mecca, in the province of the same name in Saudi Arabia.{{cite web|url=https://www.google.com.sa/maps/dir/Mt+Arafat/Makkah/@21.3850184,39.8410552,12zdata=!3m1!4b1!4m14!4m13!1m5!1m1!1s0x15e9fdbfebe918df:0x6cfad77937cbd28e!2m2!1d40.0027778!2d21.3666667!1m5!1m1!1s0x15c21b4ced818775:0x98ab2469cf70c9ce!2m2!1d39.8166667!2d21.4166667!3e0|title=خرائط Google}} It is approximately {{cvt|70|m|ft}} in height, with its highest point sitting at an elevation of {{convert|454|m|ft}}.

The Prophet Muhammad, before becoming a Prophet, would break the tradition of his tribe, the Quraysh, by standing at Arafat with the other Arabs, much to the shock of his fellow Qurayshite Jubair bin Mut`im who highlighted that he was a part of the Hums and questioning what business he had there. https://sunnah.com/bukhari:1664 https://sunnah.com/muslim:1220#:~:text=Mut'im%20reported%3A,Quraish%20were%20counted%20among%20Hums.

According to Islamic traditions, the hill is the place where the Islamic prophet Muhammad stood and delivered the Farewell Sermon ({{transliteration|ar|Khuṭbat al-Wadāʿ}}){{cite book |last1=Burns |first1=William E. |title=Speeches in World History |date=25 June 2010 |publisher=Infobase Publishing |isbn=978-1-4381-2680-7 |page=79 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L-6ghsWDMTAC&dq=Farewell+Sermon+arafat&pg=PA79 |access-date=14 March 2024 |language=en}} to his companions ({{transliteration|ar|Ṣaḥābah}}) who had accompanied him for the Hajj towards the end of his life. Some Muslims also believe that Mount Arafat is the place where Adam and Eve reunited on Earth after falling from Heaven, believing the mountain to be the place where they were forgiven, hence giving it the name {{transliteration|ar|Jabal ar-Raḥmah}}, meaning 'Mountain of Mercy'. A pillar is erected on top of the mountain to show where this event is believed to have taken place.

The mountain is especially important during the Hajj, with the 9th day of the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah, also known as the Day of 'Arafah after the mountain itself, being the day when Hajj pilgrims leave Mina for Arafat; this day is considered to be the most important day of the Hajj. The {{transliteration|ar|khuṭbah}} (sermon) is delivered and {{transliteration|ar|ẓuhr}} and {{transliteration|ar|ʿaṣr}} prayers are prayed together in the valley. The pilgrims spend the whole day on the mountain invoking Allah to forgive their sins.{{Cite web|url=http://www.arabnews.com/node/1359496/saudi-arabia|title=More than 2 million pilgrims complete journey to Mount Arafat for second day of Hajj|date=2018-08-20|website=Arab News|language=en|access-date=2019-04-14}}