Mount Arafat ( ar, جَبَل عَرَفَات, translit=Jabal ʿArafāt), and by its other Arabic name, (), is a granodiorite hill about southeast of Mecca, in the province of the same name in Saudi Arabia. The mountain is approximately in height, with its highest point sitting at an elevation of . According to some Islamic traditions, the hill is the place where the Prophet Muhammad stood and delivered the

Farewell Sermon The Farewell Sermon ( ar, خطبة الوداع, ''Khuṭbatu l-Widāʿ'' ) also known as Muhammad's Final Sermon or the Last Sermon, is a religious speech, delivered by the Islamic prophet Muhammad on Friday the 9th of Dhu al-Hijjah, 10 AH ( ...

, also known as the , to his Companions ( who had accompanied him for the

Hajj The Hajj (; ar, حَجّ '; sometimes also spelled Hadj, Hadji or Haj in English) is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims. Hajj is a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried ...

towards the end of his life. Some Muslims also believe that Mount Arafat is the place where

Adam Adam; el, Ἀδάμ, Adám; la, Adam is the name given in Genesis 1-5 to the first human. Beyond its use as the name of the first man, ''adam'' is also used in the Bible as a pronoun, individually as "a human" and in a collective sense as " ...

and Eve ( Hawa) reunited on Earth after falling from

Heaven Heaven or the heavens, is a common religious cosmological or transcendent supernatural place where beings such as deities, angels, souls, saints, or venerated ancestors are said to originate, be enthroned, or reside. According to the belie ...

, believing the mountain to be the place where they were forgiven, hence giving it the name , 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 Dhu al-Hijja ( ar, ذُو ٱلْحِجَّة, translit=Ḏū al-Ḥijja, ), also spelled Zu al-Hijja, is the twelfth and final month in the Islamic calendar. It is a very sacred month in the Islamic calendar, one in which the ''Hajj, Ḥajj'' (P ...

, 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

. The (sermon) is delivered and and prayers are prayed together in the valley. The pilgrims spend the whole day on the mountain invoking

Allah Allah (; ar, الله, translit=Allāh, ) is the common Arabic word for God. In the English language, the word generally refers to God in Islam. The word is thought to be derived by contraction from '' al- ilāh'', which means "the god", an ...

to forgive their sins.

Geology and radiology

A 2012 study classified Mount Arafat as a granodiorite rock which mainly consists of feldspar, quartz and muscovite, among other minerals. Using petrographic, fission track dating and γ-spectrometric (HPGe) techniques in order to study the geology, thermal history and the radiological hazards due to the presence of primordial radionuclides. The study yielded fission track age of 9.13 ± 1.05 Ma of the Mount Arafat granodiorite. In addition, the study reported that rifting, magmatism, volcanism and seafloor spreading that resulted in the formation of Red Sea seems to have altered the original age of the Arafat granodiorite under study to 9.13 ± 1.05 Ma. Measured radioactivity concentrations due to Ra, Th and K were found to not pose any radiological health hazard to the general public.

Hajj

Arafat rituals end at sunset and pilgrims then move to Muzdalifah for

Maghrib prayer The Maghrib Prayer ( ar, صلاة المغرب ', "sunset prayer") is one of the five mandatory salah (Islamic prayer). As an Islamic day starts at sunset, the Maghrib prayer is technically the first prayer of the day. If counted from midn ...

and a shortened

Isha prayer The Isha prayer ( ar, صلاة العشاء ', "night prayer") is one of the five mandatory salah (Islamic prayer). As an Islamic day starts at sunset, the Isha prayer is technically the second prayer of the day. If counted from midnight, it is t ...

and for a short rest. The level area surrounding the hill is called the Plain of Arafat. The term Mount Arafat is sometimes applied to this entire area. It is an important place in Islam because, during the Hajj, pilgrims spend the afternoon there on the ninth day of

. Failure to be present in the plain of Arafat on the required day invalidates the pilgrimage. Since late 2010, this place is served by

Mecca Metro The Mecca Metro or Makkah Metro is a metro system with four planned lines in the city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The Metro was constructed by China Railway Construction Corporation and is run by Mecca Mass Rail Transit Company (MMRTC). The metro form ...

. On a normal Hajj, it would be around to walk. File:Arafat pilgrims.jpg, Pilgrims supplicating File:Masjid Namirah - panoramio.jpg, ( ar, مَسْجِد نَمِرَة) File:Masjid al-Namira.jpg, Sideview of the Masjid Al-Namirah File:Jabal-e-Rehmat (Mount Arafat).jpg, Pilgrims supplicating during Hajj File:Jabal-e-Rehmat (Mount of Mercy) Mount Arafat.jpg, Entrance of Jabal-e-Rehmat (Mount Arafat) File:Jabal-e-Rehmat (Mount of Mercy).jpg, Pilgrims File:Jabal-e-Rehmat Mount of Mercy Mount Arafat.jpg, Jabal-e-Rehmat File:Jabal-e-Rehmat.jpg, File:Jabal-e-Rehmat (Mount of Mercy Mount Arafat).jpg,

In literature

The hill is referenced in James Joyce's novel '' Finnegans Wake''.

References

External links

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Muslim pilgrims gather at Mount Arafat for Hajj's key moment
( YouTube)
Muslim pilgrims scale Mount Arafat for peak of hajj

Millions Of Muslim Pilgrims Gather At Mount Arafat To Mark Pinnacle Of Hajj , TIME

اكثر من 2 مليون حاج يصعدون إلى جبل عرفات 1433 هـ
(in Arabic) {{Authority control Arafat Geography of Mecca Hajj

Geology and radiology

Hajj

In literature

See also

References

External links