By: Seyyed Ali Shahbaz
     "I am leaving behind among you the Two Weighty Things (Thaqalayn); the Book of God (holy Qur’an) and my progeny the Ahl al-Bayt. Hold fast to them and you will not go astray for the two never part with each other even when they return to me at the Fountain (of Kowthar on Judgement Day).”
     The above is the famous statement of the Messenger of Mercy, emphasized on the Day of Arafa (9th Zilhijjah) at the plain of the same name from atop Jabal ar-Rahma (Mount Mercy), as part of his memorable sermon to a huge gathering of Muslims during his Farewell Hajj pilgrimage in 10 AH.
       Known as Hadith Thaqalayn, it is found in the authoritative books of all Muslim denominations, whether Sunni or Shi’a.
       But did the Muslims heed the words of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA)?
       Alas, they didn’t, otherwise the Ummah would not have so hopelessly divided into sects today.
        These are the points to be pondered upon by the faithful on the occasion of the blessed day of Arafa as well as the auspicious day of Eid al-Adha that follows it.
        We earnestly pray to the Lord Most High that the Hajj rituals pass peacefully, without any untoward incident by the Saudis, who ever since their illegal seizure of Hijaz, the Land of Divine Revelation, in 1925, have not hesitated to commit the most horrible crimes against the Guests of God.
       Two years back they indulged in one of the worst mayhems at Mena where over seven thousand pilgrims, including five hundred Iranian men and women, lost their life because of mismanagement on a massive scale by the Saudis.
       Muslims worldwide have raised their voices for ending of the Wahhabi stranglehold on the Islam’s two holiest cities, and their governance by an international Islamic body representing the world’s Muslims of various schools of jurisprudence.  
       We ought to contemplate on these points while praying and supplicating to God Almighty on the Day of Arafa, and participating in the special Eid al-Adha ritual prayer the next day.
      We ought to instill in ourselves these days the proper cognizance of God Almighty, as the Prophets had done, and as the Last and Greatest Messenger had taught.
       Arafa is not any ordinary day. It is the day on which God the All-Merciful had accepted the repentance of the Father of the human race, Adam, after his expulsion from the Garden of Eden and separation from his wife, Eve, for having eaten the fruit that had been forbidden to them as a divine test.
       Arafa is the day which Prophet Abraham, on God’s commandment, institutionalized it as part of the Hajj rituals, while achieving the complete cognizance of the One and Only Creator to whom he had been obedient since childhood by passing all divine tests, including his unscathed emergence from the huge fire into which he was flung by the tyrant Nimrod; his subsequent expulsion from his homeland Mesopotamia; his settling in Canaan or modern Palestine; his leaving of his second wife Hajar and his firstborn child, Ishmael, in the wilderness of Mecca; and last but not the least, his sacrifice of the youth Ishmael which was miraculously substituted with a ram sent from heaven by the Almighty.
       Arafa is also the day on which Prophet Mohammad (SAWA) while stressing the significance of the Thaqalayn, emphasized the equality of all mankind, irrespective of the superficial differences of ethnicity, languages spoken, colour of skin, and place of birth.
       The Prophet of Peace did not leave Muslims in the dark. He specified by name his divinely-designated successors, of whom the first was his cousin and son-in-law, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS), who was proclaimed by him on God’s express orders at Ghadir-Khom, exactly nine days after Arafa, with those immortal words: "For whomsoever I am Master, this Ali is his Master.”
        The 12th and the Last of the Prophet’s Infallible Heirs, is Imam Mahdi (AS) who will reappear in the end times to end tyranny on Planet Earth by establishing the global government of peace, prosperity and justice.
        Since Arafa is the day for proper cognition of the One and Only Creator, the faithful, whether on the plain of Arafat for the Hajj rituals or in their own towns and cities, observe the rituals of this day, especially recitation of the famous supplication taught by the Prophet’s grandson Imam Husain (AS), whose holy shrine in Karbala is the rendezvous every year on the 9th of Zilhijah of devotees from all over the world.
       It is the day regarding which the Survivor of the tragedy of Karbala, Imam Zain al-Abedin (AS), says in part of his supplication:
       "O Allah! This is the Day of Arafa, a Day which You have made noble, bestowed honour and magnified. Within it You have spread Your mercy, showed kindness through Your pardon, made plentiful Your grants, and by it You have been bounteous towards your servants.”
       Arafa is also the day on which in the year 60 AH, Muslim ibn Aqeel, the emissary of Imam Husain (AS) to the people of Iraq, was tragically martyred in Kufa by Obeidollah ibn Ziyad the tyrannical governor of the accursed Yazid. The believers, wherever they are, hold mourning ceremonies for this martyr.
       While felicitating you all on the threshold of Eid al-Adha, let us reflect on a passage from the famous supplication of Imam Hussain (AS) for this day:
       "You are verily Originator and Reproducer (of the creation) and worthy of all praise and full of all glory. Holy be Your Names as Your bounties are so immeasurable. Which of Your favors, O my God, can I count in numbers and examples? Or which of Your gifts can I thank properly?
      "They are, O my Lord, too numerous to be counted by counters or to be realized by memorizers. Moreover, that which You have warded off and repelled.”