Tuesday, May 26, 2026, will mark the 9th day of the month of Dhul-Hijjah, corresponding to the Day of Arafat, the eve of Eid al-Adha (the Day of Sacrifice). The Day of Arafat is the culmination of the first ten days of this month, which are considered the most spiritually significant days of the year. Arafat is simultaneously a place (Mount Arafat), a day (the Day of Arafat), and a time (until sunset): three sacred dimensions united. It was also during this time that this pivotal verse of the Quran was revealed: “…This day I have perfected for you your religion and completed My favor upon you and have approved for you Islam as religion” (Surah 5, verse 3).

The sanctity of the Day of Arafat is also linked to the creation of humankind. It is reported in a hadith from the Musnad of Imam Ahmad that Ibn ʿAbbās said that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) declared that Allah (SWT) extracted from the loins of Adam, on the plain of Arafat, all the human souls and said to them: “And when your Lord brought forth from the loins of the children of Adam their offspring and made them bear witness against themselves, [saying], ‘Am I not your Lord?’ They said, ‘Yes, we bear witness…’” (Surah 7, Al-Arāf, verse 172).

What is the special significance of the Day of Arafat for a Muslim? Two answers emerge:

1. For the person fasting, it is a forgiveness of the sins of the past year and the coming year;
2. For the pilgrim, standing at Mount Arafat on that day is a sine qua non condition for the validity of the pilgrimage.

The authentic hadith narrated by Aisha bint Abi Bakr in Sahih Muslim says: “There is no day on which Allah frees more servants from the Fire than the Day of Arafat. Indeed, He draws near, then He boasts of them to the angels and says: ‘What do these people want?’”

A longer version, reported in other collections with similar wording, adds that Allah said to the angels, looking at the pilgrims: "Look at My servants. They have come to Me disheveled and covered in dust..." And in some accounts: "I call you to witness that I have forgiven them."

In conclusion : Al-Arafat Tawbah

We have seen that Surah 7, Al-A'raf, in verse 172, symbolically marks the creation of human souls in connection with the Day of Arafat. Another similarity appears: like Mount Arafat, Al-A'raf is a height separating Paradise from Hell. On the Day of Judgment, like the pilgrims gathered on Mount Arafat, some people will stand on Al-A'raf before ultimately being forgiven, as indicated in verses 46 to 49 of Surah 7, Al-A'raf: "And between the two [of them] will be a barrier, and on Al-A'raf will be people, each of them recognizing by his [specific] marks..."

These verses describe men placed between Paradise and Hell, hoping for divine mercy before being admitted to Paradise. Therefore, Al-Arāf – At Tawbah (Al-ArāfAt Tawbah).

Thus, being present on these "sacred mountains," both in this life and the hereafter, becomes a symbol of repentance and forgiveness: At-Tawbah, the name of Surah 9 of the Quran. In this sense, Surah 7, Al-Araf, like Mount Arafat, symbolically leads to Surah 9, At-Tawbah: this is the 7.9 axis.

Al-Araf and Arafat refer to a time of day (daytime). Now, the symmetry of day is night. Hence the numerical symmetry 79/97 appears, with Surah 97, Al-Qadr: "And what will make you know what the Night of Decree is? The Night of Decree is better than a thousand months."

The Night of Power (Laylat al-Qadr) is the night the Quran was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) while he was on Mount Jabal al-Nur. This night is the best of the last ten nights of Ramadan, which are considered the ten best nights of the year. It, too, is associated with forgiveness and mercy for those who spend it in prayer. Thus, the symbolic coordinates of the axis of Tawbah (repentance) in the Quran are: 7997.

Here we have a meditation on symbolic coherence:

1. One day, on earth, as a reward for the effort towards spiritual elevation (symbolized by Mount Arafat)
2. One night on earth, as a reward for the effort towards spiritual elevation (symbolized by Mount Jabal Al-Nour)
3. One Day, the Day of Resurrection, as a reward for constant effort towards spiritual elevation (symbolized by Mount al-Araf)

Finally, it is noteworthy that this number is a palindrome, meaning it reads the same forwards and backwards (symmetrical). It is also a multiple of two palindromic prime numbers: 11 and 727.

May Allah (SWT) assist us in achieving successful spiritual elevation during these ten days that are beginning.

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