What is the reward for fasting the day of Arafah?

The narration

Abu Qatadah رضي الله عنه reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:

"Fasting the day of Arafah — I anticipate that Allah will expiate the year that came before it and the year that comes after it."— Jami' at-Tirmidhi 749, from Abu Qatadah

How authentic it is

Al-Tirmidhi graded this narration hasan, and al-Harari's commentary on Sunan Ibn Majah records its chain as sahih — its narrators are all trustworthy and precise. The two gradings do not conflict: a hasan narration is one whose chain is sound enough to act upon, and this one is strengthened further because Muslim also transmitted it in his Sahih. So the reward it promises is established, not merely reported.

The same meaning comes through a second chain from Abu Sa'id al-Khudri, which al-Busiri notes is weak in itself due to Ishaq ibn Abdullah ibn Abi Farwah, but which is supported by the narration of Abu Qatadah in Sahih Muslim and elsewhere. The weakness of one path does not weaken the ruling, because the authentic path stands independently.

What the expiation covers

The scholars are careful here, and this is where most confusion arises. Al-Harari's commentary explains that "expiate" means forgiveness of the minor sins of those two years. It then cites Imam al-Haramayn and Qadi 'Iyad:

"The expiation is for minor sins. This is the position of Ahl al-Sunnah wa'l-Jama'ah. As for major sins, nothing expiates them except repentance, or the mercy and grace of Allah."— quoted in al-Harari's commentary on Sunan Ibn Majah

Shaykh Ibn Baz (fatwa 7561) states the same condition plainly: the reward is great, but it comes with the condition of avoiding major sins, as other narrations make clear. Asked directly whether fasting Arafah expiates major sins (fatwa 14260), he answered that the apparent meaning of the Sunnah is that it covers minor sins — just as the five prayers, Friday to Friday, and Ramadan to Ramadan are expiation for what lies between them when major sins are avoided.

So the honest answer is: two years of minor sins, and for major sins, repentance. If a person has no minor sins to be expiated, al-Nawawi notes the reward is not wasted — it may lighten major sins, or raise the person's ranks.

Why it outranks Ashura

Fasting Arafah expiates two years; fasting Ashura expiates one. IslamWeb (fatwa 15873) cites Ibn Hajar in Fath al-Bari on the wisdom behind this: Ashura is connected to Musa عليه السلام, while Arafah is connected to the Prophet ﷺ, and that is why it is superior.

Who should not fast it

The day is recommended for everyone except the pilgrim at Arafah. Al-Tirmidhi notes that the people of knowledge recommended fasting it "except at Arafah." Imam al-Shafi'i, in al-Umm, said he prefers that the pilgrim break the fast, because he is a traveller engaged in supplication, because the Prophet ﷺ did not fast it during Hajj, and so that he has strength for du'a — and the best du'a is on the day of Arafah.

This is what Umm al-Fadl رضي الله عنها reported: people disputed whether the Prophet ﷺ was fasting on Arafah, so she sent him a vessel of milk while he was standing, and he drank (Sahih al-Bukhari 5604). Ibn Abd al-Barr, in al-Istidhkar, concludes from this that breaking the fast at Arafah is better, in following the Prophet ﷺ and for strength in supplication.

The intention

IslamWeb (fatwa 143571) clarifies that no special advance intention is required beyond what any voluntary fast requires — the intention at night is sufficient, and the reward of that day's fast is obtained. The Hanbalis, as cited from Kashshaf al-Qina', even permit a voluntary fast to be valid with an intention made during the day before or after noon, though they hold the reward runs from the time of the intention. The Shafi'is, on the stronger view they settled on, hold the full day's reward is obtained.

One practical point: al-Shanqiti was asked about someone who fasts Arafah intending to make up a Ramadan day rather than intending Arafah itself. He notes that some scholars hold the expiation is only attained by intending the day of Arafah specifically, and advises intending Arafah for its own sake and making up the Ramadan day separately.

Key takeaways

• Fasting Arafah expiates two years — the year before and the year after — as the Prophet ﷺ stated in Jami' at-Tirmidhi 749, graded hasan and confirmed sahih in its chain.
• The expiation is for minor sins. Major sins require repentance; this is the position of Ahl al-Sunnah as stated by Qadi 'Iyad and affirmed by Shaykh Ibn Baz.
• The pilgrim at Arafah should not fast it. The Sunnah for him is to break the fast, following the Prophet ﷺ and to have strength for du'a.
• It outranks Ashura, which expiates one year, because Arafah is connected to the Prophet ﷺ.
• No special intention is needed beyond the night intention of any voluntary fast — though intending Arafah itself is what the scholars say secures its reward.

Further reading

• Sahih Muslim, Book of Fasting — the narration of Abu Qatadah
• Ibn Hajar, Fath al-Bari — on the superiority of Arafah over Ashura
• Ibn Abd al-Barr, al-Istidhkar — the chapter on fasting the day of Arafah

And Allah knows best.