Visit ArabiaMount ʿArafat and Jabal al-Rahma
ʿArafat is a wide plain east of Makkah. In its middle stands a small hill of black rocks topped by a white pillar: this is the hill many people call Jabal al-Rahma, "the Mount of Mercy". Every year, on 9 Dhu al-Hijja, millions of pilgrims stand on this plain and call upon Allah. Here is what you need to know, with sources.
Where is ʿArafat?
- Distance: about twenty kilometres from Makkah. Wikipedia gives about 20 km southeast, Saudipedia about 22 km east.
- Outside the Haram: ʿArafat is the only Hajj ritual site located outside the boundaries of the sacred precinct. Mina and Muzdalifa are inside it.
- The hill: Jabal al-Rahma rises about 65 to 70 metres above the plain. It is made of large black rocks. A white pillar marks the top, and a staircase leads up.
- Namira Mosque: it stands on the edge of the plain, at the place linked to the Prophet's ﷺ sermon. Its front part lies outside ʿArafat (the valley of ʿUrana), its rear part lies inside ʿArafat. Signs inside the mosque show the boundary.
- The name does not come from the Qur'an or from any known hadith. Shaykh Ibn ʿUthaymin said: "I know of no basis in the Sunnah for this name." He advised saying instead "the mount of ʿArafa" or "the mount near which the Prophet ﷺ stood".
- In his view, those who used the name were probably thinking of the mercy and forgiveness Allah grants the pilgrims on that day.
- The hill has other names: Saudipedia lists Jabal al-Qurayn, Jabal al-Duʿaʾ, Jabal al-Al and Jabal al-Tawba.
- You will often hear that Adam and Hawwaʾ met again here. The story is widespread, but it rests on no established text.
- Climbing is not a ritual. The Prophet ﷺ stood below, near the rocks. The Saudi Permanent Committee of scholars (Fatawa al-Lajna al-Daʾima 11/206-208) and Ibn ʿUthaymin (Majmuʿ al-Fatawa 23/32) explain that climbing the hill carries no special merit. Treating it as a ritual, or seeking a special prayer spot on it, is an innovation in their view, a position also attributed to al-Nawawi and Ibn Taymiyya.
- On the day of ʿArafa, stay where you are. The whole of ʿArafa is a place of standing. There is no need to risk the crowds to get near the hill.
- Respect the place. No text gives any merit to writing on the pillar, touching the rocks for blessing or leaving objects there.
- If you climb as a visitor: closed shoes, water, and care on the rocks.
- Getting there: by taxi or ride-hailing app from Makkah. Allow about 30 minutes by road outside traffic (an estimate, depending on where you start). Plan your return trip: taxis are scarcer on site (check locally). Many visitors join an organised tour combining Mina, Muzdalifa and ʿArafat.
- Best time: early morning. The plain has almost no shade and the heat is intense for much of the year.
- During Hajj season: access to Makkah is limited to permit holders. In 2026, restrictions began on 13 April (25 Shawwal 1447) and ʿUmrah visa holders had to leave the country by 18 April. Dates change every year: check official announcements before you travel.
Why ʿArafat is the heart of Hajj
"Hajj is ʿArafa"
ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn Yaʿmar reported that people from Najd came to question the Prophet ﷺ while he was at ʿArafa. He had it announced: "Hajj is ʿArafa. Whoever arrives on the night of Jamʿ (Muzdalifa) before dawn has caught the Hajj." (Jamiʿ al-Tirmidhi 889, Sunan Abi Dawud 1949, Sunan al-Nasaʾi 3016, Sunan Ibn Majah 3015, authentic hadith)
The standing at ʿArafat, the wuquf, on 9 Dhu al-Hijja, is the central pillar of Hajj. Whoever misses it has not performed Hajj.
Where did the Prophet ﷺ stand?
The long hadith of Jabir ibn ʿAbd Allah describes the Farewell Hajj (Sahih Muslim 1218). The Prophet ﷺ had a tent pitched at Namira. After the sun passed its zenith, he gave his sermon at the bottom of the valley, then prayed dhuhr and ʿasr together. He then rode to the place of standing: he turned his camel al-Qaswaʾ towards the rocks, faced the qibla and remained standing until sunset.
In another narration of the same account, he said: "I stood here, and the whole of ʿArafa is a place of standing." (Sahih Muslim 1218)
The Farewell Sermon
It was at ʿArafa, on that day, that the Prophet ﷺ gave his great sermon: "Your blood and your property are sacred to you, as sacred as this day of yours, in this month of yours, in this town of yours." He urged kindness towards women and said: "I have left among you something which, if you hold fast to it, you will never go astray: the Book of Allah." (Sahih Muslim 1218)
Where does the name "Jabal al-Rahma" come from?
What to know before climbing
Visiting ʿArafat outside Hajj
In Makkah for ʿUmrah and want to see ʿArafat? You can, but know that this visit is not part of ʿUmrah and is not an act of worship in itself. It is a visit to understand and remember.