Is it permissible to go to 'Arafah on days other than the days of Hajj for supplication?

Question:
May Allah reward you, Your Eminence, father. This questioner asks: What is the ruling on going to 'Arafah on days other than the days of Hajj for supplication?

Answer:
There is no basis for this; it is a bid'ah (religious innovation). Do they go to 'Arafah, or do they go to Mount al-Nur, or do they go to the Cave of Thawr? All of this is a waste, an innovation, and a loss. If they had stayed in the Sacred Mosque, praying, performing tawaf, and remembering Allah, that would have been better for them than this waste, spending of money, and fatigue in something other than the obedience of Allah the Exalted.