If the Day of 'Arafah coincides with Friday, does it have a special merit?

Question : Honorable Shaykh, may Allah preserve you. The sister calling in on the line asks: If the Day of 'Arafah coincides with Friday, does it have a special merit over other days?

Answer : Yes, it has a special merit. This is because Friday is the first day of the week on which the sun rises, and the Day of 'Arafah is the best day of the year on which the sun rises. So one should avoid [sins] on this day, for it has two merits: the merit of the Day of 'Arafah and the merit of Friday. This is especially so according to the view of those who hold that the hour of response on Friday is at the end of the day. However, what has become widespread among the common people—that it is equivalent to seventy, eighty, or fewer or more pilgrimages—is incorrect and not authentic. But the day is noble, and its nobility increases if it coincides with Friday.