Standing at 'Arafah.

The Shaykh : All right. We are discussing the standing at 'Arafah: Is going to Namirah and staying there until the sun passes its zenith obligatory or a recommended practice?
Answer: It is a recommended practice, not obligatory, based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): And Namirah is not part of 'Arafah. All right. How long does the standing at 'Arafah last? Until the setting of the sun. It is not permissible for anyone to leave the boundaries of 'Arafah before the sun sets, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) stood until the sun set and said: If a person departs before the sun sets, he would resemble the practice of the polytheists rather than the practice of the Master of the Messengers. Listen, O man. If you depart from 'Arafah before the sun sets, you have agreed with the practice of the polytheists rather than the practice of the Master of the Messengers. How is that? Because when the polytheists saw the sun over the tops of the mountains, like turbans on the heads of men, they departed from 'Arafah. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) differed from them and delayed until the sun set. All right. Do the people at 'Arafah face the qiblah when making du'a, or do they face the mountain? Answer: They face the qiblah. The mountain has no sanctity in itself. For this reason, it is not prescribed to climb it, to rub against it, or to stand on its peak. It is an ordinary mountain. So in which direction does one face when making du'a? To? To the qiblah. And does a person stand while making du'a, or does he make du'a while sitting? We say: He makes du'a while sitting. If he feels tired and stands to rest and makes du'a while standing, there is no blame on him. And is it better to make du'a while riding in the car, or to make du'a in an empty place where he converses with his Lord?
Answer: The second option, because riding in the car, when people ride, may cause some to disturb others and some to be distracted by others. So if a person moves to an empty place and makes du'a to Allah, that is more devout for him. But with what does he make du'a, O my brothers? With what does he make du'a? What is the answer? The answer is up to you: with what does he make du'a? If he knows something from the Sunnah regarding this, let him make du'a with it; otherwise, he makes du'a with whatever he loves. And it is known that if the time spent in du'a is long, boredom will set in. But praise be to Allah, the matter is broad. Take the Book of the Mighty Allah and read in it with reflection. Whenever a verse of mercy passes you, ask; or a verse of warning, seek refuge; or a verse of glorification, glorify. And if you continue with the Qur'an in this manner, you will not be bored until the sun sets.
And here I warn our brothers to be careful about the boundaries of 'Arafah, because some pilgrims—may Allah guide us and them—descend before reaching 'Arafah and stay there. So when the sun sets, they depart. Did you not know that these people have no Hajj? Answer: Yes. They have no Hajj, because they did not stand at 'Arafah. Yes, if it were assumed that 'Arafah was narrow and they descended there outside the boundaries, then when the sun passed its zenith, they went to 'Arafah and stayed there until sunset, or they went to 'Arafah after 'Asr and stayed until sunset, then there is nothing wrong with that.