What is the minimum requirement for standing at 'Arafah?

The Shaykh: Yes.
Al-Huwayni: What is the minimum requirement for standing at 'Arafah in terms of the beginning and end of the day, and likewise the duration of the standing?

The Shaykh : The hadith on this matter is explicit, namely his saying (peace be upon him): . It also came in an authentic hadith where the Messenger (peace be upon him) was speaking it while in Muzdalifah, saying: . So, one hour of night or day. However, we do not think it is permissible for the pilgrim to intentionally deviate from the practical Sunnah. As you all know, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) only ascended to 'Arafah after he had prayed the Zuhr and 'Asr prayers combined as an advance prayer at the Musjid of Namirah, which is not part of 'Arafah. After that, he ascended to 'Arafah and remained there until the sun set. So, we do not think a Muslim should intentionally deviate from this Sunnah as long as he is able to do so and finds a way to it. But this is regarding the completion of the Sunnah at least, or the performance of the obligatory duty required by the generality of the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) saying: . So, if he does not spend the latter half of the day after Zuhr in 'Arafah, he is either neglecting the Sunnah or leaving the obligatory duty. As for his Hajj, it is valid, as he (peace be upon him) said: . So, his Hajj is valid, but if he stands for one hour of night or day, he deviates from the practical Sunnah, which may be among the obligatory duties. Yes.

Another questioner : Can the hadith of 'Urwah ibn al-Muthir, which you mentioned earlier, be used as evidence for the pillar status of standing at 'Arafah? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: . So, what is the difference between standing at 'Arafah and the prayer in Muzdalifah? Can this hadith be used as evidence for the pillar status of standing in the congregation?

The Shaykh : No, the hadith is only used as evidence for the pillar status of the Fajr prayer in Muzdalifah. As for standing in Muzdalifah, or more accurately, spending the night in Muzdalifah, it is obligatory. But this obligatory duty is not completed except by performing the Fajr prayer there, because the prayer there is the pillar. The hadith is explicit in that. Yes.
Al-Huwayni: Regarding the previous issue, someone might say that if the verbal Sunnah conflicts with the practical Sunnah, the verbal Sunnah takes precedence. The verbal Sunnah in the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) saying allowed him to stand for even one hour, while the practical Sunnah was that he stood for the whole day. So, one might say the stronger position here is the verbal Sunnah. In that case, is the issue of deviation not applicable?

The Shaykh : No; this is an error in applying the correct jurisprudential rule. The correct jurisprudential rule, which we often discuss to remove some difficulties from some hadiths, is that if the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) conflicts with his action, his saying takes precedence over his action. This is in the case of conflict. And where is the conflict when the part is included in the whole? The part is one hour of the day, which is the pillar. The Messenger (peace be upon him) brought the pillar and more. So, where is the conflict here? Conflict only occurs if it is claimed from one side that the pillar is one hour of night or day, and also that the standing of the Messenger (peace be upon him) in 'Arafah from after the Zuhr prayer until sunset is a pillar. We would then say that if his saying and his action conflict, the saying takes precedence over the action. But the standing of the Messenger (peace be upon him) in 'Arafah does not establish pillar status; at most, it establishes obligation, or the status of a fard (obligatory duty) that does not require us—yes—pillar status. Because it is established in the science of usul al-fiqh (principles of jurisprudence): everything that is a pillar is a fard, and everything that is a condition is a fard, but not everything that is a fard is a pillar or a condition. No... the pillar or the condition is more emphatic than the fard. So, there is no contradiction here between his saying (peace and blessings be upon him) "one hour of night or day" and his standing (peace and blessings be upon him) from after Zuhr until sunset. There is absolutely no conflict. Therefore, applying this rule to our issue here is a jurisprudential error.