and if he had stood at the lower end of Arafah, on the side facing Mecca, he would have departed before the people. This was part of his humility, peace and blessings be upon him, and his excellent leadership.

He stood there and said: “I have stood here, but all of Arafah is a place for standing.” (1) It was as though he, peace and blessings be upon him, was indicating to the Ummah that they should not burden themselves with standing at the very spot where the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, had stood. Rather, each person should remain in his own place, so that crowding and harm do not occur, causing people to harm one another.

His words, “All of it is a place for standing, except the valley of Uranah,” mean that all of Arafah is a valid place for standing. Arafat is well known and has established boundaries, which the earlier scholars discussed. After careful investigation and precise determination, the Saudi government—may Allah grant it success—set up markers for its boundaries. In recent years, when people increasingly violated the requirements of the standing and stood outside the boundaries of Arafah, it made the markers clear, conspicuous, and large.

His words, “All of it is a place for standing, except the valley of Uranah,” are supported by the Prophet’s saying, peace and blessings be upon him: “All of Arafah is a place for standing; keep away from the valley of Uranah.” (2)