Short answer
If you are not at Arafah for even a moment between midday on 9 Dhul Hijjah and dawn on the 10th, you have missed Hajj that year. In the Hanafi school you leave ihram by doing an umrah and make up the Hajj later. Leaving Arafah before sunset after standing in the day requires a dam.
Wuquf (standing) at Arafah is the greatest pillar of Hajj. Being anywhere in Arafah for a moment in its time is enough, even asleep or unaware. Staying until sunset is wajib for one who stood in the day. One who misses it leaves ihram with the acts of umrah, owes no dam for missing it, and must make up the Hajj.
Other madhhabs
- Hanbali
- The time starts at dawn on the 9th, not at midday, and one who misses Hajj owes a sacrifice as well as making it up.
- Maliki
- The pillar is being at Arafah for part of the night after sunset; the day part is wajib.
- Shafi'i
- One who misses Hajj leaves ihram by umrah's acts, owes a sacrifice and makes it up.
Explanation
The Prophet ﷺ said: "Hajj is Arafah." Whoever reaches Arafah before dawn on the day of sacrifice has caught the Hajj. He also said that whoever prayed Fajr with them at Muzdalifah, having stood at Arafah before that by night or day, has completed his Hajj.
- The time: from midday (zawal) on the 9th until true dawn on the 10th.
- What counts: being inside the boundaries, standing, sitting, in a tent or a bus, even asleep or unconscious, and even for a woman on her period. Wadi Uranah, next to Masjid Namirah, is outside it, so check the signs.
- Leaving early: if you stood in the day, stay until after sunset. Leaving before sunset requires a dam, unless you come back before sunset.
- Arrived only at night: a moment before dawn is enough and no dam is owed.
Missed it completely: the Hajj is gone for this year. In the Hanafi school you do tawaf and sa'i, shave, and so leave ihram, and you perform Hajj in a later year. Every other rite can be repaired by a dam; Arafah cannot. For the day's sunnahs and duas see the Day of Arafah.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Baqara 2:198
لَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُنَاحٌ أَن تَبْتَغُوا۟ فَضْلًۭا مِّن رَّبِّكُمْ ۚ فَإِذَآ أَفَضْتُم مِّنْ عَرَفَٰتٍۢ فَٱذْكُرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ عِندَ ٱلْمَشْعَرِ ٱلْحَرَامِ ۖ وَٱذْكُرُوهُ كَمَا هَدَىٰكُمْ وَإِن كُنتُم مِّن قَبْلِهِۦ لَمِنَ ٱلضَّآلِّينَ ﴿١٩٨﴾
There is no blame upon you for seeking bounty from your Lord [during Hajj]. But when you depart from 'Arafat, remember Allah at al- Mash'ar al-Haram. And remember Him, as He has guided you, for indeed, you were before that among those astray.
Arafah is the central station of Hajj.
Jami' at-Tirmidhi 889
Grading to be checked... الحج عرفة من جاء ليلة جمع قبل طلوع الفجر فقد أدرك الحج ...
"Hajj is Arafah. Whoever comes on the night of Muzdalifah before dawn has caught the Hajj."
Missing Arafah means missing Hajj.
Jami' at-Tirmidhi 891
Grading to be checked... من شهد صلاتنا هذه ووقف معنا حتى ندفع ...
"Whoever attends this prayer of ours and stays with us until we depart, having stood at Arafah before by night or by day, has completed his Hajj."
A moment at Arafah, by day or night, is enough.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Hajj, bab al-ihram, on the standing at Arafah. Its time, and that presence in any state counts.
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Hajj, bab al-fawat. One who misses Hajj leaves ihram by umrah, makes it up, and owes no dam.
- al-Mughni (Ibn Qudama), Kitab al-Hajj, on the standing at Arafah. The Hanbali view that the time begins at dawn.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.