Making an “Arafa” on the Night of Mid-Sha‘ban

Question

If a person has passed away, then [his relatives] make an “arafa” (a memorial feast) one day before the night of mid-Sha‘ban (Laylat al-Bara’a); what is the reward for this according to the Sacred Law? An answer to all three matters, with proofs, is required. Explain, and be rewarded. Note: those who make an “arafa”, or who give food on the occasion of the night of mid-Sha‘ban during the day itself, before maghrib, do so merely out of the consideration that the poor, owing to the abundance of food on that day,…

Answer

‘Arafa falls on the ninth of Dhu l-Hijja; it does not occur in Sha‘ban. The meaning of an “arafa” one day before the night of mid-Sha‘ban after someone’s death is not understood — how does he make an arafa? The answer to the note has already been given above.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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