The general intention to perform pilgrimage includes all the individual aspects of pilgrimage which includes the ‘staying at ‘Arafah’. ‘Urwah ibn Mudarris (may Allaah’s Pleasure be upon him) who came from the Mountains of Tayyiee, stopped at all the mountains as well as the ‘Arafah because he did not know which one was ‘Arafah. The Prophet ﷺ addressed him saying,
“Whoever prayed with us this prayer at this place, and then stopped with us, and stopped at ‘Arafah before this, a day or night, then he has completed his pilgrimage.”
(Abu Daawood, 1950, Nasaa’ee, 3039)
‘Urwah ibn Mudarris prayed with the Prophet ﷺ and he asked him, and he did not say ‘I stopped at ‘Arafah a day or night.’ The Prophet ﷺ stipulated for him the period to stop at ‘Arafah. Thus, whenever ‘Urwah passed by ‘Arafah at any moment during the stipulated time, night or day, then his pilgrimage was complete, although he did not know and later knew that it was ‘Arafah and prayed with the Prophet ﷺ this prayer.