بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
*There are tons of reasons why you wouldn’t want to pass up this opportunity. Do you know which one? The first ten days of Dhu’l-Ḥijjah.
It’s that time of the year again, the last month of the lunar calendar for the year 1433 after the Hijrah of the Prophet Muḥammad, ṣallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam. This is the time when more than two million people from all around the globe will be meeting together for at least five days in the plains of Makkah, Mina, ‘Arafah and Muzdalifah to perform their sacred journey to Makkah, known to us as al-Hajj, the pilgrimage. What bonds them together? One thing: al-Islam
The excellence of these ten days have been mentioned in the Qur'an and the Sunnah*
1. Allah says in the Qur'an:
"By the dawn and by the ten nights … " [Al-Qur'an 89:1-2]
وَالْفَجْرِ ﴿89:1﴾89:1) By the dawn,
وَلَيَالٍ عَشْرٍ ﴿89:2) and the ten nights
2. *The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
"There are no deeds as excellent as those done in these ten days." They (the companions listening) said, "Not even Jihad?" He, peace be upon him, said, "No, not even Jihad except a man who goes forth endangering his life and wealth and does not return with anything." [Recorded by Imam al-Bukhari]*
عن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: (ما من أيام العمل الصالح فيها أحب إلى الله من هذه الأيام ـ يعني أيام العشر ـ قالوا: يا رسول الله، ولا الجهاد في سبيل الله؟ قال: ولا الجهاد في سبيل الله، إلا رجل خرج بنفسه وماله ثم لم يرجع من ذلك بشيء) [رواه البخاري].
3-Remember God during the stated days; but if a person comes away after two days, it will not be a sin; and if one tarries, he will not transgress, if he keep away from .
۞ وَاذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ فِي أَيَّامٍ مَّعْدُودَاتٍ ۚ فَمَن تَعَجَّلَ فِي يَوْمَيْنِ فَلَا إِثْمَ عَلَيْهِ وَمَن تَأَخَّرَ فَلَا إِثْمَ عَلَيْهِ ۚ لِمَنِ اتَّقَىٰ ۗ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّكُمْ إِلَيْهِ تُحْشَرُونَ
4-The ten days of Dhu’l-Ḥijjah also host the greatest day of the year, Yum-an-Nahr the day of the sacrifice, the 10th which is the actual day of ‘Id. The Messenger of Allah said:
(إنَّ أَعْظَمَ اْلأيَّامِ عِنْدَ الله تبارك وتعالى يَوْمُ النَّحْرِ ثُمَّ يَوْمُ الْقَرِّ)
“The best day with Allah is yum-an-Nahr, the day of sacrifice and then yum-al-qarr (the day that follows, when the pilgrims reside in the camps of Mina for worship).” (Ahmad, Abu Dawood and an-Nasa’iee).
Among the good deeds which the Muslim should strive to do during the first ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah are:
*1-Fasting. It is Sunnah to fast on the ninth day of Dhu’l-Hijjah, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) urged us to do good deeds during this time, and fasting is one of the best of deeds.
فقال سبحانه في الحديث القدسي: { كل عمل ابن آدم له إلا الصوم فإنه لي وأنا أجزي به } [متفق عليه].
وقد خص النبي صيام يوم عرفة من بين أيام عشر ذي الحجة بمزيد عناية، وبيّن فضل صيامه فقال: { صيام يوم عرفة احتسب على الله أن يكفر السنة التي قبله والتي بعده } [رواه مسلم].
وعليه فيسن للمسلم أن يصوم تسع ذي الحجة؛ لأن النبي حث على العمل الصالح فيها. وقد ذهب إلى استحباب صيام العشر الإمام النووي وقال: صيامها مستحب استحباباً شديداً
2-Takbeer. It is Sunnah to say Takbeer ("Allahu akbar"), Tahmeed ("Al-hamdu Lillaah"), Tahleel ("La ilaha ill-Allah") and Tasbeeh ("Subhaan Allah") during the first ten days of Dhu’l-Hijjah
فعن ابن عمر رضي الله عنهما عن النبي قال: { ما من أيام أعظم عند الله ولا أحب إليه العمل فيهن من هذه الأيام العشر، فأكثروا فيهن من التهليل والتكبير والتحميد } [رواه أحمد].
3-Doing more good deeds in general, because good deeds are beloved by Allah and will bring a great reward from Him. Whoever is not able to go to Hajj should occupy himself at this blessed time by worshipping Allah, praying (salaat), reading Qur’an, remembering Allah, making supplication (du’aa’), giving charity, honoring his parents, upholding the ties of kinship, enjoining what is good and forbidding what is evil, and other good deeds and acts of worship.
قال النبي فيما يرويه عن ربّه: { وما يزال عبدي يتقرب إليّ بالنوافل حتى أحبه } [رواه البخاري].
4-Sacrifice. One of the good deeds that will bring a person closer to Allah during these ten days is offering a sacrifice, by choosing a high-quality animal and fattening it, spending money for the sake of Allah.
5-Sincere repentance. One of the most important things to do during these ten days is to repent sincerely to Allah and to give up all kinds of disobedience and sin.
Repentance means coming back to Allah and foregoing all the deeds, open and secret, that He dislikes, out of regret for what has passed, giving it up immediately and being determined never to return to it, but to adhere firmly to the Truth by doing what Allah loves.
يقول تعالى: وَتُوبُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ جَمِيعاً أَيُّهَا الْمُؤْمِنُونَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُفْلِحُونَ [النور:31].
6-Increase your level of worship during the day and during the night.
7-Try to achieve one khatma of the Qur’an (reading it from cover to cover).
8-Keep your tongue moist with dhikr and praise of Allah wherever you are.
9-If you haven’t paid for the qurban (sacrificial animal) yet, make sure to do so. Perhaps you should donate one to those who are most in need of it in areas such as Pakistan and Gaza.
10-Wake up before Fajr time and pray Qiyam-ul-Layl.
11-Pray your Fardh salat on time.
12-Make sure you don’t miss any of the Nafl and Sunnah prayers.
13-Give charity and help those who are less fortunate prepare for the Eid day.
14-Share the spirit of the season and be cheerful with all people.*
There is much to be gained, so make the most of the opportunity afforded by these invaluable and irreplaceable ten days. Hasten to do good works, before death strikes, before one can regret one’s negligence and failure to act, before one is asked to return to a place where no prayers will be answered, before death intervenes between the hopeful one and the things he hopes for, before you are trapped with your deeds in the grave.
Remember, there are two chances in life: the one you already missed, and the one you don’t want to miss. So don’t miss out on the ten days of Dhu’l-Ḥijjah.
وصلى الله على نبينا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه وسلم
