The onset of last month of Islamic Calander, Dhu'l-Hijjah, ushers in fathomless blessings from Allah to the believing men and women. The first ten days of this blessed month are mean a lot for the Muslims for Allah has promised countless blessings for the believers performing Hajj, for they leave the comfort of their homes and spend almost the entire life's savings to embark upon the journey to the holy lands to perform Hajj - the fifth pillar of Islam.
Prophet Muhammad ﷺ has indicated that the first ten days of Duh al Hijja are more blessed than Jihad. This Hadith is mentioned in Sunan Abi Dawud (Book # 8 Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat): Detailed Injunctions about Witr كتاب الصيام / Chapter # 39 Fasting the (first) ten days (of Dhul-Hijjah) / باب صِيَامِ الْعَشْرِ ) as Hadith number # 1727, quoted herein under:
حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مُعَاوِيَةَ، عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ، عَنْ مُسْلِمٍ الْبَطِينِ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ جُبَيْرٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ " مَا مِنْ أَيَّامٍ الْعَمَلُ الصَّالِحُ فِيهَا أَحَبُّ إِلَى اللَّهِ مِنْ هَذِهِ الأَيَّامِ " . يَعْنِي الْعَشْرَ . قَالُوا: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ! وَلاَ الْجِهَادُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ قَالَ: " وَلاَ الْجِهَادُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ. إِلاَّ رَجُلٌ خَرَجَ بِنَفْسِهِ وَمَالِهِ فَلَمْ يَرْجِعْ مِنْ ذَلِكَ بِشَىْءٍ " .
It was narrated from Ibn ‘Abbas that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:
“There are no days during which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these days,” meaning the (first) ten days of Dhul- Hijjah. They said: “O Messenger of Allah! Not even Jihad in the cause of Allah?” He said: “Not even Jihad in the cause of Allah, unless a man goes out with himself and his wealth and does not bring anything back.”
Grade: Sahih (Darussalam)
Those not lucky enough to proceed on Hajj should not be dismayed for their supplications and prayers are also duly accorded acceptance in court of Allah and they too are blessed. We must not let these ten days slip by without being rewarded for our good deeds and supplications. For one never knows whether these ten days will come to our lives again next year or not.
Some of the desired acts during these 10 days are listed below, which should be undertaken more religiously than any other days of the year:
- Make most sincere repentance and make a pledge not to repeat past follies again
- Do Dhikr (Remembrance of Allah).
- Fast the first nine days especially the day of Arafa.
- Recite Qur'an.
- Give more Sadaqah / charity.
- Say Takbeer repeatedly throughout the day: (اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ لَا إلَهَ إلَّا اللَّهُ وَاَللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ اللَّهُ أَكْبَرُ وَلِلَّهِ الْحَمْد) Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, La Ilaha Ilallahu Wallahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, Wa Lillahil Hamd. (Translation: Allah is the greatest, Allah is the greatest. There is no deity besides Allah, and Allah is the greatest. Allah is the greatest, and all praises are for Allah only.
- Attending Pray Eid Salah /prayer.
- Sacrifice an animal to emulate the Sunnah of Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) - an act that brings a believer closer to Allah.
Please watch an informative video on the importance of the first ten blessed days of the Dhu'l-Hijjah:
May Allāh (سبحانه و تعالى) help us understand Qur'ān and follow the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, which is embodiment of commandments of Allah contained in the Qur'ān. May Allah help us to be like the ones He loves and let our lives be lived helping others and not making others' lives miserable or unlivable. May all our wrong doings, whether intentional or unintentional, be forgiven before the angel of death knocks on our door.
وَمَا عَلَيۡنَاۤ اِلَّا الۡبَلٰغُ الۡمُبِيۡنُ
(36:17) and our duty is no more than to clearly convey the Message.”
That is Our duty is only to convey to you the message that Allah has entrusted us with. Then it is for you to accept it or reject it. We have not been made responsible for making you accept it forcibly, and if you do not accept it, we shall not be seized in consequence of your disbelief, you will yourselves be answerable for your actions on Day of Resurrection.
May Allah forgive me if my posts ever imply a piety far greater than I possess. I am most in need of guidance.
Reading the Qur'ān should be a daily obligation of a Muslim - Reading it with translation will make it meaningful. But reading its Exegesis / Tafsir will make you understand it fully. It will also help the Muslims to have grasp over social issues and their answers discussed in the Qur'an and other matter related to inter faith so that they are able to discuss issues with non-Muslims with authority based on refences from Qur'an.
Note: When we mention God in our posts, we mean One True God, we call Allah in Islam, with no associates. Allah is the Sole Creator of all things, and that Allah is all-powerful and all-knowing. Allah has no offspring, no race, no gender, no body, and is unaffected by the characteristics of human life.
Please refer to our reference page: Sunnah and Hadith of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ to know more about sunnah of Prophet of Allah. You may also refer to our Reference Pages for knowing more about Islam and Qur'ān.
Disclaimer: The material for this post has been collected from the references as given below. If anyone differs with the material contained in this post, one may consult the references and their authors. If someone has more material about the subject, he/she is most welcome to share in the comments box to make the post all encompassing.
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