By His wisdom, God gave
preference to some places and times over others.
For Muslims, Friday is the best day of the week, Ramadan is the
best month of the year, “Laylat al-Qadr” is the best night in Ramadan, the day of “Arafah” is the best day
of the year.
Likewise the first ten days
of the month of “Dhul-Hijjah” are the blessed days for Muslims.
God says in the Quran what means:
{By the daybreak, by the
ten nights, by the even and the odd, by the passing
night – is this oath strong enough for a rational person?} (89:1-5)
Early Muslim scholars
differed on what is meant by the “ten nights”. But most of them agreed that the
ten nights refer to the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah.
In another verse God says: {…
to attain benefits and mention God’s name, on specified days.} (22:28)
Most of the Quran
commentators view that the specific days are the ten days of Dhul-Hijjah. What a great virtue
attached to those days which pass unnoticed by many people nowadays. On the merits of the first
ten days, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) is reported to have said: "There are no days in
which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days." The people asked: "Not even Jihad for
the sake of Allah?" He said: "Not even Jihad for the sake of Allah, except in the case of
a man who went out to fight, giving himself and his wealth up for the cause,
and came back with nothing." (Al-Bukhari, 259)
In what follows are
suggested ideas on how to make the best use of the first ten days of
Dhul-Hijjah:
Repent to Allah
Make a sincere repentance
to God and promise Him that you will not do bad deeds again. This may be your
last chance. You are not sure if you will live till next year.
Pray at the Mosque
Try to perform the five daily prayers in the mosque. If you have
time after Fajr prayer, try to sit in the mosque, read a juz' (part) of the Quran, make duaa, or recite some Adhkar (remembrance
of Allah). Then offer two rakahs before
you go home. If you do so, you are reviving a tradition that Prophet Muhammad
(peace be upon him) used to do, a tradition which these days has been neglected
by many Muslims.
Observe Fasting in the
First Nine Days
Abu Sa`id al-Khudri said: I
heard the Prophet saying: "Indeed, anyone who fasts for one day for Allah's Pleasure,
Allah will keep his face away from the (Hell) fire for (a distance covered by a
journey of) seventy years." (Al-Bukhari, 2840)
Do not observe fasting on
the tenth day because it is an `Eid day and it is prohibited to fast that day. Good deeds are rewarded
abundantly in these first ten days; and as fasting is a good deed, it is
recommended to fast these nine days.
Do not Miss Fasting the
Day of Arafah
On the day of Arafah,
non-pilgrims are highly recommended to maintain fasting. It is reported that
the Prophet was asked about fasting on the day of Arafah,
whereupon he said:
He also said: "There is no day in which Allah frees a greater number of His
slaves from the Hellfire than the Day of Arafah."
(Muslim, 107)
Make a Lot of
Supplications (du'a) on the Day of Arafah
The Prophet said: "The best supplication is that of the Day of `Arafah, and the
best thing that I and other Prophets before me said, is: La ilaha illa allahu wahdahu la sharika lah, lahu
al-mulku wa lahu al-hamdu wa huwa `ala kulli shai'in qadeer (There is
no god but Allah alone. He has no partners. To Him belong the sovereignty and
all praise. He has power over all things.)" (Al-Tirmidhi, 3585)
Try to Do Something New
this Year
If you used to recite a part of the Quran last year, try to finish
reading the whole Quran this year. Try to pick some verses everyday and check
the books of Tafsir(exegesis
of the Quran) to reflect on their meaning in order to derive lessons from them
in your daily life.
If you do not read Arabic,
I recommend Muhammad Asad's translation of the Quran. If you are well-versed in
the Quran recitation, try to teach a group of new Muslims how to read the Quran
correctly.
Maintain Your Family
Relations
Visit your relatives even
for a few minutes. If they live far away, give them a call. Do not forget your
parents. Be kind to them, visit them, and attend to their needs. Some new
Muslims think that after their conversion, they should cut off their family
members. God orders Muslims to be kind to their parents even if they are
non-Muslims. This occasion might be a good opportunity to talk about Islam to
your non-Muslim parents.
Give to Charity
Make it a daily habit to
help the needy. Look for humanitarian organizations in your neighborhood and
help them in any way you can.
Don't Miss Offering at
Least Two Rakahs of “Tahajjud” at Night
Offer many extra prayers,
as much as you can. God promised a great reward for offering extra acts of
worship. The Prophet said:
"Allah said, "I will declare war against him who shows
hostility to a pious worshipper of Mine. And the most beloved things with which
My slave comes nearer to Me, is what I have enjoined upon him; and My slave
keeps on coming closer to Me through performing Nawafil (praying
or doing extra deeds besides what is obligatory) till I love him, so I become
his sense of hearing with which he hears, and his sense of sight with which he
sees, and his hand with which he grips, and his leg with which he walks; and if
he asks Me, I will give him, and if he asks My protection (refuge), I will
protect him; (i.e. give him My refuge) and I do not hesitate to do anything as
I hesitate to take the soul of the believer, for he hates death, and I hate to
disappoint him." (Al-Bukhari, 95)
Reciting the Takbir
It is an act of Sunnah to say “Takbir” (Allah is the Greatest) in the first ten days.
The “Takbir” should be pronounced everywhere; in the mosque, at home, in the
streets, etc. It is reported that Ibn `Umar and Abu Hurairah (may Allah be
pleased with them) used to go out in the marketplace during the first ten days
of Dhul-Hijjah, reciting Takbir, and the
people would recite Takbir when they
heard them.
There are many forms of Takbir, but the
most common one is: Allahu akbaru,
Allahu akbaru, Allahu akbaru, la illaha illa Allah, Allahu akbaru, Allahu
akbar, wa lillahi al-Hamd.
In another version of the Hadith mentioned above on the merits of
the ten days, there is this addition: "… so increase saying Tahlil (saying la-illah illa Allah), Takbir(saying Allahu akbar), and Tahmid (saying Al-hamdullilah)" (Ahmad) Therefore,
these kinds of “dhikr” should be recited day and night.
The Best Good Deed in
These Days is to Offer Hajj
Go to Hajj, if you are
physically and financially able to perform it. If not, try to offer a sacrifice
if you have the means. By doing this you are commemorating the story of
sacrifice of both prophet Ibrahim and his son Ismail (peace be upon them). The poor
and the needy have a share in the sacrifice and feeding them is one of best
deeds that can be done on the day of `Eid.
I pray to Allah to accept
our good deeds in these days of Dhul-Hijjah and throughout the year. When our
good deeds are accepted by God, we will be admitted toParadise, by His Mercy.
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