وَالۡفَجۡرِۙ ﴿89:1﴾ وَلَيَالٍ عَشۡرٍۙ ﴿89:2﴾ وَّالشَّفۡعِ وَالۡوَتۡرِۙ ﴿89:3﴾ وَالَّيۡلِ اِذَا يَسۡرِ
“By the dawn, and the Ten Nights of the Month of Pilgrimage! By all that is even and all that is odd, and the night as it passes!”
(Translation from Ahmad Zaki Hammad)
As the most sacred month of Ramadan has ended just recently, we feel as though the blessings and high levels of spirituality and faith have diminished. However, out of His mercy, Allahﷻ has given us the valuable opportunity to witness yet another virtuous month only a short time after the conclusion of Ramadan. This month that I am speaking of is Dhul Hijjah. It is the month of the great pilgrimage: Hajj. The great journey that encompasses millions of people from all walks of life around the world coming together to fulfill the sole purpose of worshipping our one and only Lord.
For the many Muslims that are not able to perform Hajj, we still have a lot of worship to do here in our homes. Allahﷻ has blessed certain times over others. An example is the month of Ramadan, as it is the most blessed month of the year. Another example is Friday, as it is the most blessed day of the week. Within the year are 10 days of which are more blessed than any other day in the year, and they are the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah. Allahﷻ swears by these days in the opening verses of Surat Al-Fajr. Scholars have agreed that the ten nights mentioned in the second verse of the surah are these ten days of Dhul Hijjah. The first ten days of Dhul Hijjah consist of the Hajj pilgrimage, which within these days remain countless acts of worship and rewards.
On these special days that Allahﷻ has bestowed upon us throughout the year, we should strive to go above and beyond in our worship, as they are not just any normal day. Our dear Prophet ﷺ has stated, “There are no days of the year that are more beloved to Allah that a person does good in those days than the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah.” A man asked, “Oh Messenger of Allah, even Jihad?” The Prophet ﷺ responded, “Even Jihad, except if a man leaves with all of his property, all of his belongings, money, and life and he dies as a martyr in the battle.”
One of the many acts of worship that one can engage in throughout these days is Dhikr, which is remembrance of Allahﷻ. In another narration, the Prophet ﷺ has said, “There are not any days of the year that are more holy than these ten days of Dhul Hijjah. Therefore, increase in doing good deeds to Allah. Increase in saying Allahu Akbar, Alhamdulillah, and La Ilaha Illa Allah.”
Another important deed to engage in these days is fasting. The Prophet ﷺ has said, “Fasting the day of Arafat will be credited with Allah for forgiving one’s sins of the previous year and the following year.” The day of Arafat is the ninth day of Dhul Hijjah. Simple yet very effective deeds that one can do during these days is increasing in extra voluntary deeds of prayer, charity, and reading the Holy Quran.
The final deed of many more to do in these days that I will mention is repentance to Allahﷻ. To repent to Allahﷻ means to feel guilty for the sins that we commit, leave the sins that we are doing, seek Allah’sﷻ forgiveness, and become a better person.
The first ten days of Dhul Hijjah bring with them countless blessings and limited opportunities of good deeds that no Muslim should allow to pass over. However, just as any visitor, Dhul Hijjah will eventually leave.
By Ahmad Salah
