Bismi llāh, wa l-ḥamdu lillāh, wa ṣ-ṣalātu wa s-salāmu ‘alā rasūli llāh, wa ‘alā ālihī wa ṣaḥbihī wa man wālāh
A while ago, we bade farewell to the chief of months, Ramaḍān – a month full of blessings and opportunity. But now, another blessed season has once again, a season the daytimes of which many scholars have deemed to be better than even the daytimes of the last ten days of Ramaḍān. We have just entered the first ten days of the month of Dhū al-Ḥijjah, a month which is already considered sacred with Allah. Allah says:
“[I take oath] By the dawn; And [by] the ten nights; And [by] the odd and the even.” (Qur’ān 89:1-3)
Some scholars such as al-Ḍaḥḥāk say that the dawn Allah is taking an oath by is the dawn of the 1st day of Dhū al-Ḥijjah, whilst some others said that it refers to the Day of the Sacrifice (i.e. the 10th day of Dhū al-Ḥijjah, the Day of Eid). Most scholars hold that the ten nights Allah is taking oath by in these Verses are the first ten nights and days of Dhū al-Ḥijjah. Many scholars also hold that when Allah swears by the odd and the even, the odd here refers to the Day of ‘Arafah (i.e. the 9th day of Dhū al-Ḥijjah) whilst the even refers to the Day of the Sacrifice. Now, Allah doesn't just take oath by anything; He takes oath by things of significance and value. And so by Allah taking oath by these days, He thus demonstrates the significance of these days and their superiority over other days.
The following ḥadīth further explains the significance of these ten days.
Ibn ‘Abbās (raḍiya Llāhu ‘anhu) reported that the Prophet ﷺ said, “There are no deeds as excellent as those done in these ten days.” Those listening said, “Not even jihad?” He ﷺ said, “No, not even jihad, except a man who sets out endangering his life and wealth and returns with neither.” (Narrated by al-Bukhārī, al-Tirmidhī, Abū Dāwūd and others)
So, you've now heard of how precious these ten days are. So what can you do to take full advantage of these ten days?
1) Fasting. Among the best ways one can do this is by fasting, an act which Allah directly ascribes to Himself and promises a great reward for it Himself. The Mother of the Believers 1, Ḥafṣah (raḍiya Llāhu ‘anhā), said:
"The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ would not leave four matters: Fasting on ‘Āshūrā’ (i.e., the 10th of Muḥarram), the ten days [of Dhū al-Ḥijjah], three days of every month; and performing two rak‘ahs of prayer before dawn (i.e. Fajr)." (Narrated by al-Nasā’ī and Aḥmad)
(Note: as for the 10th day of Dhū al-Ḥijjah, it is the day of Eid, a day sinful to fast on as it is a day of food and celebration).
If you can't do all nine days, try to do at least some. Try fasting three of these days, for then you will have fulfilled the sunnah of fasting three days in a month, a great sunnah which if performed every month counts as if one has fasted continuously, as is narrated in a ḥadīth by Imam Muslim. How? Well, one good deed is multiplied in reward ten times; fasting three days thus has its reward multiplied by ten times to thirty days' worth of reward – one month's worth of reward. Doing this every month would thus be equivalent in reward to fasting an entire year.
If not even this, then at least fast the 9th day of this month, the Day of ‘Arafah, the greatest day of the year, the day when Allah perfected His Religion, a day which if one fasts it, one's [minor] sins of the previous year and the following year are wiped out (major sins require separate tawbah), as reported by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ where he said:
"I seek from Allah that fasting on the day of ‘Arafah may expiate for the sins of the preceding year and the following year, and I seek from Allah that fasting on the day of ‘Āshūrā’ may expiate for the sins of the preceding year." (Narrated by Muslim and Abū Dāwūd)
2) Developing a good habit. Use these ten days as an opportunity to increase in your worship. It doesn't have to be big. Make it something manageable. Fix up your prayers, especially the five daily obligatory prayers. Spare some extra dollars for the poor or for the local mosque. Work on your manners and conduct. Try to be a better person, especially to parents and family. Work on something during these ten days that will draw you closer to Allah and try to maintain it beyond these ten days. In other words, try to develop a good habit. It doesn't have to be big. The Prophet ﷺ said:
“The most beloved of actions to Allah are the most consistent ones, even if little in amount.” (Narrated by al-Bukhārī)
And when these ten days come to an end, don't slack off in your worship. Keep them up throughout the rest of the month – actually, throughout the entire year. Dhū al-Ḥijjah is one of the four sacred months in the Islamic calendar, which means that the rewards of deeds are multiplied throughout the whole month (especially in the first ten days). However, remember that sin is graver during these months too.
3) Moistening the tongue with the remembrance of Allah. The Prophet ﷺ said:
“There are no days that are greater before Allah or in which good deeds are more beloved to Him, than these ten days, so say a great deal of tahlīl (لا إلٰه إلّا الله), takbīr (الله أكبر) and taḥmīd (الحمد لله) during them.” (Narrated by Aḥmad)
Instead of engaging in non-beneficial speech, show your thanks to the One who blessed you with the ability to speak by remembering Him. And when remembering Him, don't just let the phrases roll off your tongue – say them with full understanding of what you're saying. So when you say al-Ḥamdu lillāh, ensure that you're actually praising and thanking Allah from the bottom of your heart, not just letting the phrase roll off your tongue.
Al-Bukhārī narrates that Ibn ‘Umar and Abū Hurayrah (raḍiya Llāhu ‘anhumā) would go into the marketplace in these days and raise their voices with the takbīr. The people in the marketplace would then raise their voices with the takbīr in response. Thus the most hated place to Allah, as mentioned in the ḥadīth, was filled with His remembrance.
The value of the first ten days of the month of Dhū al-Ḥijjah is something many Muslims are unaware of, unlike the last ten nights of Ramaḍān. However, these days are the best days of the year (at least the daytimes of these days; scholars have differed on this matter). Such a season of blessings will pass before you even know it, so take full advantage of the blessings and opportunities this season has to offer.
May Allah aid us in our efforts to please Him, particularly in these ten blessed days.
And Allah knows best.
PS. Follow Sh. Abdul Wahab Saleem's daily podcasts throughout these blessed ten days here.
1 Mother of the Believers: an honorific title for the wives of the Prophet (raḍiya Llāhu ‘anhunn)↩
A while ago, we bade farewell to the chief of months, Ramaḍān – a month full of blessings and opportunity. But now, another blessed season has once again, a season the daytimes of which many scholars have deemed to be better than even the daytimes of the last ten days of Ramaḍān. We have just entered the first ten days of the month of Dhū al-Ḥijjah, a month which is already considered sacred with Allah. Allah says:
وَٱلْفَجْرِ وَلَيَالٍ عَشْرٍ وَٱلشَّفْعِ وَٱلْوَتْرِ
Some scholars such as al-Ḍaḥḥāk say that the dawn Allah is taking an oath by is the dawn of the 1st day of Dhū al-Ḥijjah, whilst some others said that it refers to the Day of the Sacrifice (i.e. the 10th day of Dhū al-Ḥijjah, the Day of Eid). Most scholars hold that the ten nights Allah is taking oath by in these Verses are the first ten nights and days of Dhū al-Ḥijjah. Many scholars also hold that when Allah swears by the odd and the even, the odd here refers to the Day of ‘Arafah (i.e. the 9th day of Dhū al-Ḥijjah) whilst the even refers to the Day of the Sacrifice. Now, Allah doesn't just take oath by anything; He takes oath by things of significance and value. And so by Allah taking oath by these days, He thus demonstrates the significance of these days and their superiority over other days.
The following ḥadīth further explains the significance of these ten days.
عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنَّهُ قَالَ " مَا الْعَمَلُ فِي أَيَّامِ الْعَشْرِ أَفْضَلَ مِنَ الْعَمَلِ فِي هَذِهِ ". قَالُوا وَلاَ الْجِهَادُ قَالَ " وَلاَ الْجِهَادُ، إِلاَّ رَجُلٌ خَرَجَ يُخَاطِرُ بِنَفْسِهِ وَمَالِهِ فَلَمْ يَرْجِعْ بِشَىْءٍ ".
So, you've now heard of how precious these ten days are. So what can you do to take full advantage of these ten days?
1) Fasting. Among the best ways one can do this is by fasting, an act which Allah directly ascribes to Himself and promises a great reward for it Himself. The Mother of the Believers 1, Ḥafṣah (raḍiya Llāhu ‘anhā), said:
أَرْبَعٌ لَمْ يَكُنْ يَدَعُهُنَّ النَّبِيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم صِيَامَ عَاشُورَاءَ وَالْعَشْرَ وَثَلاَثَةَ أَيَّامٍ مِنْ كُلِّ شَهْرٍ وَرَكْعَتَيْنِ قَبْلَ الْغَدَاةِ
(Note: as for the 10th day of Dhū al-Ḥijjah, it is the day of Eid, a day sinful to fast on as it is a day of food and celebration).
If you can't do all nine days, try to do at least some. Try fasting three of these days, for then you will have fulfilled the sunnah of fasting three days in a month, a great sunnah which if performed every month counts as if one has fasted continuously, as is narrated in a ḥadīth by Imam Muslim. How? Well, one good deed is multiplied in reward ten times; fasting three days thus has its reward multiplied by ten times to thirty days' worth of reward – one month's worth of reward. Doing this every month would thus be equivalent in reward to fasting an entire year.
If not even this, then at least fast the 9th day of this month, the Day of ‘Arafah, the greatest day of the year, the day when Allah perfected His Religion, a day which if one fasts it, one's [minor] sins of the previous year and the following year are wiped out (major sins require separate tawbah), as reported by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ where he said:
صِيَامُ يَوْمِ عَرَفَةَ أَحْتَسِبُ عَلَى اللَّهِ أَنْ يُكَفِّرَ السَّنَةَ الَّتِي قَبْلَهُ وَالسَّنَةَ الَّتِي بَعْدَهُ وَصِيَامُ يَوْمِ عَاشُورَاءَ أَحْتَسِبُ عَلَى اللَّهِ أَنْ يُكَفِّرَ السَّنَةَ الَّتِي قَبْلَهُ
2) Developing a good habit. Use these ten days as an opportunity to increase in your worship. It doesn't have to be big. Make it something manageable. Fix up your prayers, especially the five daily obligatory prayers. Spare some extra dollars for the poor or for the local mosque. Work on your manners and conduct. Try to be a better person, especially to parents and family. Work on something during these ten days that will draw you closer to Allah and try to maintain it beyond these ten days. In other words, try to develop a good habit. It doesn't have to be big. The Prophet ﷺ said:
وَإِنَّ أَحَبَّ الأَعْمَالِ إِلَى اللَّهِ مَا دَامَ وَإِنْ قَلَّ
And when these ten days come to an end, don't slack off in your worship. Keep them up throughout the rest of the month – actually, throughout the entire year. Dhū al-Ḥijjah is one of the four sacred months in the Islamic calendar, which means that the rewards of deeds are multiplied throughout the whole month (especially in the first ten days). However, remember that sin is graver during these months too.
3) Moistening the tongue with the remembrance of Allah. The Prophet ﷺ said:
ما من أيام أعظم عند الله ولا أحب إليه العمل فيهن من هذه الأيام العشر، فأكثروا فيهن من التهليل والتكبير والتحميد
Instead of engaging in non-beneficial speech, show your thanks to the One who blessed you with the ability to speak by remembering Him. And when remembering Him, don't just let the phrases roll off your tongue – say them with full understanding of what you're saying. So when you say al-Ḥamdu lillāh, ensure that you're actually praising and thanking Allah from the bottom of your heart, not just letting the phrase roll off your tongue.
Al-Bukhārī narrates that Ibn ‘Umar and Abū Hurayrah (raḍiya Llāhu ‘anhumā) would go into the marketplace in these days and raise their voices with the takbīr. The people in the marketplace would then raise their voices with the takbīr in response. Thus the most hated place to Allah, as mentioned in the ḥadīth, was filled with His remembrance.
The value of the first ten days of the month of Dhū al-Ḥijjah is something many Muslims are unaware of, unlike the last ten nights of Ramaḍān. However, these days are the best days of the year (at least the daytimes of these days; scholars have differed on this matter). Such a season of blessings will pass before you even know it, so take full advantage of the blessings and opportunities this season has to offer.
May Allah aid us in our efforts to please Him, particularly in these ten blessed days.
And Allah knows best.
PS. Follow Sh. Abdul Wahab Saleem's daily podcasts throughout these blessed ten days here.
1 Mother of the Believers: an honorific title for the wives of the Prophet (raḍiya Llāhu ‘anhunn)↩
