Alhamdulillah Dhul-Hijja has been announced to start on Tuesday, 15 September inshaAllah. This means Dhul-Qa’da completes 30 days. This also means we have fewer moon fighting debates, inshaAllah!
Assuming you are not busy on moon-fighting.com and wasting your time in endless social media discussions about whether it was or was not possible to see the moon, lets make a plan to do some good deeds for the next 10 days.
The Prophet (saw) has said regarding these blessed days:
“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, giving himself and his wealth up for the cause (of Allah), and came back with nothing.” – Bukhari
It is clear from the above hadith that these 10 days have tremendous blessings. Therefore you cannot afford to miss out on such immense rewards.
The blessed 10 days of Dhul-Hijja
The following are recommended acts to do during these blessed 10 days of Dhul-Hijja.
- Fasting the first 9 days of Dhul-Hijja
It is recommended to fast on the first nine days of Dhul-Hijjah, especially on the 9th which is the blessed day of Arafah. Allah’s Messenger (saw) encouraged us to do righteous deeds in the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah; and indeed fasting is one of the best of deeds.Almighty Allah says, “All the deeds of the son of Adam are for him, except fasting, which is for Me and I shall reward for it.”’ – Bukhari
The Prophet (saw) said: “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.” – Bukhari & Muslim
The Prophet (saw) used to fast on the ninth day of Dhul-Hijja and he said: “Fasting the Day of ‘Arafah (ninth Dhul-Hijja) is an expiation for (all the sins of) the previous year and expiation for (all the sins of) the coming year.” (Muslim)
Note: The 10th of Dhul-Hijjah is the day of Eid ul Adha and it is prohibited to fast on this day.
- Offering the Udhiya (sacrifice of a sheep / goat, etc.)
The udhhiya is the sacrifice of a livestock animal during Eid ul-Adha. It is obligatory upon every sane adult who is not a traveller and can afford it (wealth equal to or more than nisab). It is performed on the days of sacrifice which is the 10th, 11th or 12th of Dhul-Hijjah. Regarding the sacrifice, Allah says in the Qur’an:“It is not their meat, nor their blood, that reaches Allah, It is their piety that reaches Allah.” [Surah Al-Haj:37]
Ibn Umar said: “The Prophet lived in Madinah for ten years and every year he slaughtered an animal.” (Ahmad-Saheeh by al- Albaani)
- Giving Charity
As the rewards of doing good deeds during these days are increased significantly then we should also give as much as we can in charity. This is one of the actions where my ‘roles’ overlap, so I will ask you to consider giving generously and to consider giving some Sadaqah to the National Zakat Foundation (NZF). At NZF we will soon release a statement of how we plan to help the pending arrival of many Syrian Refugees.Visit our website www.nzf.org.au - Reciting tasbeeh, tahmeed, tahleel and takbeer abundantly
It is Sunnah to recite the below during the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah. These words should be recited abundantly in the masajid, homes, streets and in every place where it is permissible to remember and glorify Allah.- Takbeer (Allahu Akbar)
- Tahmeed (Alhamdulillah)
- Tahleel (Laa ilaaha ill-Allah)
- Tasbeeh (SubhanAllah)
- Just plan to be a better Muslim by:
- Reciting the Qur’an in abundance
- Performing your prayers on time in the Mosque (men)
- Fajr in the mosque – lift that blanket instead of weights
- Pray all 12 sunnah-raatiba prayers daily
- Be an ambassador of Islam by showing exemplary character
- Visiting your parents and relatives
- Doing many nawafil (superogatory) prayers, such as Duhaa, Tahajjud
- Attend Eid prayers and enjoy the day with your family (take a day off from work)
- Increase in glorification & remembrance of Allah
- Seek Repentance
- Make dua
- Thank Allah for all the Blessings He has given you
“So whosoever does good equal to the weight of an atom, shall see it; and whosoever does evil equal to the weight of an atom, shall see it.“ The Holy Qur’an, Surah Al-Zalzalah 99:7-8