Author: Shaykh ibn al-Uthaymeen, may Allah have mercy on him
All praise is due to
Allah, Lord of the Worlds. May peace and blessings be upon the Chief of
the Messengers, Muhammad.
Indeed it is a great
favour and blessing from Allah that He has made for His righteous
servants periods of time within which they can increase in good deeds to
attain great rewards and one of these opportunistic periods is the first
ten days of Dhul-Hijjah (the final month of the Islamic Calendar, in
which the hajj is performed).
Superiority of the FIRST
Ten Days of Dhul-Hijjah
The excellence of these
ten days have been mentioned in the Qur'ān and the Sunnah.
1. Allah says in the
Qur'ān:
"By the dawn and by the ten nights
"
[Al-Qur'ān 89:1-2]
Ibn Kathīr said that
"the ten nights" referred to here are
the ten days of Dhul-Hijjah, and this opinion was also held by Ibn Abbās,
Ibn az-Zubair, Mujāhid and others.
2. The Messenger of
Allah, peace be upon him, said:
"There
are no deeds as excellent as those done in these ten days."
They (the companions listening) said, "Not even Jihād?" He, peace
be upon him, said, "No, not even Jihād
except a man who goes forth endangering his life and wealth and does
not return with anything."
[Recorded by al-Imām al-Bukhārī]
3. Allah says:
"
and remember the name of Allah in the appointed days."
[Al-Qur'ān 2:203]
Ibn Abbās and Ibn
Kathīr said this means in the ten days of Dhul-Hijjah.
4.
The Messenger of
Allah, upon whom be peace, said:
"There are no other days that are as great as these in the sight of
Allah, the Most Sublime. Nor are there any deeds more beloved to
Allah then those that are done in these ten days. So increase in
tahlīl (to say lā illaha illallah), takbīr (to say allahu akbar) and
tahmīd (to say alhumdulillāh)."
[Reported by
at-Tabarānī in al-Mu'jum al-Kabīr]
5. With regards to the
noble companion Saīd bin Jubair, when the days of Dhul-Hijjah began he
would strive to increase in good actions with great intensity until he
was unable to increase anymore. [Reported
by ad-Dārimī]
6. Ibn Hajar says in
Fath al-Bārī:
"The
most apparent reason for the ten days of Dhul-Hijjah being
distinguished in excellence is due to the assembly of the greatest
acts of worship in this period, i.e. salawāt (prayers), siyām
(fasting), sadaqah (charity) and the hajj (pilgrimage). In no other
periods do these great deeds combine."
What are the
recommended acts in these days?
1. The Prayer - It is highly recommended
to perform the obligatory acts at their prescribed times (as early as
possible) and to increase oneself in the superogatory acts, for indeed,
this is what brings a person closer to their Lord. The Messenger of
Allah, upon whom be peace, said:
"Upon you is
to increase in your prostration to Allah, for verily you do not
prostrate to Allah with even one prostration, except that He raises
you in degrees and decreases your sins because of it."
[Reported by Muslim]
2. Fasting - This has been mentioned as
one of the acts of righteousness where Hanbada ibn Khālid
reports on the authority of his wife who reports that some of the wives
of the Prophet, peace be upon him, said:
The Prophet, upon whom
be peace, would fast on the ninth of Dhul-Hijjah, the day of Āshūra
and three days in every month.
[Recorded by
Ahmad, Abu Dāwūd, an-Nisāī and others]
Al-Imām an-Nawawī
said that fasting in these ten days is extremely recommended.
3. Saying allahu
akbar; lā illaha illallah
and alhamdulillāh - It is found in the
aforementioned narration of Ibn 'Umar:
"So increase yourselves in
saying lā illaha illallah, allahu akbar and
alhamdulillāh."
Al-Imām Bukhārī,
may Allah have mercy on him, said:
"Ibn 'Umar and Abū
Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with them both, used to go out to the
markets in the ten days saying the takbīr
causing the people to follow them in this action."
He also said:
"Umar ibn al-Khattāb
used to say the takbīr in his minaret in Mina, whereupon the
people of the mosque hearing 'Umar, would start to say the takbīr
as would the people in the markets until the whole of Mina was
locked in glorifying Allah."
Ibn 'Umar used to say the takbīr in
Mina during these ten days and after prayers, whilst on his bed, in his
tent, in his gathering and whilst walking. What is recommended is to say
the takbīr aloud due to the fact that 'Umar ibn al-Khattāb,
his son and Abū Hurayrah used to do likewise, may Allah be pleased
with them all.
Strive with us O Muslims in reviving this
sunnah that has become lost in these times and it was almost
forgotten, even amongst the people of righteousness and goodness all of
which is unfortunately in opposition to what the best of generations
were upon (preserving and maintaining the superogatory acts).
There are a number of ways of making
takbīr that have been narrated by the companions and their followers
and from these ways is the following:
-
Allahu
akbar, allahu akbar, allahu
akbar kabīrun.
-
Allahu
akbar, allahu akbar, lā
ilaha illallah, wallahu akbar, wallahu akbar,
wa lillahil hamd.
-
Allahu
akbar, allahu akbar, allahu
akbar, lā ilaha illallah,
wallahu akbar, allahu
akbar wa lillāhil hamd.
4. Fasting on the day of 'Arafah - Fasting
has been affirmed on the day of 'Arafah, where it has been confirmed
from the Prophet, peace be upon him, that he said regarding
fasting on the day of 'Arafah:
"Be content with the
fact that Allah will expiate for you your sins for the year before
(the day of 'Arafah) and the year after (the day of 'Arafah)."
[Reported by Muslim]
However, whoever is at 'Arafah as a
pilgrim then fasting is not expected of him, as the Prophet, peace be
upon him, stopped at 'Arafah to eat.
May the peace of Allah
be upon his Prophet, the family of the Prophet and all of his companions
