Bismillah hir Rehman nir Rahim
The Virtues of the Ten Days of Dhul Hijjah
Among the special seasons of worship are the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah,
which Allaah has preferred over all the other days of the year.
Ibn Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "There are no days in
which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allaah than these ten days."
The people asked, "Not even jihaad for the sake of Allaah?"
He said, "Not even jihaad for the sake of Allaah, 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." (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 2/457).
Ibn Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him and his father) also reported that
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "There is no deed
more precious in the sight of Allaah, nor greater in reward, than a good deed
done during the ten days of Sacrifice."
He was asked, "Not even jihaad for the sake of Allaah?"
He said, "Not even jihaad for the sake of Allaah, 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." (Reported by al-Daarimi, 1/357; its isnaad is hasan as
stated in al-Irwaa, 3/398).
This season of worship brings many benefits, such as the opportunity to
correct ones faults and make up for any shortcomings or anything that one might
have missed.
The happy person is the one who makes the most of these special months, days
and hours and draws nearer to his Lord during these times through acts of
worship; he will most likely be touched by the blessing of Allaah and will feel
the joy of knowing that he is safe from the flames of Hell. (Ibn Rajab,
al-Lataaif, p.8)
The Muslim must understand the value of his life, increase his worship of
Allaah and persist in doing good deeds until the moment of death. Allaah says
(interpretation of the meaning): "And worship your Lord until there comes unto
you the certainty." [al-Hijr 15:99]
The mufassireen (commentators) said: "The certainty means death."
The Prohibitions for the one who wants to offer a sacrifice
The Sunnah indicates that the one who wants to offer a sacrifice must stop
cutting his hair and nails and removing anything from his skin, from the
beginning of the ten days until after he has offered his sacrifice, because the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said:
"When you see the new moon of Dhul-Hijjah, if any one of you wants to offer
a sacrifice, then he should stop cutting his hair and nails until he has
offered his sacrifice." According to another report he said: "He should not
remove (literally, touch) anything from his hair or skin." (reported by Muslim
with four isnaads, 13/146)
The Prophets instruction here makes one thing obligatory and his prohibition
makes another haraam, according to the soundest opinion, because these commands
and prohibitions are unconditional and unavoidable. However, if a person does
any of these things deliberately, he must seek Allaahs forgiveness but is not
required to offer (an extra) sacrifice in expiation; his sacrifice will be
acceptable.
Whoever needs to remove some hair, nails, etc. because it is harming him,
such as having a broken nail or a wound in a site where there is hair, should
do so, and there is nothing wrong with that. The state of ihraam is so
important that it is permitted to cut ones hair if leaving it will cause harm.
There is nothing wrong with men or women washing their heads during the first
ten days of Dhul-Hijjah, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) only forbade cutting the hair, not washing it.
The wisdom behind this prohibition of the one who wants to offer a sacrifice
from cutting his hair etc., is so that he may resemble those in ihraam in some
aspects of the rituals performed, and so that he may draw closer to Allaah by
offering the sacrifice. So he leaves his hair and nails alone until the time
when he has offered his sacrifice, in the hope that Allaah will save him in his
entirety from the Fire. And Allaah knows best.
If a person has cut his hair or nails during the first ten days of
Dhul-Hijjah because he was not planning to offer a sacrifice, then he decides
later, during the ten days, to offer a sacrifice, then he must refrain from
cutting his hair and nails from the moment he makes this decision.
Some women may delegate their brothers or sons to make the sacrifice on their
behalf, then cut their hair during these ten days. This is not correct, because
the ruling applies to the one who is offering the sacrifice, whether or not he
(or she) delegates someone else to carry out the actual deed. The prohibition
does not apply to the person delegated, only to the person who is making the
sacrifice, as is indicated in the hadeeth. The person who is sacrificing on
behalf of someone else, for whatever reason, does not have to adhere to this
prohibition.
This prohibition appears to apply only to the one who is offering the
sacrifice, not to his wife and children, unless any of them is offering a
sacrifice in his or her own right, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allaah be upon him) used to sacrifice "on behalf of the family of Muhammad,"
but there are no reports that say he forbade them to cut their hair or nails at
that time.
If a person was planning to offer a sacrifice, then he decides to go and
perform Hajj, he should not cut his hair or nails if he wants to enter ihraam,
because the Sunnah is only to cut hair and nails when necessary. But if he is
performing Tamattu [whereby he performs Umrah, comes out of ihraam and enters
ihraam anew for Hajj], he should trim his hair at the end of his Umrah because
this is part of the ritual.
The things that are described above as being prohibited for the person who is
planning to offer a sacrifice are reported in the hadeeth quoted above; the
person is not forbidden to wear perfume, have marital relations, wear sewn
garments, etc.
The Types of Worship to be Performed During these Ten Days
One must understand that these days are a great blessing from Allaah to His
slave, which is appreciated properly by the actively righteous. It is the
Muslims duty to appreciate this blessing and make the most of the opportunity,
by devoting these ten days to paying more attention to striving hard in
worship. Among His blessings to His slaves, Allaah has given us many ways in
which to do good and worship Him, so that the Muslim may be constantly active
and consistent in his worship of his Lord.
Among the good deeds which the Muslim should strive to do during the first
ten days of Dhul-Hijjah are:
Fasting. It is Sunnah to fast on the ninth day of Dhul-Hijjah, because the
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) urged us to do good deeds
during this time, and fasting is one of the best of deeds. Allaah has chosen
fasting for Himself, as is stated in the hadeeth qudsi: "Allaah says: All the
deeds of the son of Adam are for him, except for fasting, which is for Me and I
am the One Who will reward him for it." (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 1805).
The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to fast on the
ninth of Dhul-Hijjah. Hunaydah ibn Khaalid reported from his wife that some of
the wives of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: "The
Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to fast on the ninth
of Dhul-Hijjah, on the day of Aashooraa, on three days of each month, and on
the first two Mondays and Thursdays of each month." (Reported by al-Nisaai,
4/205 and by Abu Dawud; classified by al-Albaani as saheeh in Saheeh Abi Dawud,
2/462).
Azkaar. It is Sunnah to say Takbeer ("Allaahu akbar"), Tahmeed ("Al-hamdu
Lillaah"), Tahleel ("La ilaha ill-Allaah") and Tasbeeh ("Subhaan Allaah")
during the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah, and to say it loudly in the mosque,
the home, the street and every place where it is permitted to remember Allaah
and mention His name out loud, as an act of worship and as a proclamation of
the greatness of Allaah, may He be exalted.
Men should recite these phrases out loud, and women should recite them
quietly.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "That they might witness things
that are of benefit to them (i.e., reward of Hajj in the Hereafter, and also
some worldly gain from trade, etc.), and mention the name of Allaah on
appointed days, over the beast of cattle that He has provided for them (for
sacrifice)..." [al-Hajj 22:28]
The majority of scholars agree that the "appointed days" are the first ten
days of Dhul-Hijjah, because of the words of Ibn Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased
with him and his father): "The appointed days are the first ten days (of
Dhul-Hijjah)."
The Takbeer may include the words "Allaahu akbar, Allaahu akbar, la ilaaha
ill-Allaah; wa Allaahu akbar wa Lillaahil-hamd (Allaah is Most Great, Allaah is
Most Great, there is no god but Allaah; Allaah is Most Great and to Allaah be
praise)," as well as other phrases.
Takbeer at this time is an aspect of the Sunnah that has been forgotten,
especially during the early part of this period, so much so that one hardly
ever hears Takbeer, except from a few people. This Takbeer should be pronounced
loudly, in order to revive the Sunnah and as a reminder to the negligent.
There is sound evidence that Ibn Umar and Abu Hurayrah (may Allaah be pleased
with them) used to go out in the marketplace during the first ten days of
Dhul-Hijjah, reciting Takbeer, and the people would recite Takbeer when they
heard them. The idea behind reminding the people to recite Takbeer is that each
one should recite it individually, not in unison, as there is no basis in
Shareeah for doing this.
Reviving aspects of the Sunnah that have been virtually forgotten is a deed
that will bring an immense reward, as is indicated by the words of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him): "Whoever revives an aspect of my
Sunnah that is forgotten after my death, he will have a reward equivalent to
that of the people who follow him, without it detracting in the least from
their reward." (Reported by al-Tirmidhi, 7/443; this is a hasan hadeeth because
of corroborating asaaneed).
Performing Hajj and Umrah. One of the best deeds that one can do during these
ten days is to perform Hajj to the Sacred House of Allaah. The one whom Allaah
helps to go on Hajj to His House and to perform all the rituals properly is
included in the words of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon
him): "An accepted Hajj [Hajj-e-Mabroor] brings no less a reward than Paradise."
Doing more good deeds in general, because good deeds are beloved by Allaah
and will bring a great reward from Him. Whoever is not able to go to Hajj
should occupy himself at this blessed time by worshipping Allaah, praying
(salaat), reading Quran, remembering Allaah, making supplication (duaa), giving
charity, honouring his parents, upholding the ties of kinship, enjoining what
is good and forbidding what is evil, and other good deeds and acts of worship.
Sacrifice. One of the good deeds that will bring a person closer to Allaah
during these ten days is offering a sacrifice, by choosing a high-quality
animal and fattening it, spending money for the sake of Allaah.
Sincere Repentance. One of the most important things to do during these ten
days is to repent sincerely to Allaah and to give up all kinds of disobedience
and sin. Repentance means coming back to Allaah and foregoing all the deeds,
open and secret, that He dislikes, out of regret for what has passed, giving it
up immediately and being determined never to return to it, but to adhere firmly
to the Truth by doing what Allaah loves.
If a Muslim commits a sin, he must hasten to repent at once, without delay,
firstly because he does not know when he will die, and secondly because one
evil deed leads to another.
Repentance at special times is very important because in most cases peoples
thoughts turn towards worship at these times, and they are keen to do good,
which leads to them recognizing their sins and feeling regret for the past.
Repentance is obligatory at all times, but when the Muslim combines sincere
repentance with good deeds during the days of most virtue, this is a sign of
success, insha Allaah.
Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "But as for him who repented,
believed and did righteous deeds, then he will be among those who are
successful." [al-Qasas 28:67]
The Muslim should make sure that he does not miss any of these important
occasion, because time is passing quickly. Let him prepare himself by doing
good deeds which will bring him reward when he is most in need of it, for no
matter how much reward he earns, he will find it is less than he needs; the
time of departure is at hand, the journey is frightening, delusions are
widespread, and the road is long, but Allaah is ever watchful, and to Him will
we return and render account.
As the Quraan says (interpretation of the meaning): "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." [al-Zalzalah 99:7-8]
There is much to be gained, so make the most of the opportunity afforded by
these invaluable and irreplaceable ten days. Hasten to do good works, before
death strikes, before one can regret ones negligence and failure to act, before
one is asked to return to a place where no prayers will be answered, before
death intervenes between the hopeful one and the things he hopes for, before
you are trapped with your deeds in the grave.
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