The Ten Days of Dhil-Hijjah and Taking Advantage of Them by Performing Righteous Actions

 

الحمد لله رب العالمين، وصلى الله وسلم على نبينا محمد وعلى آله وأصحابه أجمعين، أما بعد

 

“From the favour of Allaah upon you is that He has caused you to reach these blessed ten days – the ten days of Dhil-Hijjah, regarding which the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said:

مَا مِنْ أَيَّامٍ العَمَلُ الصَّالِحُ فِيهِنَّ أَحَبُّ إِلَى اللَّهِ مِنْ هَذِهِ العَشْرِ، قَالُوا: وَلَا الجِهَادُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ؟ قَالَ: وَلَا الجِهَادُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ، إِلَّا رَجُلٌ خَرَجَ بِنَفْسِهِ وَمَالِهِ فَلَمْ يَرْجِعْ مِنْ ذَلِكَ بِشَيْءٍ

((There are no days wherein the righteous action is more beloved to Allaah than these ten days)) They said: “O Messenger of Allaah, not even Jihaad in the path of Allaah?” so he said: ((Not even Jihaad in the path of Allaah, except for a man who goes out with his person and his wealth, and then he did not return with anything from that.))[1]

 

From gratitude for the favour of Allaah is that you take advantage of these days with righteous actions that draw a person close to Allaah, The Mighty and Majestic, and from these actions are:

 

1. Making Takbeer (saying: Allaahu Akbar) and Tahmeed (saying: Alhamdulillaah) and Tahleel (saying: Laa ilaaha illallaah) and Tasbeeh (saying: Subhaanallaah) for Allaah, The Mighty and Majestic, the men are to do so openly in their marketplaces and mosques and their locations in general, whilst the women do so privately.

 

2. Fasting these days – except for the day of ‘Eid, and the most distinguished of these days in preference to fasting it is the day of ‘Arafah. It is established from him (‘alaihis salaatu was-salaam) that fasting it expiates the sins of the previous year as well as the following year.[2]

 

3. The Hajj – and it is from the best of the actions that draw a person close to Allaah, The Mighty and Majestic during these days, and it is from the reasons for the attainment of forgiveness of sins. He (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said:

منْ حجَّ فَلَم يرْفُثْ، وَلَم يفْسُقْ، رجَع كَيَومِ ولَدتْهُ أُمُّهُ

((Whoever performs Hajj without engaging in sexual activity and without committing sin, he will return [from Hajj] as on the day on which his mother gave birth to him.))[3]

 

4. Being plentiful in supplication – at all times; in particular during these virtuous days, since your Lord, The Glorified, has said:

وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ ۖ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ ۖ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ

((And when My servants ask you, [O Muhammad], concerning Me – then indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be rightly guided.)) (Al-Baqarah: 186)

 

And he (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) said:

الدُّعاءُ هو العبادةُ

((Supplication is worship.))[4]

 

Know – may Allaah grant you blessing, that these days are the appropriate occasion for all of the righteous actions, from recitation of the Qur’aan and giving in charity and performing supererogatory prayers and enjoining the ties of kinship and obedience to parents and showing goodness to the creation of Allaah and other than that, due to the generality of the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbaas that was referred to.

Likewise it should not escape me (to mention) – my brother – that I counsel you with having fear of Allaah, The Mighty and Majestic, and with taking advantage of these days. Since perhaps you may not reach them the following year, and be ardent upon being sincere to Allaah and in following the Prophet (sallallaahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) in all of your statements and your actions – hence they will be accepted.

I ask Allaah that He accepts righteous actions from us all.”

 

 

I have read this publication that comprises of an encouragement of performing righteous actions during the ten days of Dhil-Hijjah, I found it to be authentic, and its propagation is something good. May Allaah reward its writer with good, and cause it to be a means of benefit.

That was stated by its writer:

Muhammad As-Saalih Al-‘Uthaimeen

24/11/1412H

 

 

(Taken from: Liqa’aat al-Hajj p.284-285)

 

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[1] Reported by Al-Bukhaaree in the book of the two ‘Eid’s, chapter: the virtue of carrying out actions during the days of Tashreeq (no.969) from the hadeeth of Ibn ‘Abbaas (radhiyallaahu ’anhumaa).

[2] Reported by Muslim in the book of fasting, chapter: the preference of fasting on the day of ‘Arafah (no.196)

[3] Reported by Al-Bukhaaree in the book of Hajj, chapter: the virtue of Hajj al-Mabroor (no.1521) and Muslim in the book of Hajj, chapter: the virtue of Hajj and ‘Umrah (no.1350) from the hadeeth of Abee Hurairah (radhiyallaahu ’anhu).

[4] Reported by Ahmad (4/271) and Abu Dawood in the book of prayer, chapter of supplication (no.1479) and At-Tirmidhee in the book of Tafseer, chapter: from Soorah Al-Baqarah (no.2969) and Ibn Maajah in the book of supplication, chapter: the virtue of supplication (no.3828) from the hadeeth of An-Nu’maan bin Bashir (radhiyallaahu ’anhumaa).