In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate
Assalaamu alaykum
Dear Friends
I pray that you are well.
We have entered the sacred month of Dhu'l-Hijjah. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, informed us that there are no days in which righteous actions are more beloved to Allah than the first ten days of this month. [al-Bukhārī, Abū Dāūd, al-Tirmidhī and Ibn Mājah]
For that reason some scholars have ruled that these days are better than the final ten days of Ramaḍān, although the nights of Ramaḍān are superior to these nights. Allah Himself swears by “the Ten Nights” in Sūrat al-Fajr, which is sufficient evidence of their greatness. Most of the scholars say that these are the first ten nights (and days) of Dhu’l-Ḥijjah.
Consider how seriously we take things during the last 10 nights of Ramaḍān and try to exert a similar effort during these days.
وَمَا خَلَقْتُ ٱلْجِنَّ وَٱلْإِنسَ إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُونِ ﴿٥٦[Qur'an, Adh-Dhariyat 51:56]
And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me. (56)
This is what we were made for and Allah gives us times like these so that we can excel great distances in a short time. Do not let it pass you by. The glorious treasures of your Lord are there for the taking, you just have to expose yourself to His Grace.
It has also been narrated that the reward for actions in these days is multiplied seven hundred times. This is not to mention the Day of Arafat (the 9th of Dhu’l-Ḥijjah) which is the greatest day of the year. Fasting that day wipes out the sins of the previous year and the year to come.
** Fast the first nine days: The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, “One fast during these days is equal to the fasting of one complete year, and the worship of one night during this period is equal to worship during Laylat al-Qadr.” [Tirmidhī]
** The 9th Day: It is particularly important to fast the 9th day of Dhu'l-Ḥijjah (known as the Day of ‘Arafah). The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “I have hope in Allah the Exalted that the fast of ‘Arafah will be an atonement for the sins of the past and forthcoming year.” [Tirmidhī]
If we are unable to fast the first nine days of the month, we should at least fast the Day of Arafat. If we are able to fast two or three days then by fasting Monday or Thursday or both we will gain the reward of following the Sunnah. Likewise by fasting three of these days we will have performed the Sunnah of fasting three days in every month.
These are days in which we should remember Allah abundantly. Allah says that they remember the name of Allah on well-known days. These “well-known days” according to the majority of scholars are the ten days of Dhu’l-Ḥijjah. This is why the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said that in these days we should make abundant tahlīl (saying lā ilāha ill’Allāh), takbīr (saying Allāhu akbar) and taḥmīd (saying alḥamdulillāh). [al-Tirmidhī and Ibn Mājah]
Sayyidunā `Abdullāh Ibn `Umar and Sayyidunā Abū Hurayrah 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, a place where most people are heedless of Him, was filled with His remembrance.
Whether it be prayer, fasting, charity, remembrance, seeking knowledge, helping people, any righteous actions we do will be greatly rewarded and beyond that are beloved to Allah. This is also a time when prayers are answered by Allah.
Sayyidī al-Ḥabīb `Umar bin Ḥafīẓ (may Allah preserve him and benefit us by him) reminds us that the linguistic meaning of Ḥajj is seeking or intending. Thus the people of Allah are constantly performing Ḥajj because they are constantly seeking Allah. Just as their whole year is Ramaḍān, likewise their whole year is Ḥajj. Just as those performing Ḥajj respond to the call of Allah by saying “labbayk” they are swift to respond to the call of Allah. They take themselves to account and leave that which is disliked and dubious in all their states and actions. They reject the desires of their lower selves and they are the furthest of people from that which is prohibited. They constantly receive new blessings from their Lord so they constantly renew their iḥrām (the state of sanctity in which the pilgrim approaches Allah). Day and night they make ṭawāf around the House of their Lord, the One to Whom they turn themselves with absolute sincerity until nothing remains in them which is directed to other than Allah.
Actions that Carry the Reward of Ḥajj
Nothing of course can equal actually performing the Ḥajj and worshipping Allah in those blessed places. Allah knows that many people long to make Ḥajj every year but are unable to do so. Out of His generosity, He made the reward for certain actions similar to the reward of a supererogatory Hajj.
1. Remembering Allah from Fajr until Ishrāq. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “Whoever who prays Ṣubḥ (Fajr) in congregation and then sits in the place where he prayed remembering Allah until the sun rises and then prays two cycles has the reward of a complete Ḥajj and `Umrah.” He repeated “complete” three times. [al-Tirmidhī]
2. Attending a gathering of knowledge. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “The one who goes out to the mosque wanting only to learn good or teach it has the reward of a complete Ḥajj.” [al-Ṭabarānī]
3. Going to the mosque for the congregational prayer. The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: “Whoever performs ablution in his house and then goes out to perform the obligatory prayer in the mosque has a reward similar to the reward of a Hajj pilgrim. Whoever goes out to perform the mid-morning prayer (Ḍhuḥā) has a reward similar to the reward of the one performing `Umrah.” [Abū Dāūd]
4. Performing the Friday Prayer. Sa`īd Ibn al-Musayyib said performing the Friday Prayer is “more beloved to me than a supererogatory Ḥajj.”
5. Performing the `Īd Prayer. One of the Companions said: “Going out to pray `Īd al-Fiṭr is equal to performing `Umrah and going out to pray `Īd al-Aḍḥā is equal to performing Ḥajj.”
6. Fulfilling the needs of your brother or sister. Ḥasan al-Baṣrī said: “Going to fulfill the need of your brother is better for you than performing Ḥajj after Ḥajj.”
7. Being good to your parents. The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, commanded one of the Companions to be good to his mother. If you do so, he said: “You are a Hajj pilgrim, a person performing `Umrah and someone striving for the sake of Allah (mujāhid).”
8. Performing obligatory actions. The slave can only draw near to Allah by performing supererogatory actions after first having performed that which is obligatory. This includes purifying one’s heart from forbidden attributes and guarding one’s tongue and limbs from committing forbidden actions. All of this is much harder on the lower self than many supererogatory acts of worship.
Finally there is no action more beloved to Allah on the Day of `Īd than making a sacrifice. The Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, told his beloved daughter Sayyidah Fāṭimah al-Zahrā’ that she would be forgiven for her previous wrongdoings with the first drop of blood to be shed from the sacrificed animal. She asked if this reward was specifically for the household of the Prophet and he replied: “For us and for all the Muslims."
The Acts of the Righteous During These Days
The following are adhkār [invocations] that many Ṣāliḥīn [righteous people] would read ten times every day for the first ten days of Dhul Ḥijjah:
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيم
اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أُقدِّمُ إِليْكَ بين يَديْ كُلِّ نَفَسٍ وَلَمْحَةٍ وَلَحْظَةٍ وَخَطرَةٍ وَطَرْفَةٍ يَطرِفُ بِهَا أَهْلُ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ ، وَكُلِّ شَيءٍ هُوَ فَي عِلْمِكَ كَائِنٌ أَوْ قَدْ كَان أُقدِّمُ إِلْيَكَ بَينَ يَدِيْ ذَلِكَ كًلِّهِ
لا إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ عَدَدَ اللَّيَالِي وَالدُّهُور،لا إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ عَدَدَ الأَيَّامِ وَالشُّهُور
لا إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ عَدَدَ أَمْوَاجِ البُحُور، لا إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ عَدَدَ أَضْعَافِ الأُجُور
لا إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ عَدَدَ قَطَرِ الْمَطَر، لا إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ عَدَدَ أَوْرَاقِ الشَّجَر
لا إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ عَدَدَ الشَّعَرِ وَالوَبَر، لا إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ عَدَدَ الرَّمْلِ وَالْحَجَر
لا إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ عَدَدَ الزَّهْرِ وَالثَّمَر، لا إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ عَدَدَ أَنْفَاسِ البَشَر
لا إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ عَدَدَ ذُنُوبِنَا حَتَّى تُغْفَر، لا إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ عَدَدَ لَمْحِ العُيون
لا إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ عَدَدَ مَا كَانَ ومَا يَكُون، لا إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَمَّا يُشْرِكُون
لا إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ خَيْرٌ مِمَّا يَجْمَعُون, لا إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ في اللَّيْلِ إِذَا عَسْعَس
لا إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ فِي الصِّبْحِ إِذَا تَنَفَّس، لا إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ عَدَدَ الرِّيَاحِ في البَرَارِي وَالصُّخُور
لا إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ مِنْ يَومِنَا هَذَا إِلَى يَومِ يُنْفَخُ فِي الصُّور لا إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ عَدَدَ خَلْقِهِ أَجْمَعِين
لا إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللَّهُ مِنْ يَومِنَا هَذَا إِلَى يَومِ الدِّين ، فِي كُلِّ لَحْظَةٍ أَبَدَا ، عَدَدَ خَلْقِه، وَرِضَى نَفْسِه، وَزِنَةَ عَرْشِهْ، وَمِدَادَ كَلِمَاتِه
Translation:
In the name of God, the All-Compassionate, the All-Merciful. O God I present to You in front of every breath, every second, every instant, every thought, every blinking of the eye of the peoples of the heavens and the earth, and everything which is existent in Your knowledge or was existent, I present to You in front of all of this:
There is no god but Allah! – as numerous as the number of nights and ages,
There is no god but Allah! – as numerous as the days and months,
There is no god but Allah! – as numerous as the waves in the oceans,
There is no god but Allah! – as numerous as the multiplication of rewards,
There is no god but Allah! – as numerous as the raindrops,
There is no god but Allah! – as numerous as the leaves on the trees,
There is no god but Allah! – as numerous as the amount of hair and fur,
There is no god but Allah! – as numerous as the sand and rocks,
There is no god but Allah! – as numerous as the flowers and fruits,
There is no god but Allah! – as numerous as the breaths of mankind,
There is no god but Allah! – as numerous as our sins so that they may be forgiven,
There is no god but Allah! – as numerous as the blinking of eyes,
There is no god but Allah! – the amount of that which has been and that which will be,
There is no god but Allah! – Exalted is He above that which people worship alongside Him,
There is no god but Allah! – (this is) better than that which they amass,
There is no god but Allah! – in the night when it darkens,
There is no god but Allah! – at the moment of the morning’s breath,
There is no god but Allah! – as numerous as the winds that blow in the desert and the number of rocks,
There is no god but Allah! – from this day to the day on which the Trumpet is blown,
There is no god but Allah! – the number of His entire creation,
There is no god but Allah! – From this day to the Day of Recompense!
This is to be read ten times, and at the end read: In every instant, forever – [the total of] the number of His creation, to His satisfaction, the weight of His throne, and the amount of ink of His words.
This is also to be read ten times:
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَى سَيِّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ مَا اتَّصَلتِ العُيُونُ بِالنَّظَر وَتَزْخَرَفَتِ الأَرَضُونَ بِالْمَطَر، وَحَجَّ حَاجٌّ واعْتَمَر وَلَـبَّى وَحَلَقَ وَنَحَرَ وَطَافَ بَالبِيْتِ العَتِيقِ وَقَبَّلَ الْحَجَر وَعَلَى آلِهِ وصَحْبِهِ وَسَلِّمْ فِي كُلِّ لَحْظَةٍ أَبَدَا مِثْل ذَلِك ، عَدَدَ خَلْقِكَ وَرِضَى نَفْسِكَ وَزِنَةِ عَرْشِكَ وَمِدَادِ كَلِمَاتِك
O God send blessings upon our Master Muḥammad as much as the eyes see, as much as the earth becomes verdant after rainfall, the number of people making Ḥajj and ‘Umra, making the talbīyah, shaving their heads, making ṭawwāf around the Ancient House and kissing the Stone and upon his family and companions in every instant forever, [the amount of] the number of Your creation, to Your satisfaction, the weight of Your throne and the amount of ink of Your words.
May Allah grant us tawfiq. And success is from Allah alone. Ameen.
Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.
And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam
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