The Blessed First Ten Days of Dhul-Hijjah

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم 

The first ten days of Dhul Hijjah are among the most blessed days of the entire year. 

The Prophet ﷺ said that no righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than deeds done during these ten days, and fasting is one of the greatest acts of worship among them—especially the fast of the Day of Arafah, which expiates the sins of the previous and coming year for those not performing Hajj. 

These sacred days are an opportunity to increase in worship, du‘a, dhikr, charity, Qur’an recitation, and sincere repentance. Fasting during the first nine days softens the heart, strengthens taqwa, and draws a believer closer to Allah during a season filled with mercy, forgiveness, and immense reward.

Du‘ā’ for Forgiveness and Acceptance

اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْهَا أَيَّامَ خَيْرٍ وَبَرَكَةٍ وَمَغْفِرَةٍ، وَتَقَبَّلْ مِنَّا صَالِحَ الْأَعْمَالِ

Allahummaj‘alhā ayyāma khayrin wa barakah wa maghfirah, wa taqabbal minnā ṣāliḥal-a‘māl.

“O Allah, make these days days of goodness, blessing, and forgiveness, and accept our righteous deeds.”

Recommended Dhikr for the First 10 Days

The Prophet ﷺ encouraged abundant remembrance of Allah during these days:

الله أكبر الله أكبر الله أكبر

Allāhu Akbar, Allāhu Akbar, Allāhu Akbar

لا إله إلا الله

Lā ilāha illallāh

الحمد لله

Alḥamdulillāh

سبحان الله وبحمده

SubḥānAllāhi wa biḥamdih

And especially:

الله أكبر الله أكبر لا إله إلا الله، والله أكبر الله أكبر ولله الحمد

Allāhu Akbar Allāhu Akbar lā ilāha illallāh, wallāhu Akbar Allāhu Akbar wa lillāhil-ḥamd.

May Allah make these ten days a source of mercy, forgiveness, barakah, and nearness to Him for you and your family.

Aameen.

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Welcome Dhul-Hijjah 1447

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم 

Welcome, blessed days of Dhul Hijjah — the most beloved days to Allah for righteous deeds. These sacred days are a gift for every believer: a chance to renew the heart, seek forgiveness, and draw closer to Allah through worship and sincerity. 

Fill your days with prayer, fasting, Qur’an, dhikr, charity, takbir, repentance, and kindness to others. Fast especially on the Day of Arafah if you are not performing Hajj, and increase in saying: Allahu Akbar, Alhamdulillah, La ilaha illa Allah. Do not let these precious days pass like ordinary days — they may be the very days that change your life and raise your rank with Allah.

Du‘ā’ for Entering the Blessed Days

اللَّهُمَّ بَلِّغْنَا ذِي الْحِجَّةِ، وَأَعِنَّا فِيهَا عَلَى ذِكْرِكَ وَشُكْرِكَ وَحُسْنِ عِبَادَتِكَ

Allahumma ballighnā Dhul Ḥijjah, wa a‘innā fīhā ‘alā dhikrika wa shukrika wa ḥusni ‘ibādatik.

“O Allah, allow us to reach Dhul Hijjah, and help us in it to remember You, thank You, and worship You excellently.”

Aameen.

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Reflection: A Living Testimonial of the Quran

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم 

الر ۚ تِلْكَ آيَاتُ الْكِتَابِ الْمُبِينِ ‎﴿١﴾

Alif, Lam, Ra. These are the verses of the clear Book. (1) (Surah Yusuf 12:1)

Every believer that comes to the Quran becomes a living testimonial of what the Word of Allah did for them. Then they share that--how it clarified things in their lives and they want to go out and share with others and clarify things in their lives.

And Allah knows best.

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Reflection: The Devil is a Manifest Enemy to Us

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم 

A;;ah warned us in Quran,

إِنَّ الشَّيْطَانَ لِلْإِنسَانِ عَدُوٌّ مُّبِينٌ

Indeed Satan, to man, is a manifest enemy. (Surah Yusuf 12:5)

The devil is clear open enemy to us. He has, from day one, made his intentions clear. The devil's plan is not a secret-- the jealousy, assumption, animosity, lust, greed  arrogance, forgetfulness, pride-- is made known in the Quran by Allah.

Today the devil's game is jealousy, but tomorrow, might be lust, after that it might be greed, after that it might be arrogance, after it might be forgetfulness. He will use different kind of games. Whether he comes at you from the right, left, center, top, bottom, it doesn't matter.The devil is the real enemy.

It is the devil you should developed hatred for, not humans--like your parents, siblings, children, spouse..

So long as the human being is breathing, there is hope that they can recognize the plot of the devil, shun the devil and turn back to Allah.They still have that opportunity.

So if you hate people, it is as if you condemn them when you should have condemned the devil.

No family is immuned from complications. Allah will not give you and me a normal family. There will be somebody who struggle. That's just how He made us. Allah decided you are going to be around certain people in your life, and they are going to be your trial and you are going to be theirs. You are tied to them for life--your family.

So, we have to let go of the idea of some kind of a life that none of the people in our lives is going to be a source of difficulty. And we also have to let go of the idea that people who are a source of our difficulty are somehow the devil. They are not. They may have failed to recognize the devil's animosity towards them. All we can say they failed to recognize that the devil was able to use them successfully. When they are not able to let go of their pride, ill-conceived notion...then they are struggling with the shaytan animosity towards the children of Adam.

Who better than a prophet (prophet Ya'qub) to know that his children has a shaytan problem, yet he is helpless. Because every human being has to take his own steps. You and me coming from a good family doesn't ensure that we are free from the shaytan's trap.

And Allah knows best.

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The First Step to Guidance: Listening

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم 

Allah says,

وَقَالُوا۟ لَوْ كُنَّا نَسْمَعُ أَوْ نَعْقِلُ مَا كُنَّا فِىٓ أَصْحَٰبِ ٱلسَّعِيرِ

“If only we had been listening or thinking, we would not be among the people of the Blaze” (Al-Mulk 67:10) 

This ayah is teaching us something very simple but very important: it’s not enough to just hear the truth—you have to be willing to accept it.

This ayah is not about people who never had a chance to learn. It’s about people who did hear the message, but didn’t really listen or think about it. They had the opportunity, but they didn’t use it.

Listening here means more than just hearing words. It means being open—letting the message reach your heart. And thinking means taking a moment to reflect: “Is this true? What should I do about it?” When a person stops doing both—listening and thinking—they block their own path to guidance.

We see this in everyday life. Some people don’t reject the truth after understanding it—they avoid it completely. They don’t want to hear reminders, they change the subject, or even turn off the Qur’an. Over time, this becomes a habit. Their heart slowly gets used to staying away from anything that might bring them closer to Allah. What starts as discomfort can turn into resistance, and then into not caring at all.

But we also need to be understanding. It’s not always just stubbornness. Sometimes people avoid listening because:

• they’ve been hurt
• they feel judged
• they feel guilty
• or they’ve had bad experiences

Yes, Shayṭan tries to pull people away, but many of these struggles are very human. That’s why we need to approach others with kindness, not harshness.

So what is our role when we see this happening?

It’s not our job to force people to listen. We can’t control hearts. Our job is simply to open the door, not push them through it.

That can be something small, like:

• sharing a short reminder
• sending a meaningful video
• saying something kind
• or just showing good character

Sometimes a small effort works better than a long talk.

Also, when someone feels uncomfortable hearing the Qur’an, it doesn’t always mean their heart is dead. Sometimes it means something inside them is reacting. There is still something there. A completely closed heart wouldn’t feel anything at all.

The ayah also shows that becoming among the people of the Blaze doesn’t happen suddenly. It happens little by little—when someone keeps choosing not to listen or think. But the opposite is also true. A person who starts listening, even a little, can slowly come closer to Allah.

And there is always hope. The one who turns away today might be the one who listens tomorrow. The person who once said, “Turn it off,” might one day find peace in it.

In the end, this verse is reminding all of us:

• stay open
• be willing to listen
• take time to think

Because guidance might already be there—we just have to let it in.

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