إنَّ الْحَمْدَ لِلهِ نَحْمَدُهُ وَنَسْتَعِينُهُ وَنَسْتَغْفِرُهُ، وَنَعُوذُ بِاللهِ مِنْ شُرُورِ أَنْفُسِنَا وَمِنْ سَيِّئَاتِ أَعْمَالِنَا، مَنْ يَهْدِهِ اللهُ فَلاَ مُضِلَّ لَهُ، وَمَنْ يُضْلِلْ فَلاَ هَادِىَ لَهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنْ لاَ إِلَهَ إِلاَّ اللهُ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ، وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ
ثما أَمَّا بَعْدُ
عباد الله
O servants of Allah! We are on the threshold of great days, which are among the best days of the year. Moreover, many scholars (‘ulama) say that these days are the best days of the year and that they are better than the last ten days of Ramadan. I am speaking of the first ten days of the month of Dhul-Hijjah, on whose threshold we now stand. Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) swore by these ten days and nights, saying:
Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, the Imam of the Quranic exegetes, says: ‘There is a consensus (Ijma’) among scholars that this refers to the first ten days of the month of Dhul-Hijjah.’ And Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) says:
وَيَذْكُرُوا اسْمَ اللَّهِ فِي أَيَّامٍ مَّعْلُومَاتٍ
“…pronounce the Name of Allah on appointed days”
Ibn ‘Abbas says that these well-known days are the ten days of Dhul-Hijjah. O servants of Allah, Imam al-Bukhari narrates a hadith from Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said:
ما العَمَلُ في أيَّامٍ أفْضَلَ منها في هذه
“No good deeds done on other days are superior to those done on these (first ten days of Dhul Hijja).”
Then some companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) said,
He replied,
ولا الجِهادُ، إلَّا رَجُلٌ خَرَجَ يُخاطِرُ بنَفْسِه ومالِه، فلَمْ يَرْجِعْ بشَيءٍ
“Not even Jihad, except that of a man who does it by putting himself and his property in danger (for Allah’s sake) and does not return with any of those things.”
The hadith was narrated by al-Bukhari (969).
What is this deed that is better than jihad in the way of Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He), except for a special case?! What an important period this is in our lives! Our predecessors understood this, unlike us. Therefore, as Ad-Darimi narrates, Sa’id ibn Jubayr (may Allah have mercy on him) showed such diligence when these ten days arrived, doing things that were practically impossible.
Therefore, O servants of Allah, let us strive and, first and foremost, put in order the obligatory religious prescriptions (fard): let us perform more voluntary prayers, constantly read the Quran and reflect on the Quran during these days, let us not forget the remembrance of Allah (dhikr) in the morning and evening, and dhikr throughout the day; let us strive by giving charity (sadaqa), fasting, and performing all kinds of righteous deeds.
But know that there are seven deeds specifically intended for these days, and they are gathered within these ten days.
The first deed, which is one of the pillars (rukns) of Islam, is Hajj.
Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) says:
وَلِلَّهِ عَلَى النَّاسِ حِجُّ الْبَيْتِ مَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيلًا
Pilgrimage to this House is an obligation by Allah upon whoever is able among the people
(Quran, Surah Al ‘Imran, 3:97)
Al-Bayhaqi narrates that ‘Umar al-Farooq (the Commander of the Faithful, ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab) said:
ليمت يهودياً أو نصرانياً رجل مات ولم يحج ووجد لذلك سعة وخليت سبيله
Let a man die a Jew or a Christian if he dies without performing Hajj, even though he had the means and the path was open to him.” This indicates the danger that if a person can perform Hajj, he must do so as soon as he has the opportunity. And Hajj is obligatory only once in a lifetime, O servants of Allah! And if a person has the opportunity but delays, he may fall under those very words that ‘Umar al-Farooq (may Allah be pleased with him) said.
The second deed is the sacrifice (udhiyah, qurban).
The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) did not miss this act of worship. As Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates:
ضَحَّى النبيُّ صَلَّى اللهُ عليه وسلَّمَ بكَبْشينِ أمْلَحَيْنِ أقْرَنَيْنِ، ذَبَحَهُما بيَدِهِ، وسَمَّى وكَبَّرَ، ووَضَعَ رِجْلَهُ علَى صِفَاحِهِمَا
The Prophet (ﷺ) offered as sacrifices, two horned rams, black and white in color. He slaughtered them with his own hands and mentioned Allah’s Name over them and said Takbir and put his foot on their sides.
The hadith was narrated by al-Bukhari (5565) and Muslim (1966).
Therefore, a person should strive to acquire an animal for qurban (al-udhiyah). If someone has the opportunity, let him not miss this great act of worship, which the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) never missed. If you have the opportunity to do it at home, in your own yard, then it is better to do it at home, so that your children are present for it, so that this ritual of Islam is practiced and they learn from it.
The third deed is the prohibition of removing hair, nails, and anything from the skin.
It is forbidden to cut nails, or to cut or remove hair, or anything from the skin for a person who intends to slaughter a qurban. As soon as these ten days of Dhul-Hijjah begin (the first night of the month of Dhul-Hijjah arrives) — that’s it, from this moment on, no hair, no nails, nothing from the skin can be touched.
The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said about this:
إذا دخَل العَشرُ فأراد أحدُكم أن يُضَحِّيَ فلا يَمَسَّ من شعَرِه ولا بشَرِه شيئًا
“When the ten days (of Dhul-Hijjah) begin, and one of you wants to offer a sacrifice, let him not remove anything from his hair or skin.”
The hadith was narrated by Muslim (1977), Ibn Majah (3149), and al-Tahawi (5511).
The fourth deed is fasting (siyam). It is desirable to fast the first nine days of the month of Dhul-Hijjah. This is narrated from one of the wives of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace):
كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَصُومُ تِسْعَ ذِي الْحِجَّةِ
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to fast the first nine days of Dhul-Hijjah
The hadith was narrated by Abu Dawud (2434), Sheikh al-Albani called it authentic.
This is also narrated from the companions, from Abu Hurayrah and others, that they practiced fasting for nine days of Dhul-Hijjah. But not all people can fast all nine days. But at least do this:
The fifth deed is fasting on the Day of ‘Arafah.
This fast is great in reward, because the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said:
صِيامُ يومِ عَرَفَةَ، أحْتَسِبُ على اللهِ أنْ يُكَفِّرَ السنَةَ التي قَبلَهُ، والسنَةَ التي بَعدَهُ
I seek from Allah that fasting on the day of ‘Arafa may atone for the sins of the preceding and the coming years
The hadith was narrated by Muslim (1162), Abu Dawud (2425), Ahmad (22650), at-Tirmidhi (749, 752), Ibn Majah (1730, 1738), and Ibn Hibban (3632).
Glory be to Allah (SubhanaAllah)! Sins of two years for one day of sincere fasting! O servant of Allah, do not miss this opportunity!
The sixth is the Eid prayer (Salat al-‘Eid).
The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) encouraged and commanded us to perform this prayer – it is very important. He commanded even menstruating women to be present at this prayer. Umm ‘Atiyyah narrates that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said:
يَخْرُجُ العَوَاتِقُ وَذَوَاتُ الخُدُورِ، أَوِ العَوَاتِقُ ذَوَاتُ الخُدُورِ، وَالحُيَّضُ، وَلْيَشْهَدْنَ الخَيْرَ، وَدَعْوَةَ المُؤْمِنِينَ، وَيَعْتَزِلُ الحُيَّضُ المُصَلَّى
He (the Messenger of Allah) commanded us that we should take out unmarried women and screened away ladies for ‘Id prayers, and he commanded the menstruating women to remain away from the place of worship of the Muslims.
The hadith was narrated by al-Bukhari (980) and Muslim (890).
If a menstruating woman is commanded to go to the Eid prayer, then what about others, O servants of Allah?! The gathering on this day is a great, manifest act of worship in Islam.
The Seventh Deed: Pronouncing Takbir Loudly
The seventh deed is pronouncing takbirs during these ten days and raising one’s voice, pronouncing takbirs loudly. Unfortunately, this is a Sunnah that people neglect: some are shy, some forget.
Al-Bukhari narrates that Ibn ‘Umar and Abu Hurayrah would go out to the markets during these ten days and loudly proclaim the takbir, and people, hearing them, would also begin to say the takbir. Therefore, it is desirable during these ten days to say the takbir loudly wherever possible: at home, on the road, when walking, when returning – wherever you can do it, do it!
And how is the takbir pronounced? There are different forms, but the most well-known, which you probably know, is:
اللهُ أكبر اللهُ أكبر، لا إلهَ إلَّا الله، اللهُ أكبر اللهُ أكبر، ولله الحَمْد /Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, la ilaha illa Allah, Allahu Akbar, Allahu Akbar, wa li-Allahi al-hamd/ (Allah is the greatest, Allah is the greatest, there is no god but Allah, Allah is the greatest, Allah is the greatest, and to Allah belongs all praise.)
Some people make a mistake, thinking that if they have already cut their nails or some hair, they can no longer make a sacrifice. This is a mistake! If, when these ten days began, you intended to make a sacrifice but cut some hair or nails, then you made a mistake, you acted incorrectly. But this does not mean that you cannot make a sacrifice now. You can, just return to refraining from cutting your nails and hair, and then, on the day of qurban, slaughter the sacrificial animal.
Furthermore, O servants of Allah, another question. Some say: “I did not intend to make a sacrifice, and only on the fifth or sixth day of Dhul-Hijjah, or two days before the qurban, did the intention to make it ripen for me. What should I do?” From the day your intention forms, begin to refrain from removing hair and nails.
A Final Admonition
And in conclusion, O servants of Allah, remember how you exerted yourselves in the last ten days of Ramadan, how you strove, how you stood in night prayers, tried to give sadaqa, remember Allah, and read the Quran! It is surprising why we are so sluggish and lazy during these days. Why do we neglect worship during these days? For these days are even better than the last ten days of Ramadan.
Therefore, let us not neglect, O servants of Allah, let us fear Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He), remind ourselves, our brothers, our relatives, remind our wives, our children, so that we spend these days in the best worship of Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He). For how many of these opportunities have we missed during these ten days of the past years! Let us not miss this opportunity now! Allah has allowed you to live, Allah has extended your life until this moment – do not neglect, O servant of Allah!
We ask Allah (Glorified and Exalted be He) by His mercy to grant us the opportunity to worship in the best way and to accept it from us.
