The First 10 Days of Dhu’l-Hijja

Peace, one and all…

We have entered the first ten days of Dhu al-Hijja, the month of the pilgrimage (Hajj).  The Islamic tradition regards this as a time of great spiritual blessing.  It is often marked by fasting (particularly on the ninth of Dhu al-Hijja - the Day of Arafah) and other voluntary practices.

There are numerous reports from the Prophet himself (alaihi al-salatu wa al-salam) regarding this.  Including the following:

Ibn `Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days.” The people asked, “Not even Jihad for the sake of Allah?” He said, “Not even Jihad for the sake of Allah, except in the case of a man who went out, giving himself and his wealth up for the cause (of Allah), and came back with nothing.” (Reported by Al-Bukhari)

`Abdullah ibn `Umar (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “There are no days greater in the sight of Allah and in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Him than these ten days, so during this time recite a great deal of tahlil [saying: 'there is no god but Allah'], takbir [saying 'God is great'] and tahmid [praising God].” (Reported by Ahmad)

Another prominent theme of this time of year is repentance (tauba).  So, with this in mind (and being aware of the extent to which I personally need to repent), I will concentrate on this theme (and on the Hajj in general) in the next few days, insha Allah.

And praise be to God, who has opened up to us all the possibility of turning over a new leaf.

Jazak Allah to Shaykh Amer Jamil for providing the hadith materials.

Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman