ميحربهللا هللا مسا هللا مسب

2-12-1437H

A Message to those who have reached the 10 Days of

DhulهللاHijjah……

4/9/2016

We have to be grateful to Allah for prolonging our lives to reach these 10 Days of Dhul-Hijjah; The greatest days of the worldly life. Allah creates whatever He wills and chooses whatever He wills of times, days, people, places and gives them certain blessings. And the Will of Allah is based on His Knowledge and Wisdom. E.g. Allah gave preference to Makkah and Madinah over the rest of the lands, the night of Al-Qadar over the rest of the nights of the year, and these 10 Days of Dhul-Hijjah. Actions performed during these blessed times and places have a great status with Allah.

The Virtues of these 10 Days -> Allah swore by these 10 days in Surah Al-Fajr [86:2]:

"By the ten nights (i.e. the first ten days of the month of Dhul-Hijjah)." The commentators of the Qur'an, like Ibn Abbas and others, said that the 10 nights refer to the 10 days of Dhul-Hijjah. Allah swore by these days to emphasize their greatness in His sight. However, most people are heedless of these days and are occupied with their worldly lives.

-> The Scholars differed with regards to the virtue of these days in comparison to the last 10 nights of Ramadan. Ibn Taymiyah said that the day time of the 10 days of Dhul-Hijjah are superior than the day time of the last 10 days of Ramadan, however the last 10 nights of Ramadan are greater than the 10 nights of Dhul-Hijjah. However, other Scholars said that the 10 nights of Dhul-Hujjah are still superior to the last 10 nights of Ramadan. What you do during the night time is great in reward as well. This is because "وم .in Arabic includes day and night "ي -> We should remember Allah much during these 10 days, acting upon the command of Allah in [22:28]:

"That they may witness things that are of benefit to them (i.e. reward of Hajj in the Hereafter, and also some worldly gain from trade, etc.), and mention the Name of Allah on appointed days, over the beast of cattle that He has provided for them (for sacrifice). Then eat thereof and feed therewith the poor who have a very hard time." We remember Allah much by saying the Takbir, Tahleel, Tahmeed:

The men say it loudly and the women in a lower voice.

-> The Prophet ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص said:

الجهاد ول قال وا". هذه في العمل من أفضل العشر أيام في العمل ما

"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 (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) said, "Not

even Jihad?" The companions asked this question, because they knew the great virtue of Jihad. In another narration,

ال، أن ـ عنه هللا رضى ـ مسع ود ابن عن الصالة " قال ل أفض األعمال أى وسلم عليه هللا صلى النبي سأل رج سبيل في الجهاد ث م الوالدين، وبر لوقتها، ". الل

Narrated Ibn Mas`ud: A man asked the Prophet (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) "What deeds are the

best?" The Prophet (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) said: "(1) To perform the (daily compulsory) prayers

at their (early) stated fixed times, (2) to be good and dutiful to one's own parents, (3) and to participate in Jihad in Allah's Cause." [Bukhari]

ل إل الجهاد ، ول" قال " بشىء يرجع فلم وماله بنفسه ي خاطر خرج رج

He replied, "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." [Bukhari] This means that if a man dies and he does not lose his property, the deeds you perform during these days are still greater than him. We need to feel the greatness of these days and be diligent in performing good deeds.

-> Among these 10 days is the Day of Arafah

The Virtues of the Day of Arafah

- The Prophet ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص said:

عة يوم والشاهد عرفة يوم المشه ود واليوم القيامة يوم الموع ود اليوم " م غربت ول الشمس طلعت وما الج

ؤمن عبد ي وافق ها ل ساعة فيه منه أفضل يوم على يدع و م إل شر من يستعيذ ول له الل استجاب إل بخير الل " منه الل أعاذه

"Al-Yawmul-Maw’ud (the Promised Day) is the Day of Resurrection, and Al-Yawmul-Mashhud (the Attended Day) is the Day of Arafah, and Ash-Shahid (the witness) is Friday.” He said: “The sun does not rise nor set, upon a day that is more virtuous than it. In it, there is an hour in which no believing worshipper makes a supplication to Allah for good, except that Allah answers it for him, and he does not seek Allah’s aid for something, except that He aids him in it.” [Tirmithi]

- The Prophet ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص said:

ن والنب يون أنا ق لت ما وخير عرفة يوم د عاء الدعاء خير " يك ل وحده الل إ ل إ له ل قبل ي م لك له له شر الم

ير شيء ك ل على وه و الحمد وله " قد

“The best of supplication is the supplication of the Day of `Arafah. And the best of what I and the Prophets before me have said is: None has the right to be worshipped but Allah, Alone, without partner, to Him belongs all that exists, and to Him belongs the Praise, and He is powerful over all things. (Lā ilāha illallāh, waḥdahu lā sharīka lahu, lahul-mulku wa lahul-ḥamdu, wa huwa `alā kulli shai’in qadīr).’” [At-Tirmithi]

The Prophet ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص called it a دعاء (supplication), not a ر This .(remembrance) ذك

means that you are invoking Allah by these words; it will be sufficient for you and

you will be rewarded for it. Ibn Uthaymeen said that this supplication implicitly comprises of a دعاء.

-> The Prophet ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص said:

فيقول المالئكة بهم يباهي ثم ليدنو وإنه ، عرفة يوم من النار من عبدا فيه هللا يعتق أن من أكثر يوم من ما" " ؟ هؤلء أراد ما:

“There is no day on which Allaah frees more people from the Fire than the Day of ‘Arafaah. He comes close and expresses His pride to the angels, saying, ‘What do these people want?’” [Muslim]

، عرفة بأهل عرفة عشية مالئكته يباهي تعالى هللا إن: " قال وسلم عليه هللا صلى النبي أن عمر ابن وعن " غبرا شعثا أتوني عبادي إلى انظروا: فيقول

It was reported from Ibn ‘Umar that the Prophet ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص said: “Allaah expresses

His pride to His angels at the time of ‘Ishaa’ on the Day of ‘Arafaah, about the people of ‘Arafaah. He says, ‘Look at My slaves who have come unkempt and dusty.’” [Ahmad]

This is not limited to those who perform Hajj, it includes those who reside in their countries as Ibn Rajab and other contemporary Scholars have mentioned. So if you repeat the دعاء, sit down invoking Allah from after Asr until Maghrib - even if you are not at Arafah, you may be of those who are redeemed from the hellfire and whom Allah will grant whatever they want.

-> Of these days is the Day of AlNahr (The Day of Sacrifice) This is the 10th of Dhul-Hijjah and the day of Eid. Scholars have differed regarding whether the Day of Arafah or the Day of Nahr is the best day - and the preponderant view is that it is the Day of Nahr.

The Prophet ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص said:

"القر يوم ث م النحر يوم وتعالى تبارك هللا عند األيام أعظم إن"“The best day with Allah is Yawm-un-Nahr, the day of sacrifice and then Yum-al-Qarr (the day that follows, when the pilgrims reside in the camps of Mina for worship).” [Ahmad] On this day, many acts of worship are performed. It is the day when people offer their sacrificial animals. -> Amongst these days is the Day of Tarwiyah (The 8th day of Dhul-Hijjah) This is when the pilgrims begin the Hajj Rituals. They wear their Ihram and move to Mina, repeating the Talbiya:

Then they reside in Mina until the next day where they go to Arafah. -> Hajj, the 5th Pillar of Islam is performed during these 10 Days. -> Another significance of these days is that all the acts of the 5 Pillars of Islam can be performed during them, and this does not occur in any other time.

The State of the People

Allah, ب ك ح ب ,The All-Wise - م كي The Most Generous; knows our weakness - مand incapacity. Therefore, He gifted us these 10 Days of Dhul-Hijjah, in order for us to attain more rewards, in order to free us from the Hellfire. Allah loves and wants us to go to Paradise, but we are the one rejecting this gift. It is not befitting for us to refuse a gift from Allah - so receive this gift with gratitude by making these 10 days of Dhul-Hijjah different from the other days of your life. This indicates that you magnify Allah and thus magnify what He magnifies. Allah swore by these 10 Days, indicating their greatness. Just having this feeling of magnification in your heart, before performing any good deeds, will reap you huge rewards with Allah. Because the actions of the heart precede the action of the limbs. The actions of the heart are important with Allah. If you do not have belief of faith to motivate you to take actions, the reward you have for your actions will not be much. We are all travelers in the Dunya - we are traveling to Allah. The days are stations, and the last station is the day we meet Allah. In your journey you will face many obstacles. Allah, out of His graciousness, gives us these seasons in order to shorten the way and make it easier for us. But how many of us consider it this way? Although we profusely hear about the virtues and significance of the 10 Days of Dhul-Hijjah where is our feelings towards Allahs favour upon us? Towards Allahs mercy upon us? This lack of feelings indicate there is something wrong with our hearts. Our hearts are occupied with this life. We want to come close to Allah but

we are fettered with our worldly occupations. Our worldly occupations prevent us from feeling the greatness of these days. You know your heart is alive through feelings. The more you feel Allahs greatness and favours, the more alive your heart is. But we are as Allah said in [102:1]:

"The mutual rivalry for piling up of worldly things diverts you," We are distracted by increasing in worldly things. This is what has diverted us from feeling Allah's blessings. And on top of that we have the Shaytan. In Ramadan the Devils are chained, so it easy to worship Allah. However, during these 10 days, it is not as easy. You have three enemies preventing you from getting closer to Allah: The evil of yourself, the Shaytan, evil people. If you struggle hard against these enemies, you will have great rewards with Allah. A Sheikh said that the pilgrims are 1-3 million. There are just as many Shayateen. So how many have a Hajj Mabroor? In [21:1-2]:

"Draws near for mankind their reckoning, while they turn away in heedlessness." ترب" .is a verb in the past tense. This indicates the inevitability of it occurring "اقThe Reckoning is coming very close, but the state of most of the people is: لة" ف In heedlessness, negligence, lack of awareness. They are unaware of the - "غpurpose behind their creation, of why Allah brought them in this life. ضون" They are turning away from the remembrance of Allah; from the - "معرguidance. They do not want to hear the reminder nor act upon it.

"Comes not unto them an admonition (a chapter of the Quran) from their Lord as a recent revelation but they listen to it while they play" No admonition or reminder comes to them from their Lord;- whether it is a verse, lecture, a piece of advice - except they receive it while they are playing. بون" ع ل is any action a person does just to fulfill their desires. Vain gatherings "يand outings are all included in 'play'. Allah then describes the state of their hearts:

"With their hearts occupied (with evil things) those who do wrong, conceal their

private counsels, (saying): "Is this (Muhammad ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) more than a human being

like you? Will you submit to magic while you see it?" They play with their bodies, while their hearts are distracted, diverted, and occupied with this enjoyment: Although Allah says that the Day of Judgement is close; your Reckoning is close. Accordingly, who feels the greatness of these 10 Days of Dhul Hijjah? The person who is concerned about the Day of Judgement; of the Day when he meets Allah, of loneliness in his grave, of the day when his efforts and deeds will be presented to him. What will he say to Allah on that day? So whoever is concerned about the day of judgement will be heedful, attentive, and take advantage of these days.

This does not mean you cannot enjoy this life. Allah have us blessings and favours. He gave us good health, family, children, food. You enjoy them in a lawful way, but not to the point where it diverts you from Allah and His remembrance. And you use these blessings and direct them towards Allah; to seek the reward of Allah - by spending of them in Allahs cause. You have to find the balance. In [28:77]:

"But seek, with that (wealth) which Allah has bestowed on you, the home of the Hereafter, and forget not your portion of legal enjoyment in this world, and do good as Allah has been good to you, and seek not mischief in the land. Verily, Allah likes not the Mufsidun (those who commit great crimes and sins, oppressors, tyrants, mischief-makers, corrupts)."

What are the deeds we can perform during these 10 Days? 1) Begin these days with true repentance to Allah. In [24:31]:

إ لى وت وب وا"... يعا الل ن ون أيه جم ؤم ون لعلك م الم ..."ت فل ح "...And all of you beg Allah to forgive you all, O believers, that you may be successful..." If you repent to Allah, you will be successful. When a person commits sins it causes darkness in the heart, and this affects the light of faith. No matter how beautiful a person is, sins will reflect on their face. Sins fetter a person, and prevent him from performing good deeds. As long as we commit sins we will feel laziness in performing good deeds. The more you repent the more your heart will be clear, light will be given, Allah will show you right from wrong, and you will be able to hasten performing good deeds. We should repent from the apparent sins and hidden sins. When people are alone, they may commit sins, forgetting that Allah ب ق .is watching them مAnother type of hidden sins are sins of the heart. Allah, out of His mercy, will decree events for us with people. You react in this situation - with limbs, tongue, and your thoughts. Your reaction teaches you what type of person you are:- if you have jealousy, pride, self-conceit, etc. Ask yourself why you took that action, why you said this word, why those thoughts came to your mind. Sometimes you may not know if what you did what right or wrong - in this situation, invoke Allah.

The Prophet ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص said:

"The one who repents from sin is like one who did not sin.’” True repentance, whose doer Allah loves, is when a person: 1) Quits the sin immediately 2) Feels Remorse 3) Resolves to never go back to it again.

4) Follow it with good deeds. Because in [11:114]:

"And perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), at the two ends of the day and in some hours of the night [i.e. the five compulsory Salat (prayers)]. Verily, the good deeds remove the evil deeds (i.e. small sins). That is a reminder (an advice) for the mindful (those who accept advice)." In [2:222]:

"Truly, Allah loves those who turn unto Him in repentance and loves those who purify themselves" If Allah loves you, He will bring you closer to Him, and you will become one of His Awliyaa. 2) Take Care of the Obligatory Acts of Worship And the most important of all obligatory actions is your obligatory prayer. Focus on offering it with humility, concentration, understanding, in the way pleasing to Allah. Remember that each position in the Salaat indicates something: When you are in Rukoo' your sins are dropping from your shoulders, when you are in Sujood you are in the closest position to Allah, etc. If you remind yourself of these Hadiths whilst in prayer you will come out of the prayer having great rewards with Allah.

3) Remember Allah profusely by Takbir, Tahleel, Tahmeed.

The Prophet ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص said:

والتكبير التهليل من فيهن فأكثروا العشر األيام هذه من فيهن العمل إليه أحب ول هللا عند أعظم أيام من ما"

"والتحميد

“There are no days that are greater before Allaah or in which good deeds are more beloved to Him, than these ten days, so recite a great deal of tahleel, takbeer and tahmeed during them.” [Ahmad] Do not waste these days in vain talk. Some of the male Salaf used to go to the marketplaces and proclaim the Takbur loudly. 4) Offer voluntary prayers Increase in voluntary prayers like the Rawatib, Salaat ad-Duha, etc. -> The voluntary prayers mend the deficiencies in the obligatory prayers -> The voluntary prayers are a means of attaining Allahs love. When Allah loves you He will respond to your Dua and grant you protection when you seek it. -> The voluntary prayers are a means of expiation of sins -> They are a means of elevating ones rank with Allah. The companions always looked for the most beloved deeds, because they were always seeking high degrees in Paradise. Whereas for us, we are just happy if we are freed from the Hellfire. Ask Allah for the highest degrees in Paradise.

The Prophet ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص said:

د عبد من ما" يسج وا درجة بها له ورفع سي ئة بها عنه ومحا حسنة بها له الل كتب إل سجدة لل من فاستكثر

ود " الس ج

“No one prostrates to Allah but Allah will record one Hasanah (good reward) for him, and will erase thereby one bad deed and raise him in status one degree. So prostrate a great deal.” [Ibn Majah] 5) Offering the Sacrificial Animal (The Udhiya) This is a highly stressed Sunnah; some Scholars say it is obligatory for those who can afford it. It is one ram for one house, and the person offering it should not take from his hair, skin, nails, from the 1st Day of Dhul-Hijjah until he slaughters the animal. 6) Giving Charity This is not limited to money. In [57:11]:

"Who is he that will lend to Allah a goodly loan, then (Allah) will increase it manifold to his credit (in repaying), and he will have (besides) a good reward (i.e. Paradise)."

The Prophet ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص said:

"On every Muslim there is enjoined (a compulsory) Sadaqa (alms)." They (the people) said, "If one has nothing?' He said, "He should work with his hands so that he may benefit himself and give in charity." They said, "If he cannot work or does not work?" He said, "Then he should help the oppressed unhappy person (by word or action or both). " They said, "If he does not do it?" He said, "Then he should enjoin what is good (or said what is reasonable).' They said, "If he does not do that''' He said, "Then he should refrain from doing evil, for that will be considered for Him as a Sadaqa (charity) . " [Bukhari]

In another Hadith:

على الرجل وتعين صدقة، الثنين بين تعدل: الشمس فيه تطلع يوم كل صدقة، عليه الناس من سالمى كل" الصالة إلى تمشيها خطوة وبكل صدقة، الطيبة والكلمة. صدقة متاعه عليها له ترفع أو عليها، فتحمله دابته

"صدقة الطريق عن األذى وتميط صدقة،

"On every joint of man, there is charity, on everyday when the sun rises: doing justice between two men is charity, and assisting a man to ride an animal or to load his luggage on it is charity; and a good word is charity, every step which one takes towards (the mosque for) Salat is charity, and removing harmful things from the way is charity". [Agreed upon] 7) Fast the 9 days, especially on the Day of Arafah

The Prophet ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص used to fast the first nine days of Dhul-Hijjah.

يكفر: " فقال عرفة يوم صوم عن سئل وسلم عليه هللا صلى هللا رسول أن عنه هللا رضي قتادة أبي عن

" القابلة والسنة الماضية السنة It was reported from Abu Qutaadah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was asked about fasting on the Day of ‘Arafaah. He said, “It expiates for the sins of the previous year and of the coming year.” Narrated by Muslim. 8) Establish the Nights with Prayer Hope to be one of the Ibadur-Rahman, whom Allah praised in [25:64]:

"And those who spend the night before their Lord, prostrate and standing."

9) Perform transitive good deeds This refers to good deeds which benefit others. These deeds are more preferable than the deeds which only affect yourself. One example is making Da'wah to Mulims and non-Muslims - by word, giving booklets, sending messages, teaching people, etc. Allah said regarding this person in [43: If you help those who make Da'wah you will share with them in reward. And making Da'wah in these 10 Days is unlike making Da'wah during other days.

Another example is making reconciliation between people. The Prophet ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص

said:

ك م أل " يام درجة من بأفضل أ خبر دقة والصالة الص صالح " قال. بلى قال وا" . والص " الحالقة هي البين ذات فساد فإن البين ذات

"Shall I not inform you of what is more virtuous than the rank of fasting, Salat, and charity?" They said: "But of course!" He said: "Making peace between each other. For indeed spoiling relations with each other is the Haliqah." [Tirmithi]

Another is keeping your relationship between your kith and kin. The Prophet ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص

said:

إن" حم قالت خلقه، من فرغ إذا حتى الخلق خلق الل ترضين أما نعم قال. القطيعة من بك العائذ مقام هذا الر رس ول قال". لك فهو قال. رب يا بلى قالت. قطعك من وأقطع. وصلك من أصل أن " وسلم عليه هللا صلى الل

ع وا األرض في ت فسد وا أن توليت م إن عسيت م فهل} شئت م إن فاقرء وا {".أرحامك م وت قط "Allah created the creations, and when He finished from His creations, Ar-Rahm i.e., womb said, "(O Allah) at this place I seek refuge with You from all those who sever me (i.e. sever the ties of Kith and kin). Allah said, 'Yes, won't you be pleased that I will keep good relations with the one who will keep good relations with you, and I will sever the relation with the one who will sever the relations with you.' It said, 'Yes, O my Lord.' Allah said, 'Then that is for you ' "

Allah's Messenger (ملسو هيلع هللا ىلص) added. "Read (in the Qur'an) if you wish, the

Statement of Allah: 'Would you then, if you were given the authority, do mischief in the land and sever your ties of kinship?' (47.22) [Bukhari] 10) Have a good intention for everything you do If you want to eat, drink, sleep, have an intention that you are doing so to nourish your body in order to have strength to worship Allah. Turn your عادات (habits) into بادات .(acts of worship) عEven if the wife and husband have relations for Allah's sake, because it is a charity, they will be rewarded for it. If you go to the supermarket, have a good intention, and you will be rewarded for it. Use the things you like and enjoy doing to have rewards with Allah.

إلى الناس أحب م الل إلى األعمال وأحب للناس أنفع ه ور الل سلم على ت دخل ه س ر أو ك ربة عنه تكشف أو م د أو دينا عنه تقضي وعا عنه تطر هذا في أعتكف أن من إلي أحب حاجة في أخيه مع أمشي وألن ج ي مضيه أن شاء ولو غيظه كظم ومن عورته الل ستر غضبه كف ومن شهرا المدينة مسجد يعني المسجد وجل عز الل أثبت له أثبتها حتى حاجة في أخيه مع مشى ومن القيامة يوم أمنا قلبه وجل عز الل مل أمضاه راط على قدمه األقدام فيه تزل يوم الص

Ibn Umar reported: The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The most beloved people to Allah are those who are most beneficial to the people. The most beloved deed to Allah is to make a Muslim happy, or to remove one of his troubles, or to forgive his debt, or to feed his hunger. That I walk with a brother regarding a need is more beloved to me than that I seclude myself in this mosque in Medina for a month. Whoever swallows his anger, then Allah will conceal his faults. Whoever suppresses his rage, even though he could fulfill his anger if he wished, then Allah will secure his heart on the Day of Resurrection. Whoever walks with his brother regarding a need until he secures it for him, then Allah the Exalted will make his footing firm across the bridge on the day when the footings are shaken.” [al-Muʻjam al-Awsat 6192]