Did You Know...The First Ten Days of Dhul Hijjah Approaching ! From the most virtuous of days are the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah (the 12th month in the lunar calendar, one of the sacred months and the month of Hajj). A group of those from the People of Knowledge say: “Verily they are the best days of the year just as the last ten nights of Ramadaan are the best nights of the year.” Some of the various types of righteous actions which are done in these first ten days are mentioned below: 1). REMEMBRANCE OF ALLAAH The first of the righteous actions is the remembrance of Allaah ﺳﺒﺤﺎﻧﻪ ﻭﺗﻌﺎﻟﻰ. Allaah ﺳﺒﺤﺎﻧﻪ ﻭﺗﻌﺎﻟﻰ said: {…and the men and the women who remember Allaah much with their hearts and tongues – Allaah has prepared for them forgiveness and a great reward (i.e. Paradise).} [al-Ahzaab 33:35] It is affirmed in a number of texts the encouragement of mentioning the takbeer. Allaah ﺳﺒﺤﺎﻧﻪ ﻭﺗﻌﺎﻟﻰ said: {…and mention the Name of Allaah on appointed days (i.e. 10th, 11th, 12th, and 13th day of Dhul-Hijjah)} [al-Hajj 22:28] It has been affirmed from the Sahaabah (Companions) of the Prophet ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ and from him ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ , that they increased in the takbeer (saying “Allaahu Akbar—Allaah is the Greatest) in the first ten days of the month of Dhul Hijjah and they raised their voice with it, each one of them saying the takbeer on his own. They raised their voices until the mountains shook from their takbeer but they did not say the takbeer in unison (in Jamaa’ah). Each of them said the takbeer on his own. Praying at your Local Masjid is a daily MUST especially at Fajir & Ishaa prayer ! 2). VOLUNTARY ACTS OF WORSHIP One should implement the voluntary acts of worship – whether prayer, fasting or charity. It is reported in hadeeth that the Prophetﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ encouraged fasting the ten days of Dhul Hijja and it is reported that he ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ said: “Whoever fasts the Day of Arafah will have his sins expiated for two years (the past year and the coming year).” [Ibn Maajah] DO NOT CUT HAIR OR NAILS FOR THE ONE DOING THE SACRIFICE From what is considered as righteous actions on these ten days is that the one who wants to do the Udhiyyah (sacrificial slaughter) should not cut his hair or nails during these ten days. As such it is desired that he commits himself before these ten days by cutting his hair and nails. The Prophet ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ said: “When any one of you intending to sacrifice the animal enters in the month (of Dhul-Hijjah) he should not get his hair or nails touched (cut)”. [Muslim] Praying at your Local Masjid is a daily MUST especially at Fajir & Ishaa prayer ! 3). SUPPLICATE FOR THE HUJJAAJ One should make du`aa (supplication) for the hujjaaj (pilgrims who have embarked upon the Hajj) that Allaah ﺳﺒﺤﺎﻧﻪ ﻭﺗﻌﺎﻟﻰ keeps them safe from all evil and that He returns them to their countries. This is because the hujjaaj are the guests of Ar-Rahmaan so they have a right upon us that we supplicate for them for ease in their affairs and their safe return. Praying at your Local Masjid is a daily MUST especially at Fajir & Ishaa prayer ! 4). UDHIYYAH – SACRIFICIAL SLAUGHTER One should prepare to do the Udhiyyah (sacrificial slaughtering of an animal) and arranging distribution of the meat amongst family, friends, the needy etc. This is from the pious and righteous deeds. Abu Haneefah ﺭﺣﻤﻪ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ was of the opinion that it was from the obligatory acts but most of others say that it is desirable. The Prophet ﺻﻠﻰ ﺍﻟﻠﻪ ﻋﻠﻴﻪ ﻭﺳﻠﻢ said “Who does not slaughter should not come to the salaah”. [Ibn Maajah] Praying at your Local Masjid is a daily MUST especially at Fajir & Ishaa prayer ! 5). ATTEND THE `EID SALAAH From amongst the righteous actions is attending the salaatul `Eed, greeting one another, and leaving off fasting on the day of `Eed and on the days of Tashreeq (i.e. the 11th, 12th and 13th of Dhul Hijjah). Based on a lectured by Shaykh Sa`d ash-Shitree (may Allaah preserve him). Praying at your Local Masjid is a daily MUST especially at Fajir & Ishaa prayer ! **** Advice Concerning the Ten Days of Dhul-Hijjah In the name of Allaah, The All-Wise, The All-Knower, and may peace and blessings be upon the noblest of Prophets and Messengers, our Prophet Muhammad, his family and companions, as for what follows; Advice concerning the Ten days of Dhul-Hijjah by Sheikh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-’Uthaymeen, may Allaah have mercy upon him. Question: Oh noble sheikh, in a few days we will be entering into the ten days of Dhul-Hijjah [TN]. So what is your advice for the people regarding taking advantage of them? I hope for an explanation of its’ virtues and the actions that should be performed in it. Answer: The ten days of Dhul-Hijjah begins wth the entrance of the month and ends on the day of the ‘eid. The Messenger, may peace and blessings be upon him, said about actions in these ten days: “There are no days wherein righteous actions are more beloved to Allaah than these ten days. ” They said: Not even jihad in the way of Allaah? He said: “Not even jihad in the way of Allaah, except for a man who leaves out (for jihad) with his wealth and self and doesn’t return back with any of them.”[Ibn Abbaas-Saheeh Bukhaaree] So with this I strongly encourage my Muslim brothers to seize this tremendous opportunity, to perform many righteous actions in these ten days from recitation of the Qur’aan, remembrance of Allaah, charity, fasting, etc, strive to perform many different acts of obedience. Its very troubling to see that the people are heedless about these ten days. Do you not find them exerting themselves in the last ten nights of Ramadan? Na’m of course they exert themselves in them. However, with the ten days of Dhul-Hijjah you will be hard pressed to find one who differentiates between them and other than them. But if a person performs righteous actions in these ten days he revives that which the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, instructed with doing. Also if an individual intends to slaughter at the ending of these ten days then he shouldn’t remove anything from his hair, nails, or body. As for someone slaughtering on his behalf, then there’s nothing wrong with him clipping his own nails or cutting his hair. And if a person wants to slaughter for himself and his household with one sacrifice as is the sunnah, then it isn’t upon his family to abide by this principle. It only pertains to the one slaughtering, in this instance that being the father… Praying at your Local Masjid is a daily MUST especially at Fajir & Ishaa prayer ! (( إِذَا رَأَيْتُمُ الرَّجُلَ يَعْتَادُ الْمَسَاجِدَ، فَاشْهَدُوا لَهُ بِالْإِيمَانِ، قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: {إِنَّمَا يَعْمُرُ مَسَاجِدَ اللَّهِ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ} [التوبة: 18] Abu Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: the Messenger of Allah said, ‘No prayer is harder for the hypocrites than the morning (Fajir) and the night prayers (Ishaa) and if they knew the reward for these prayers at their respective times, they would certainly present themselves in the mosques even if they had to crawl. The Prophet added, Certainly I decided to order the muadhdhin to pronounce adhan and order a man to lead the prayer and then take a fire flame to burn all those who had not left their houses so far for the prayer along with their houses.’” (Bukhari, Adhan 29, Husumat 5, Ahkam 52; Muslim, Masajid 252, (651); Muwatta, Salatul-Jamaa 3, (1, 129-130); Abu Dawud, Salat 47, (548, 549); Tirmidhi, Salat 162, (217); Nasai, Imamah 49, (2, 107). Since the word ‘men’ is used in the hadith, women and children are regarded to be exempt from it. Besides, since praying in congregation is twenty-five or according to another narration twenty-seven times more virtuous than praying at home or somewhere else alone, our Prophet encouraged praying in congregation in the MASJID with this hadith. There are many hadiths mentioning the importance of praying in congregation. As it is understood from those hadiths, the threat was uttered by the Prophet because he does not want his ummah to be deprived of the reward of praying in congregation and he wants to call people who do not pray in congregation to the Mosque/Masjid and hence to praying in congregation. He expressed the importance of praying in congregation like that. The hadith should be evaluated in the form of encouraging people to pray in congregation and threatening those who abandon praying in congregation. The Prophet did not utter those words because he wanted to burn the houses of people. As a matter of fact, if he wanted to do so, he could have done it. That is, he preferred those words in order to express the importance of the issue. We also use different expressions for the important things in our daily lives. عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه قال : قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : أثقل صلاة على المنافقين : صلاة العشاء وصلاة الفجر ، ولو يعلمون ما فيهما لأتوهما ولو حبوا ، ولقد هممت أن آمر بالصلاة فتُقام ، ثم آمر رجلا فيصلي بالناس ، ثم أنطلق معي برجال معهم حزم من حطب إلى قوم لا يشهدون الصلاة فأحرق عليهم بيوتهم بالنار . في هذا الحديث أن أثقل صلاة على المنافقين هي العشاء والفجر . فكيف يُجمع بينهما ؟ الجواب : أن جميع الصلوات ثقيلة على المنافقين ، والعشاء والفجر أثقل من سائر الصلوات . ألا ترى أن المحافظة على الصلوات الخمس من أسباب دخول الجنة ، بينما جاء النصّ على فضل العصر والفجر ؟ كما في قوله صلى الله عليه وسلم : من صلى البَرْدَين دخل الجنة . رواه البخاري ومسلم من حديث أبي موسى . وهذا لا يعني أن من لم يُصلِّ سوى العصر والفجر دخل الجنة ، ولكنه يعني أن مَن حافظ على البردين فهو لما سواهما أحفظ . Praying at your Local Masjid is a daily MUST especially at Fajir & Ishaa prayer ! SPREAD THE WORD… JAZAKUM ALLAH swt KHAIRAN
Posted on: Mon, 22 Sep 2014 05:18:05 +0000